One Year After Hurricane Helene
By Ross Meyer
God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Psalm 46:1-3
service, we invited church members to submit any kind of creative response to the storm or the recovery process after- wards. We received paintings, poems, photography, and even a quilt, and displayed those in the foyer for people to view as they arrived. The service was simple, alternating between the themes of grief and grace, lament and praise. We sang some of - ping together after the storm. Perhaps most impactful were the opportunities to hear as
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different members of the church shared stories of God’s hand at work throughout the recovery process. We heard about one member’s journey to sing “It is well with my soul” in the midst of crisis and chaos and mean it. We reminded each other of the small daily miracles we saw in the weeks after the storm as many of our congregation distributed relief supplies from our meeting location. We also celebrated the impact of the Helene Relief Fund, which we quickly established as offers of sup- port came rolling in from so many churches and individuals, in our presbytery and beyond. Over 200 givers donated to this fund from across the country, allowing us to distribute roughly $140,000 to individuals in need both within our church and the wider community. We are a grateful people—grateful to God and his faithful
presence as we navigated the disaster, relief work, and ongoing recovery. We are grateful to our presbytery and wider denomi- nation, who gave generously, prayed fervently, and sometimes made multiple trips with trailers full of supplies to help meet the ever-changing needs. Helene highlighted for us the truth that the Lord alone works his plans for his world. We do not know what the future will hold; instead, our call is to build our house on the rock of Jesus, a sure foundation not only for this life, but for the life to come.
Reverend Ross Meyer is the Associate Pastor at City Church of Asheville. The poem on page is 29 is written by his daughter, Nora.
28 The Associate Reformed Presbyterian
ne year to the day after the impact of Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina, City Church of Asheville gathered on a Saturday evening to re-
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