March Letter

"Foundations for Life"

Just before Easter, Carol and I had the privilege of ministering during the spiritual life emphasis week at Barclay College in Haviland, Kansas.

Until last Saturday, most of America had never heard of Barclay College or Haviland or . . . of Greensburg, Kansas, just 10 miles west of the college.

You know what happened. In the ugly sense, it was the “perfect storm.” More than 1 mile wide, 20+ miles long, F5 winds over 200 miles per hour.

And when the storm passed, 95% of the town of Greensburg, Kansas, was simply gone. Blown up, blown around, blown away.

The great news is that people stepped in to help - immediately. My own brother, Dave, who teaches at Barclay College, got in his car in the early morning of Saturday, May 5, and took enough back roads to navigate into Greensburg, searching for friends, ministry colleagues and ways to help them.

He asked one pastoral friend, “Is your church OK?”

“The building is gone, but the church is fine,” he heard back.

Like David and his friend, I am drawn to Jesus’ truth about storms and our life foundations: “Therefore,” he said, “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” (Matt. 7: 24)

Jesus also spoke about caring for one another.

If you would like to make a donation of money to help Greensburg, Kansas, folks who are in need, we will channel it through our own Friends Disaster Service, Barclay College (an Evangelical Friends college) and through Haviland Friends Church. Make your check, payable to EFC-ER, denoting “Greensburg Relief,” and mail it to us here at the World Outreach Center, address shown at the bottom of this page.

Bob Winn, our Friends Disaster Service director, is in close touch with Friends relief leaders in Kansas, and will have more to share in the coming weeks about how we may help with teams and supplies.

Thanks for caring -in Jesus’ name.

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Closer to home, since last February, our Eastern Area Superintendent, Duane Rice, has been preaching and assisting, part-time, at Willoughby Hills Evangelical Friends Church, after Pastor Dale Diggs resigned. Just recently, as we prayed and planned together, we came to peace about Duane serving as Intentional Interim Pastor at WHEFC for up to a one year period. We will be phasing in this change over the next few weeks. At the same time, we welcome Pastor Chris Jackson, Senior Pastor at Orange Road Evangelical Friends Church (north of Columbus, OH), as our new Eastern Area Superintendent, effective July, 2007. Please pray for God’s grace and blessing during this important transition time.

Dr. John P. Williams, Jr.
General Superintendent, EFC-ER
5/11/07