Peterborough’s Church in the City aids clean-up efforts
PETERBOROUGH, ON-In the aftermath of the worst flooding in this city's history, an ecumenical group made up of local churches and Christian organizations has been a vital supplier of volunteer clean up assistance.
Church in the City is an association of 15 churches and four Christian organizations representing 10 different denominations.
Karl House, pastor of Peterborough's Living Hope Christian Reformed Church, says Church in the City partnered with the city of Peterborough, the Red Cross and The Salvation Army to provide countless volunteers, who have been lending assistance whenever and wherever it has been needed.
"We have been cleaning out basements, ripping out carpets, cleaning mold, recleaning mold, talking to people, listening to their stories over and over again.
"We've helped move people from basement apartments, and have helped with lodging and food vouchers," says House.
Millions of dollars in damages occurred to thousands of Peterbor-ough homes and businesses in a flash flood following a torrential rainfall on July 15.
The local sewage system was overwhelmed when an estimated 200 millilitres of rain fell in just over three hours. The city was under a state of emergency for three weeks.
Church in the City leadership team member Tim Coles says the group had "put together a prayer covenant relationship based on Ephesians 4" and was looking for opportunities to serve their city when the flooding occurred.
"When the flood came, it was just a matter of pulling together 15 pastors, drawing up a plan and then executing it," says Coles.
"We were working with EFC's Celebration 2005, so we had several things being planned," explains House, "but they were all things scheduled for June, 2005. The flood basically just said, 'Now! Don't miss this opportunity.' Because we had that relational network we could move pretty fast."
One of their most popular efforts in the community has been free laundry days, which they called, "Taking you to the cleaners."
"We went to Laundromats and said, 'We're going to pay for people to have their laundry done for free,'" explains House. Church in the City paid not only for the cost of running the washers and dryers; they provided the necessary detergents.
In addition to his role on the leadership team of Church in the City, Coles is executive director of the local chapter of Youth For Christ Canada, which owns a 5,000-square-foot building used primarily as a youth drop-in centre in downtown Peterborough. "In our building, we had three feet of water," says Coles, adding that their damages have been pegged at $60,000.
Coles says most downtown buildings, including their own, were either not insured, or were subject to limits on insurance coverage because of flooding that occurred in the city two years ago. While monies have been coming in, Coles says there are still things that will require replacement. But he is not discouraged.
"Crisis is good for a community," he says. "We blessed the name of the Lord and thanked Him for allowing the floods to come to Peterborough, because of what it can do for a community."
Still, he describes his community as remaining in crisis. "This is a time for Christians to bless their community. This is our time to shine, and to do what we can to help people in need."
House agrees. Describing the mission of Church in the City, he says, "It's unity for the sake of missions. We want to be one, so that the world will know that God sent His son."
Donations can be made to: Peterborough Area Flood Relief Committee, c/o 500 George Street North, Peterborough, Ontario, K9H 3R9. Charitable receipts will be issued for donations of $10 or more.
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