Lake Union calls for prayer and support for Oklahoma residents

The Lake Union Conference extends our heartfelt sympathy to the individuals and families who were affected by the EF5 tornado that touched down in the towns of Moore and New Castle, Oklahoma, and other Oklahoma City suburbs, on May 20.

The personal trauma from injury, loss of life and property will, no doubt, cause many to seek comfort and support. We encourage all to embody the directives of the Lord in Isaiah 61:1, to “proclaim good news to the poor” and “comfort the brokenhearted” as opportunities arise.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church will network with 55 other nonprofit members of the National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster. The Church’s specialty is handling donated goods and distributing relief supplies, and volunteers are currently operating a distribution center in Moore. Collection centers have been set up in several locations. If you would like to volunteer, please contact your local conference ACS Disaster Response coordinator to learn how to juncture with relief efforts.

The most effective and efficient way to help the Seventh-day Adventist Church assist victims of the tornado in Oklahoma is to make a financial donation to ACS Disaster Response. You may donate one of four ways:

• Visit www.communityservices.org.

• Call 800-381-7171.

• Mail a check to ACS, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.

• Place a donation marked “ACS Disaster Response” in your church offering plate.

ACS Disaster Response has prepared fliers for churches to share with members. Fliers in French and Spanish will be available soon, too, at www.communityservices.org.

Please join the Lake Union Conference family who are praying that the residents of Oklahoma will be drawn closer to Jesus as His children share His love and their support in the aftermath of this horrific disaster. —Don Livesay, president of the Lake Union Conference

Mission, Spirituality, Connecting  

Some years ago, a campground manager determined the septic tank for a restroom needed to be pumped. When the truck arrived and the concrete lid to access the tank was pulled, it either broke or was placed at the wrong angle and inadvertently fell into the tank. When the pumping job was completed, a temporary cover was placed over the opening and a new lid ordered.

Some days later, a family was camping in the area. Not realizing any potential danger, their little girl wandered toward where the underground septic tank was located. As the father watched his little girl explore their new setting, he saw her suddenly disappear into the ground. Evidently, the temporary cover either had been moved or was inadequate to secure the opening, and the little girl fell in. Her father rushed to the opening; to his horror, he saw only the dark, murky solution that filled the septic tank.

Prevented from instantly jumping in by the small size of the opening, he could gaze only, with sheer agony, into the offensive mire where his treasured little daughter had disappeared. After what seemed like an eternity, a little hand emerged through the surface. Getting down with his face to the hole, he reached into the muck to grab his little girl's hand. Pulling his treasured child up and out of the pit, love was not deterred by the stench as he began to embrace his precious child and wipe away the filth from her face.

Pretty awful to imagine, huh? The story reminds me of the narrative of the prodigal son in Luke 15. What's different about his story is that his fall into the septic tank of life was a very willful, progressive immersion into sin. I think swine pits and septic tanks are good metaphors for the byproducts of sin. They are really awful, but the sinful nature seems able to adapt quite nicely. Read more.

The message in this section is the Editorial written by the Lake Union president, Don Livesay, reprinted from the current issue of the Lake Union Herald. It will be updated monthly.