Partnership in the Gospel

by Kirk van der Swaagh, Area Rep for Greater New York City and New Jersey

This time they got it right. Most of the time when a huge storm is predicted for New York City, it bypasses us, often sweeping over Long Island and then traveling north to New England. When last October’s “Super Storm Sandy” hit, however, it was all that had been promised. The combined high tide and storm surge drove the Hudson and East Rivers, New York Harbor, and the Atlantic Ocean to record heights, flooding many parts of the city and the surrounding areas. An area called the Rockaways in the borough of Queens and the New Jersey coastline were particularly hard hit.

Close to home, the building complex in which my family lives borders a multilane roadway that sits between us and the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. We marked the progress of the river’s rise throughout the day, but were unprepared for the sight of water cresting its banks and flowing over the roadway into the surrounding streets. Thirty-three of the street level apartments in our complex were flooded out with up to five feet of water. In a similar fashion, the sea swept across the Rockaway Peninsula, leaving destruction in its wake. Providentially, these two particular sections of the city are home to CCCC churches that, by the grace of God, were able, with the support of a sister church in the Bronx, to help their neighbors in the storm’s aftermath.

Immediately after the storm members of Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village and the Bronx Household of Faith joined forces to aid the clean-out of flooded apartments in my family’s complex as well as provide food for those who had been displaced. Our presence made a significant impression on the tenants and staff. Greenwich Village is not a welcoming environment for the gospel; so we were grateful for an opportunity to put 1 Peter 2:12 to the test, speaking with actions among those who would not as readily receive our words. (1 Peter 2:12, Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.)

These two churches then joined Community Bible Church of Inwood, New York, which is located on the eastern end of the Rockaway Peninsula, to serve people from their community. Furniture, sheetrock, insulation, and flooring were discarded and backyards had debris removed from them. An Egyptian woman, ironically named Sandy, was so grateful for the help that she showed up at CBC on a following Sunday with tears of gratitude and a tray full of Middle Eastern foods to share with the congregation!

We want to thank our sister CCCC churches who responded with financial gifts. These funds were used to purchase supplies to help with the cleanup efforts and the money that was left was distributed to a number of the households with which we had personal contact. They all had incurred burdensome expenses related to the storm and they were grateful to receive the help.

The destruction caused by the storm is still evident in our region. Many remain displaced, whose future is uncertain. We are praying for additional opportunities to bear witness in word and deed to the truth of God’s mercy and grace. Again, we thank our sister churches for partnering with us in this endeavor.