ybvdadminuser(RNS) — As firefighters begin to get the California wildfires that caused massive destruction in and around Los Angeles under control, faith leaders and their communities have begun planning for a long, slow recovery while helping victims of the fire with shelter, food and other essentials.
In the days since the fires began, Victory Bible Church in Pasadena has become a hub for distributing supplies like food, water and toiletries to victims of the fire. Some of those victims are members of the congregation, said Jonathan DeCuir, pastor of Victory Bible.
“I have 42 members whose homes burned to the ground,” he said.
The church has started a fire relief fund and a call center where people can dial in and ask for help. It’s also collecting gift cards so victims can buy the supplies they need — rather than getting handouts. Something about being able to purchase the things they need has been empowering to victims, said DuCuir.
“We call that the dignity phase,” he said. “We’ve discovered that people want to go into stores and buy what they need.”
DeCuir said Victory Church is also trying to collect donations for laptops, iPads and other computers, as many people have lost the technology they relied on for day-to-day life. The church has also helped fire victims find housing at local hotels and Airbnbs and is working on what DeCuir called “sustainability plans” for the next six months.
“We are trying to provide people what they need and keep them housed until some of the insurance money and FEMA assistance starts to come in,” he said.
For DeCuir, who became senior pastor of Victory Bible, a congregation of 700, a year ago, the past week has been a crash course in how to respond to a disaster. He said he’s been keeping connected to other churches as well as city officials through a Pasadena group called the Clergy Community Coalition, which includes faith groups, charitable nonprofits and city services all working together.
“Our secret weapon is unity,” he said. “That’s been our tagline here. Our secret weapon has been the ability to come together and hold each other up, spiritually and practically.”
He also has been in touch with other clergy affected by the fire. So far, he knows of a dozen pastors who lost homes to the fires and at least nine churches that were destroyed in Altadena and Pasadena.
Reverend Najuma Smith-Pollard, pastor of Word of Encouragement Community Church and assistant director of public and community engagement at the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California, said her phone has been ringing off the hook since the fires began.
Most of those phone calls have been focused on connecting people who want to donate resources to faith communities who get relief supplies to people in need.
She said faith communities in Los Angeles tend to fall into two categories — those directly affected by the fires and those outside the regions affected by the fire but who want to help. Those faith groups in areas affected by the fire can deliver direct aid to people in need, but other churches still have a role to play.
“We have a mandate not to leave our brothers and sisters out there hanging,” she said.
She said almost every faith leader she knows is involved in some way. Many are collecting aid, others are helping church or community members find housing, while still others are using their social media to highlight fund raising requests from those in need.
Smith-Pollard also said there are a number of formal networks of clergy and faith groups who are working together to respond to the wildfires, such as LA Voice and the Clergy Community Coalition in Pasadena, as well as more informal networks and friendships among faith leaders.
“I don’t know of any churches that are operating as Lone Rangers,” she said. “We’re experiencing a moment where everyone is working together.”
Smith-Pollard said clergy are also beginning to think about the long-term rebuilding after the fires, which will require billions in assistance and take years. For now, they are encouraging those in communities affected by the fires to not make any rash decisions about the future. She worries older residents or those in a crisis because of the fire will end up making decisions they will regret later.
“We want to support you, because we don’t want you to feel like you are on your own and nobody knows your story — and then you end up giving your property up,” she said. “Stay in your homes, maintain your property and we’re here to support you.”
From those outside Los Angeles, Smith-Pollard asked for prayer and financial support for fire victims — and an end to political squabbling over who is to blame. There will be time for accountability in the future, she said, but that time is not now.
“It really has to be an all hands-on deck community engagement to rebuild and restore and return,” she said.
Along with helping their congregation and communities with their immediate needs, spiritual comfort and planning for the future, some clergy in Los Angeles will also have to navigate the challenging task of rebuilding churches lost to wildfires. At least a dozen congregations were destroyed and others suffered major damage in the fires. Among them was the Altadena Community Church, a 60-person congregation whose pastor had just announced his retirement due to health concerns, according to the LA Times.
Houses of worship lost to the wildfires face a long road back.
“It’s going to take a really long time to rebuild these churches,” said Charles Cutler, president of ChurchWest Insurance Services, which works with about 4,000 churches and other Christian ministries.
While churches and other houses of worship lost to the wildfires likely had insurance coverage, that insurance might not cover the cost of replacing what was lost. And with thousands of other buildings also lost in the recent disasters — and in places like Altadena and Pacific Palisades, entire communities leveled — congregations will find themselves facing rising prices for construction supplies, long waits for permits and competition for the contractors to get the work done.
“There’s a line of people that are waiting to rebuild their buildings,” Cutler said.
Cutler said churches and other houses of worship lost during the current wildfires will likely take at least three years to rebuild. During that time, those congregations will also have to find alternate spaces to meet in — which insurance may not cover all the cost of, as many policies only cover a year of alternative space. Tithes and offerings may also go down — making it hard to afford the cost of rebuilding.
As the fires recede, Victory Bible has begun work on a long-term “Legacy Land Project” to provide families with the support services to navigate the rebuilding process, including planning clinics on dealing with contractors, insurance and legal issues. Many of the homes that burned in the wildfires had been in families for three or four generations, said DeCuir. He and other church leaders worry some families may sell of their properties due to frustration with the long rebuilding process.
“I’ve been telling people, ‘I know you are grieving but hold on to your land,” he said.
DeCuir hopes people outside of Los Angeles will see the devastation from the wildfires and be motivated to help survivors of the fires get back on their feet.
“We are real people, and this situation has devastated our community,” he said. “The way you can help now is with resources. People are in need of some stability when it comes to housing right now; they need whatever help is possible.”
