Des Arc Church Destroyed, But Compassion Prevails

When scores of tornadoes and powerful winds swept through the Midwest and Southeast over the weekend, taking the lives of at least 42 people, the scenes left behind were similar — not just the wiped-out homes and businesses, but the survivors with glassy-eyed stares, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of loss they had just experienced.

It was the same in Des Arc, Missouri, where a tornado struck many homes and left the Des Arc Assembly of God sanctuary collapsing upon itself — dangerously unstable and expected to be declared a total loss. Eric Atnip, pastor of Des Arc AG, says that it’s difficult to describe the need in the area as there’s destruction everywhere he looks.

However, despite the challenges facing the church, on Sunday morning Atnip and the Des Arc congregation were assisted by nearby Vulcan AG, led by pastor Daniel Tidmore, in reaching out to the community.

“Instead of holding a service, we were there to serve the community,” Atnip says. “We set up a distribution center to distribute food and non-perishables to those in need.”

Atnip says that most people are now waiting on insurance adjustors to come through before they can start with clean-up. But now, after having been surrounded by the devastation — both physical and emotional — Atnip admits he’s feeling the weight.

“It’s hard to process,” he says. “I have not seen anything except destruction since Friday.”

Des Arc wasn’t the only community impacted by tornadoes and powerful winds. According to Ethan Forhetz, national spokesperson for Convoy of Hope, as of Tuesday, the compassion organization had already sent out and delivered over 400,000 pounds of relief supplies, serving 28 communities, and more than 21,000 people.

Endurance Church (AG) in West Plains, First AG in Rolla, Vulcan AG, Bluff First in Poplar Bluff, and Bakersfield First AG are some of the Missouri churches Convoy of Hope partnered with to distribute aid to communities impacted.

As lives were lost and property destroyed throughout the Midwest and Southeast by the powerful storms, including dust storms in Kansas and Texas that led to deadly crashes, Texas and Oklahoma have also been battling fires, which have been difficult to control due to the high winds.

Oklahoma AG Superintendent Darryl Wootton says that so far 12 counties have been declared in a state of emergency by the governor due to the outbreak of fires. According to the Oklahoma Forestry Services, fires have scorched over 100,000 acres, leaving four dead and hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed.

Matthew Stidham, pastor of Mannford Assembly of God, located between Tulsa and Stillwater in northeast Oklahoma, says that he watched on the news as fires approached the church, before being controlled literally across the street.

And with the fires breaking out in multiple places in northeast Oklahoma, and an estimated 200 homes were damaged or destroyed by fire in Creek County, including 30 within the city limits of Mannford, Stidham says the church has been proactive in its ministry.

“On Saturday morning, our regular men’s breakfast was turned into a community breakfast so those who suffered loss would have a place to eat . . . we also took food out to people who lost their homes and were sifting through the ashes,” Stidham says. “Friday night, Superintendent Wootton had contacted Convoy of Hope; on Saturday afternoon, I worked with Convoy to determine what was needed; and by noon on Sunday, a truck arrived with relief supplies. About 60 volunteers from our church, which averages about 85 in attendance on Sundays, helped to physically distribute food and cleaning supplies, but all have come together to meet the need through giving, checking on others, and prayer.”

Stidham says that the church, which is also partnering with the other churches in the community, is currently open 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day for people to come and get supplies, and will remain so, depending on the need.

“Many times people come by and they really don’t even know what they need — they’re just overwhelmed,” Stidham says. “So, we just walk them through the process, making recommendations, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh yeah, I need that!’ And then we pray with them before they leave.”

Stidham says that it’s during those times of prayer that God’s presence becomes very real.

“We haven’t kept count, but hundreds of people have come through here,” he says. “But when we pray with people, even those overwhelmed or have a hard shell to them, there’s a change that takes place . . . a change in attitude; the peace of God’s presence.”

Although the powerful storms over the weekend, that extended into this week, have left communities in multiple states in emergency mode, it is without question that frequently the first to respond to the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of those communities are the local churches.

And even though Stidham is feeling the stress of the ongoing fires and being a comfort to those who have suffered great loss, he has a clear vision of the church’s responsibility.

“God is good,” he states. “It’s good to do what we do. Yes, it’s taxing in a lot of ways, but we’re exactly where we need to be, doing exactly what we need to be doing. I don’t want more fires, but I do want more ministry like this — reaching out and helping people.”

Another Convoy of Hope truck is arriving at Mannford AG on Thursday. Stidham has already connected with two AG churches in Stillwater and Cleveland, offering them each a portion of the supplies so they can also reach and continue to help people in need in their communities.