Larry Davies and I are friends though we have never met nor spoken by phone. We have read each other’s devotionals for years and he wrote the introduction for my first book. Larry recently emailed asking me to write something to promote his coming de-votional books. I agreed and today am sharing one of his stories.
One Sunday afternoon, a nasty storm pelted Larry’s community with hail. He learned a tornado had touched down just two miles away. The next morning, he discovered the tornado had destroyed the Lawyers Missionary Baptist Church. As a local pastor, Larry wondered how his church might help. He recalls thinking, “Our church was building a new worship area…” They were meeting in the church’s gym since their sanctuary was too small to seat the entire congregation. The Baptist church desperately needed a sanctuary. However, there were reasons helping could be a challenge:
Larry’s church’s parking lot was already full.
The churches were different. Larry’s was Methodist, the other Baptist. One con-gregation was mostly black, the other mostly white.
Still an inner voice kept saying, “Wouldn’t you want someone to help you?” When Larry met Rev. Carlton Johnson he said, “We have a church sanctuary, and we would be delighted to have you join us.” Members of the two churches worshipped separately but in the same building the following Sunday. They planned a potluck dinner, and the Methodist congregation began to ask how they might help raise money for a new building. The churches even discussed combining two small youth Bible studies.
