Case Study Eight: The Wilderness can be a Time of Blessing Leonard Bell Leonard Bell, a retired professor of food science from Auburn University, is in his first year at Asbury Theological Seminary, pursuing a Master of Divinity degree. He and his wife live in Auburn, Alabama and have three children and three grandchildren. Context: Suburban Central Alabama Affiliation: United Methodist Size: 1,200 members Introduction Disasters come in various forms which affect communities and their churches in various ways. Wildfires that swept through Paradise, California, destroyed over a dozen churches and thousands of other buildings in 2018. Due to evacuations that dispersed their congregants, the pastors in Paradise were challenged to provide relief to them. Yet, in the midst of the disaster, it was recognized that “the faith community is where people find belonging, they find acceptance, they find hope.”1 Similarly, Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana outside Dallas, Texas, was destroyed by a tornado on October 20, 2019; although their church building was gone, the congregation continued to meet at a nearby church.2 These natural disasters were acute, happening quickly, which Shellnutt, K. (2018, Nov 16). “Paradise fire burned most church buildings, but ‘the Church Is still alive’.” Christianity Today. https://www.christianitytoday.com/ news/2018/november/paradise-california-churches-camp-firerevival.html. 2 Manuel, O. (2019, Nov 28). “A tornado destroyed this church, but its members still feel gratitude.” The Dallas Morning News. https://www.dallasnews. com/news/2019/11/28/a-tornado-destroyed-this-church-but-itsmembers-still-feelgratitude/. 1
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