What is Church?
Is it a place you go to once a week? Is it a group of people?
Is it the music or messages you hear?
The way our culture views the church has radically changed since its inception, just as the church has evolved to the changing times.
In the early days of Christianity, followers of Christ often met in small groups inside of homes. As Christianity spread and the fear of persecution dwindled, buildings dedicated to worship were established – the church. The Bible refers to the church as the “body” of Christ, with Jesus as the head. This metaphor illustrates the structure of the church and how it is intended to operate. While church buildings offer a place of gathering and worship to help facilitate the role of God’s people, they do not fulfill it. It is the individuals that are the Church, allowing people to see Christ through them.
After the December 10th tornado devastated countless communities throughout Western Kentucky, God’s people were called to action.
Local churches became the hands and feet of God as they served their communities day and night. Regardless of if their buildings stood, they were the Church, and they were there to serve.
Jesse Rogers, a deacon of Rosebower Baptist Church, states, “Christ was sent to the earth not only to die for our sins but to teach us how to be compassionate to people in need. The believers in Christ feel compelled to have compassion and help them in any way they can.”
The strength and compassion of the Church have carried these communities through these incredibly heavy weeks. This is what the Church was intended to be.
While it is easy to get caught up in the four walls, with lights, music, and fellowship, the church truly begins when you leave the service.
Stephen Boykin, the pastor of His House Ministries in Mayfield, Kentucky, describes how leading up to that tragic day, he felt his community needed a reset. “I had this feeling like we had gotten off track. A reset means to move something back to an original plan and position. I wanted to get back to core biblical values.” He began a series of sermons titled “The Reset – Your Mission.” He could never have imagined the reset would be the entire community, not just this congregation.
The EF4 tornado left many towns devastated and hundreds of people with nothing.
Jesse Rogers compares the destruction in Mayfield to a bomb exploding. Piles of rock lay where beautiful historic buildings once stood.
Two local pastors, Stephen Boykin of His House Ministries and Joel Cauley of Relevant Church, tell their story of the night of the tornado. While this story is upsetting, it paints the picture of the devastation across the area.
His House Ministries had a night of worship planned for December 10th, but leadership decided to cancel due to the incoming weather. Pastor Boykin was with his family when the warnings started coming in. He sheltered his three sons in a closet as the sound of the storm filled the air. Once he knew it was safe, he was called to take action. People throughout Mayfield were trapped in their homes, and a local candle factory came down on top of several employees. Boykin left his home in joggers and a rain jacket. He comments, “if I would have known what I was about to see, I would have worn something else.” He made his way to the candle factory, where employees were trapped. As he approached the pile of rubble where the building once stood, he knew he needed to call Joel Cauley, pastor of Relevant Church. “Walking up to it was one of those surreal scenes. There was all this noise, all the lights. I felt a responsibility to these people,” says Boykin.
After providing aid to five disaster areas, Stephen was not prepared for how bad it would be. He and the other volunteers were not equipped to do rescue work with no ambulances coming at first and no tools to free trapped individuals. He describes constantly sliding in mud and candle wax. He saw a combine completely turned upside down.
Pastor Cauley describes being handed handfuls of cell phones when he arrived at the candle factory. Piles of ringing phones, where people were checking on loved ones inside.
Cauley says, “I could tell them that some were okay, but others were not.”
The pastors held the hands of trapped individuals, prayed with them, and encouraged some to stay awake.
Around 3:00 or 4:00 AM, volunteers were asked to leave the area, but the pastor’s work was just beginning. As the sun began to rise, churches jumped into action.
The mission of the Church since that night has been to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of their communities. Many of the pastors and church leaders describe the Church as a beacon of hope for the community. Jesse Rogers says, “it is overwhelming to see how God’s people have responded.”
Many of the church buildings became distribution centers. They prioritized keeping people warm and immediately started feeding the community. Right away, they became a support center for comfort. Members of Rosebower Baptist Church have even been doing chainsaw work and debris removal. They are using the church bus to transport individuals since so many have lost their vehicles. The Church is there to meet the needs of this community, whatever that may be.
However, as weeks pass, the needs of the community will change. All of the churches are here for the long haul. They will continue to serve their people. His House Ministries plans to offer free counseling to anyone that might need it. Not only for the trauma this community has encountered, but for the survivor’s guilt some people are facing. There is a mental struggle when your neighbor lost their home, but yours was untouched. The loss is great, but the damage under the surface is greater.
Stephen Boykin says, “you can see and hear of the destruction on the news, but what you don’t see is the emotional scars that are present. There are hearts that are breaking and broken.”
The churches are also working together to pay for all the funerals in the county. A partnership with 18 local churches has united the people of God. They are working together to “help people, help people.”
Joel Cauley talks about how Relevant Church has always focused on outreach, but now they are able to give back even more. He wants to empower people to reach their full potential in Christ, serving with no strings attached. Paraphrasing Mark Twain, Cauley says, “The two best days in your life are the day you were born and the day you discover why.” They are providing opportunities to followers of Christ to make a difference in the lives of someone else.
Jesse Rogers says, “one thing this storm did was reveal needs that were already there.” No one would wish this kind of tragedy anywhere, but we can find the light in this dark time. The light of this tornado has been the community coming together and getting back to what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
“We aren’t just going to do church; we are going to be the Church,” says Stephen Boykin.
Cries for help are still pouring in. Stephen read a message he received in the middle of the night from a local woman, “I really need some help. Please, I am freezing. I have no heat or power. Can you help me please?” While they are doing so much, the needs have not disappeared.
Joel Cauley talks about how you go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. They distributed 8,000 meals in one day, just to discover there were several families in hotels that hadn’t eaten. The need in Western Kentucky is so great and will not go away for quite some time. They need support from the entire community.
Private citizens have the ability to make a huge contribution, whether financially, physically, or just through prayer. Each church emphasizes how important prayer is during this time.
Jesse Roger says, “If people don’t feel like they can financially give, they can pray for these victims. Pray to give them strength as they rebuild their lives. We need continual prayers in the coming months.” Joel Cauley says that prayer, partnership, and generosity are the three most important things moving forward. Do not forget about these impacted communities. It is easy to move on with your life when the media takes the lens off the damage, but it is not over for so many. Jesse Rogers also touches on the need for gift cards, “The need is going to be great in the coming weeks for families to have access to gift cards. They are going to be rebuilding their houses and lives. Home improvement stores, grocery stores, and restaurants. The great thing is that the gift cards do not expire.” Giving things that do not expire allows the churches to distribute at the appropriate times.
The local church expresses overwhelming gratitude to the community and the entire world for all that they have done in support. Faith-based organizations, such as; Convoy of Hope, Mercy Chefs, and God’s Pit Crew, have partnered with local churches to help meet the needs of this community.
Local churches have also created long-term support systems because of the disaster.
Relevant Church is establishing the Kentucky Dream Center, an outreach center to meet the physical and spiritual needs of individuals. His House Ministries is forming a separate entity for aid and relief known as “The Hope Initiative.”
Rescue, relief, and now restoration. This is the pattern of healing for our community.
If you would like more information on how to get involved, check out:
https://wearerelevant.org/mayfield
We must work together to rebuild our community.
