Twin Lakes Church in Aptos is helping people in Maui. Here is the post:
“As you probably have seen on the news, the island of Maui and the island of Hawaii have had a number of fires breakout. The worst has been the fires in Lahaina, Maui that destroyed most of the town. We are working with Hope Chapel in Kihei, Maui.”
Pastor Rene Schlaepfer (right) interviews Maui Pastor Ben Pragnell.
Pastor Rene Schlaepfer knows their senior pastor very well and he has preached there often. The church has already sent $15,000 initially to help with fire relief.
Here’s an excerpt from an email from Hope Chapel with some details:
“Our church body has mobilized to meet the tremendous need here on Maui- thank you for being with us as we are the hands and feet of Jesus right now.
“We are holding onto the words of the Apostle Paul, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
“The devastation in Lahaina is so tragic and hard to comprehend. The casualty numbers are increasing as search teams continue their work, and we grieve for those in our community who are learning that they have lost loved ones. We know many who have lost their homes and businesses. We are so grateful for all of our firefighters and emergency responders. The stories that are coming out are heartbreaking — we have a long road of physical, emotional, and spiritual care ahead of us. It will take years to rebuild physically, and much longer to care for the souls of all those affected.
“The outpouring of love and help these past few days has been incredible:
We’ve sent many truckloads of donations over to Lahaina, as well as donations on boats, and we’re continuing to get more to Lahaina every day
Our Kokua fund is set up for those in the community who need it most — immediate needs of supplies and money for groceries are being given out daily
Hope Chapel Kids Ministry is going into shelters to set up craft tables and activities for children, and backpacks of school supplies are being packed and given out
Teams are forming to visit shelters to give Bibles, pray, and counsel people who have been displaced
Countless members are housing those who’ve been displaced
We’re partnering with our local missions to help them do the work to minister to those in need
“Maui Rescue Mission has a shower unit and resources to help the homeless community that has now increased by the thousands.
“Vertical Sports, our sports ministry, is sending teams to spend time with the kids and youth at the shelters and run sports activities on site.
“Village of Hope ministers to foster kids. We are working with them to fill backpacks with essential items, toys and a Bible, to give to all the children and youth that have lost everything.
“We’re a Maui Food Bank collection center, ready to distribute food, and also partner with Feed My Sheep to distribute food and fresh produce.”
Here’s a link to a 5-minute interview Pastor Rene did with Pastor Ben Pragnell: https://youtu.be/BI6lvt-bRzk
If you would like to give, see www.tlc.org/relief/