The pews beneath the collapsed ceiling of the Smithville UMC.

On Friday, as Mike and I stood with Charles Coggins by the devastation that
was Smithville UnitedMethodist Church we were greeted by a family from St. Paul, Ocean Springs.

 

"I was baptized and married here," she said to us and to her

daughters, with her parents, leaders in the Smithville Church by her side. "St. Paul is ready to help in any way we can. We know how it is..."

 

In God's great economy nothing is lost: nothing can separate us from the love of

God in Christ Jesus. We are connected in this moment as we grieve and comfort, as we clean up and trust God for the future.

The four people in the overturned car ran into the basement of the Smithville UMC behind it and survived the storm there.

 

Thank you for inviting an offering tomorrow for tornado recovery. Checks should be made out to Mississippi Conference and marked 4/17 or 4/27 tornadoes.

 

Your generosity will make a great difference in the lives of our friends and neighbors.

 

With gratitude for your partnership in the ministry of Christ,

Hope Morgan Ward