I began writing to you driving back from a clergy conference in Columbia, SC. With encouraging stories of God’s power at work in the church behind me, the darkening clouds ahead of me serve as a reminder: we are all following the news about Tropical Storm Helene and how it might impact us here in Haywood County this weekend.
Prepare as you are able. Read through the Red Cross Emergency Preparedness. Sign up to receive Haywood County Alerts. Check in on your neighbors.
But there may not be quite as many venues for naming our feelings and fears — especially related to any past memories the storm might be bringing to mind.
Let me invite you to process and name those things again with God or others, especially those of you who were here in ’21 (or ’04). This deepens our knowing and our being-known in this community. Please talk — it is good.
Lastly, whether you’re a grizzled flood veteran or a newcomer to mountain living like me, all of us as God’s people are called to pray.
Please join me in praying for the country; for the safety of all people, the preservation of our cities, and for an experience of God’s nearness in an uncertain time. Here are two practical ways you can pray this weekend:
- Pray and Request on Our Community Prayer Wall. We’re trying a holy experiment through this storm: On our website’s Prayer page, we’ve added a prayer request wall.Bookmark this webpage, and gather around it as you can. When you see your community’s needs and notice your own, make a request (anonymous or not) so The Vine can see it and pray. As you pray for what you see listed, click “+1 Prayed” to let folks know and be encouraged. I will be checking this page regularly and will pray for any needs mentioned there.
- Pray a “Collect.” Sometimes we don’t have the words to pray. This “Collect in times of natural disaster” from our Book of Common Prayer gives us a prayer anchor to return to. Pray it, or write your own to lean on:Almighty God, by your Word you laid the foundations of the earth, set the bounds of the sea, and still the wind and waves. Surround us with your grace and peace, and preserve us through Tropical Storm Helene. By your Spirit, lift up those who have fallen, strengthen those who work to rescue or rebuild, and fill us with the hope of your new creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, 654)
