Trees of Righteousness
Psalm 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Texas winters are no joke and we found out how challenging and demanding a winter can be in a central Texas ice storm. On February 17, 2021, I entered our church in day three of a freeze with no power to our campus to make sure our children’s education building did not have any water issues. As I opened the door, I stepped into ankle deep water. The fridged waters shocked my system into action. I began calling the staff and building team. I sloshed through the offices into the main foyer and found Niagara Falls. I could see water running into our sanctuary and on the other side of the foyer, running into our adult wing as well. Soon we identified two more water lines that had burst. All total, we found five burst pipes, including those in the Family Life Center. I had ventured out in a snow and ice storm to check the Children’s building, and upon further inspection, it was not harmed at all.
Finally, the water was turned off and those within the building could take a collective breath. I was stunned at the damage and this on the heels of recently reopening our campus during Covid shutdown. As I observed the men that responded to my call for help, I was encouraged by their general mood. There was no “hand-wringing” or disparaging voices. Instead, there was a calm during this storm still delivering its icy blast outside.
The following Sunday, we met in our Family Life Center which in and of itself was a monumental project of moving sound equipment from the Worship Center, creating staging, and moving from recorded events to live streaming. Once again, I was taken back by the people surrounding me. I never heard a critical or derogatory word from anyone. It certainly was not business as usual, but it wasn’t an insurmountable obstacle either. There was hope. Hope declared through the congregation of Lakeview Baptist Church.
Once we contacted our insurance company, we placed fans in all the rooms and hallways affected by the flood. We chose a team from our congregation to administer the clean-up and to work with contractors and the insurance company. Once the water had subsided and the building was declared safe, we announced a worknight to remove the drywall from the affected areas and to remove all the carpet and padding. We selected the 26th and prayed that we would have enough help. One of our staff members recalled that while he was driving to the church, he was praying that no one would be injured and that our church family would be there to help. He remembers tearing up as he turned into the property as he saw twenty to thirty vehicles filled with equipment.
The Miracle at 7717 Hwy 317
Inside the campus, the mood was electrifying. In the mix of people were members and non-members of the community who came to help and “do whatever we could.” Lake Belton high school brought sponsors and teens from National Honor Society, Cheerleaders, and members of the football team. I didn’t even know how they knew, but they responded to the call. Members that we had not seen in over a year from Covid were busy tearing out drywall, taking off faceplates, and moving pews. There was such a comradery that I can only describe as “the Miracle for LBC.” Doom and gloom were absent and in its place was laughter and stories filling the damaged halls, classrooms, and worship center. We had a common foe, and the LORD supplied the warriors among the faces that came that night.
Through Covid19 and the Flood of 2021, we did not close our doors or diminish in size. All our financial needs were met. We could have folded our tent. We could have focused on these two disasters and how horrible the situation was. However, out of this disaster, the Lord brought many new families. In the place of what could have been a dying church, “God turned graves into Gardens.”
The copper cross (pictured) is made up from the water lines that burst. Josh, one of our teens took the broken pipes and fashioned them into a cross for me. It hangs in my office as a reminder of how a people can call upon the Lord and He hears us.
The LORD accomplished great things and saw His name glorified at Lakeview Baptist Church in the early months of 2021 and we are still feeling the effects today.
Psalm 30:11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Dr. Robert Crowder