Awesome Stuff

There are so many great things that happen in the life of our church--it is hard to pick just one. Many churches try to start a mercy ministry and they fail--it doesn't work that way. Mercy ministry is grass roots and begins in the hearts of the people--not from the top down. If the hearts of the people aren't softened to mercy and the mission of God, no amount of prodding, planning, documenting, programming, theologizing, and guilt-tripping will do the trick.

There is a group of men from our church who travel to the firehouses of those killed in the Line of Duty. Our guys just show up, pray with the men, present them with a really cool plaque in honor of the fallen first responder, and show them that we care. The three of these guys just decided one day they were going to just get it done and they have. I got this report today--and I thought it was pretty awesome...

Our first stop was Scranton, PA where Captain James L. Robeson, age 50, was killed in the Line of Duty when the ladder truck bucket he was in came in contact with electrical wires. The station itself was from the late 1800’s (formally known as the turn of the century) and had all the features that you think of from that era. The day room was on the second floor and that is where we met the crew. There were 8 firefighters including an Asst. Chief, a Captain and a Lieutenant. We were welcomed in, invited to eat lunch and provided with coffee. The plaque was presented and when it came time for pictures the Chief was called in too. The usual tour of the station and equipment description followed the pictures. We went back to the kitchen area where we sat and talked for about an hour. We had the opportunity to share about the CD, the ministry and the Lord. The Lieutenant agreed to give the Treasures of Darkness book to Robeson’s widow and copies of the Loss of a Loved One CD to her and the family. Bryan led a prayer and we headed out for our next stop Elmira, NY.


Just as in the past God has shown how he is in control of all things. The next stop was the West Hill Fire Department (Elmira, NY) where Ryan T. Barker (age 25) was killed when the tanker truck he was operating was involved in a roll over collision. He left behind a wife of a month and a day and a 2 year old daughter. When we arrived at the station there was no one there and later we found out that the station is temporarily closed. The Chief made the decision to remain out of service because of the deep impact the death has caused. We attempted to call 411 to find a phone number for the Chief but none of us could get a signal. As we drove away we started looking for anyone with a fire department tag on their car. A memorial sticker for Ryan was spotted on a pick up so we pulled into the driveway. Our hearts sank when the owner told us he wasn’t a firefighter. He quickly added “but I know the Chief”. Five minutes later we met Chief Joe Sullivan at the station. He was taken aback at why we were there and seemed very comfortable talking with us. He related how the crash occurred and other information of interest. He then began to tell us about Ryan, how his widow is an active member and how close all the members are. This is why the station was taken out of service. He teared up as he spoke and it was obvious how much hurt he still had. The crash happened in July 2008 so it was still fresh. We presented him with the plaque, the CD’s and a book for Ryan’s wife Jane. We gave him Loss of a Loved One CD’s too, more than we usually do because of the family like bond they all seemed to have.

Since Dave has a spazz attack as soon as the gas drops below ¾ we are always looking for gas stations. Dave wanted to stop for gas but the crowd revolted and made him continue. When Art and Bryan finally relented to Dave’s whining we stopped at a gas station off of I-86 somewhere in New York. As we pulled up to the pumps we noticed a Paramedic SUV and a pickup truck with a light bar on it. Dave went inside and met the crew. They were a group of fire fighters en-route to Watkins Glen for training. The Chief of Chautaura Institute, NY (that’s really the town’s name) was the one in charge. God not only led us to a fire fighter but he led us to THE fire fighter that could get things done. He offered to take CD’s to the training center and hand them out this week end to fire fighters from all over New York. Dave brought him to the truck to give them to him and showed him the plaque that we were taking to Erie, PA. When he looked at it he quickly proclaimed “I know him”. He then proceeded to tell us how the accident happened that killed Deputy Chief Mike Crotty. Before we said our good byes, the whole group (8 men) and the First Responder Team stood in the truck stop parking lot and prayed.

We continued on and arrived at Lawrence Park Fire Company, Erie, PA about 8:30 PM. Deputy Chief Michael Crotty (age 24) was killed when a nozzle, under pressure, fell off a snorkel truck at a fire scene. He died of head injuries that night. There were a handful of people looking at a new ambulance that just arrived. We introduced ourselves and the fire fighter/EMT told us he would call Mike’s father to come and accept the plaque on behalf of the fire company. As he closed his cell phone, Mike’s dad pulled up to the fire station. After the introductions were complete Mike’s dad began telling us about Mike’s accomplishments and how well he was loved by all that knew him. You could see the pride swelling in him as he spoke. Mike’s cousin (and best friend) was there too and she proudly showed us pictures and told stories too. Her father was Chief of another fire department and she took CD’s to be handed out there as well. Since this was the first night the ambulance was to go into service there were firefighters and EMTs from other departments stopping in to see it. We didn’t have time to go to them, so God brought them to us. Each person we met became a courier for God’s work. We left there having met a goal 5 times what we intended.