Jesus Our Help

Staff members play a crucial role in the ministry of ReachGlobal Crisis Response. They are the link that brings together homeowners in crisis, the local church, and volunteer teams. They are the ones who stay for the long term, building relationships and sharing Jesus. Without staff there is no ministry (though this is also true of host churches and volunteers).

Early in the Friendswood response to Hurricane Harvey I asked Mark Lewis, the leader of Crisis Response, what his top three prayer requests for this new response would be. He said “First: staff. Second: staff. Third: staff.” This explains why, in the twenty years since Crisis Response was founded, there has been one prayer request that all staff members have been encouraged to pray daily. We call it “9 38”:

Matthew 9:37–38 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

So, does God answer this prayer? Hurricane Helene struck Florida on September 26, 2024 with 140 mph winds. It then traversed Georgia and stalled over eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina bringing massive flooding to Asheville and surrounding areas. There were at least 106 deaths in North Carolina alone.

The leaders of Crisis Response knew that we had to respond to this hurricane, and to Hurricane Milton which struck Florida two weeks later. The problem: staff.  The leadership team scrambled to get first responders into the areas where the hurricanes struck. In North Carolina we were quickly able to partner with an Evangelical Free Church plant and a local Presbyterian Church with a great facility. But we were short on staff.  The word went out to re-double our praying of Matthew 9:38 and to get in touch with anyone we thought might be interested.

And God answered those prayers.

Above is a picture of our annual staff conference held at the end of February this year. There are over 100 people in the picture. Our normal attendance would have been around 60. God provided around 40 people of all ages and stages of life, each of whom is considering joining Crisis Response staff in some capacity. Some examples:

Andrew is a young man who just complete college. After Helene he felt the call of the Lord to do something and his church put him in touch with Mark Lewis. He completed his initial staff interviews even before the conference. Praise God for people like Andrew and Barrett and Vivian who are bringing youthful energy to the ministry.

Mark and Sherri are a little older – not yet retired, but it’s on the horizon. They have significant re-building skills and had thought about crisis ministry. After hurricane Milton they loaded their truck and headed to flooded Sarasota, where Sherri’s dad lives. His home was okay, but they helped a bunch of other people gut their houses and begin to rebuild. They soon realized that hurricane response could not be a “one-man-show.” They needed to be part of a team. Their pastor put them in touch with Mark Lewis, and the rest, as they say, is history. They will probably serve in Fort Myers as often as Mark’s job allows. Praise God for those whose backgrounds prepare them to serve with others in ministry.

Randy is retired, though he’s pretty young. Randy came to know the Lord later in life, partially through the prayers of his parents and their friends at Fort Myers Evangelical Free Church. As he grew in faith, his heart was turned toward discipling others. After Hurricane Ian Randy visited his parents in Florida, met Katrina Welch, and learned about Crisis Response. He organized a team from his home church to come and serve. The following week he started the paperwork to join the ministry.  He too will serve in Fort Myers, because it gives him the opportunity to care for his aging parents and to mentor and disciple homeowners. Praise God that he prepares people through their own circumstances and life experiences to bring hope to others.

God answers prayer! Would you consider praying Matthew 9:38 regularly for Crisis Response? Perhaps you could pray it daily for the rest of this Lenten season? Or once a week? Or as God leads? We will always need workers for the mission field that follows a crisis. Your prayers make a difference.