A Christian Response to September 11th

Photos by Tom Price

**Gerry Brown (left), pastor of CC Romoland and founder of U-Turn for Christ and Pastor Roger Stahlhut (right) CCCS campus pastor at Calvary Chapel Downey survey the damage at Ground Zero.**

**Rescue workers climb into a truck hoping to find survivors in the rubble of the Twin Towers.**

This was originally published as ‘Beauty from Ashes’ on the Calvary Chapel Magazine website on Sept. 7, 2018

Early on a cold Sunday morning after the devastating attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, a fireman at Ground Zero watched as the relief agencies assisted the workers.

“One of the young ladies from a Calvary Chapel in San Diego told me she wished she could help,” the fireman said. “The woman came all the way from California to make sure I had lunch. She wants to do something? Tell her she already has.”

“Christians were willing to fly, take vacation time, drive, whatever it took to go and serve food to the workers in New York,” said Erika Klundt, coordinator for the crisis center at Ground Zero. “They just wanted to be there to serve, listen to their stories, give hugs, and pray with them.”

If there was one consensus from the police, firemen, and construction workers, it was that they will be forever grateful for the Christian community’s commitment to their physical, emotional, and most importantly, spiritual well-being.

Masses of people journeyed to New York throughout the year. The vast majority were evangelical Christians, especially when the tragedy began to fade from the media. Mike Finizio, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Manhattan, remembered that the response from the Christian community was overwhelming. “It became a full-time ministry for us to coordinate the Calvary Chapels from across the country that came to minister and help. We thought it would slow down when the weather got cold, but they kept coming, several hundred each week.”

Pastors Gino Geraci and Skip Heitzig (left), and Joe Focht (right) listen to Pastor Mike Macintosh (below) who gives practical and spiritual guidance when ministering to the victims heavily impacted by the devestation at the World Trade Center.

In the days following September 11th, churches throughout the U.S. saw a groundswell in attendance—people who had not been churchgoers sought meaning after the senseless tragedy, and Christians everywhere felt a need to be in fellowship with other believers.

Pastor Joe Focht, CC Philadelphia, said, “Because of New York City’s close proximity to us in Philadelphia, the tragedy gave us an incredible nearby mission field. We trained over 400 people from our fellowship to go to New York. They journeyed there many times over a six-month period to participate in a wide variety of ministries. They helped at the Billy Graham Prayer Center, participated in street witnessing teams, and assisted the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army, feeding and respite centers, as well as the morgue. We gave away 5,000 of our Comfort CD which was created to minister to the broken and hurting.” The event even affected them locally as the church made contact with the Philadelphia fire and police departments as well as the Red Cross to help facilitate programs for chaplains. CC Philadelphia began working with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association to train believers to become officially sanctioned chaplains. “When another tragedy happens, we wanted to be in a position to be able to minister to hurting people on the front line.”

Pastor Lloyd Pulley, CC Old Bridge, NJ, voiced his remembrances, “There had been some leveling off from that initial burst in attendance; overall we have seen a higher dedication and involvement in the church since the tragedy.” Lloyd sensed that the Lord brought lasting beauty to that body of believers. “The fellowship understood its place is on the front lines; that we can’t be about business as usual when people are hurting.”

He also sensed a difference in the church’s overall approach to sharing the Gospel. “Many times as believers we feel beaten down in our witness, we are worried about what people think of us, and we feel weak. Now, we understand far better who we are in Christ. We have authority to share the Gospel, and that has clarified the role of our church.”

Pastor Joe Paskewich, CC Eastern Connecticut, remembered, “We arrived in New York two days after the attacks. We found ourselves ministering at the Family Assistance Center that day where people were coming to look for their loved ones and filing missing person’s reports with the New York City detectives.” Joe asked their men’s ministry leader, Al Serino, to join them but bring water and Gospel literature. “It began a ministry in New York we called ‘Willing Hearts, Helping Hands,’” said Joe. By February the ministry had hosted over 1,500 people. “We learned that God can orchestrate and mobilize a huge army of volunteers in a very short amount of time,” continued Joe. “Seeing the Body of Christ in action was nothing short of miraculous. Everywhere you went in New York City, you met people from Calvary Chapels across the country.”

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

Remembering 9/11

A Christian Response to September 11th

Recollections of a Ground Zero Chaplain—Part 3