Is Your Church W.A.R.M.?
What Is the Church?
When people think of a church they usually think of a building where believers gather together and have fellowship to worship Jesus Christ. Fort Bend Community Church (FBCC) is an example of a church whose pastoral staff and church members embody the church’s mission statement which is to “pursue the heart of God by making disciples locally and globally to reach all people for Christ.”
I was first introduced to FBCC through my father, Glenn Yue, who worked with FBCC English Pastor Dick Lee on a short-term missions trip in Glasgow, Scotland in 2003. Little did I know I would soon experience how this church meets the needs of its community during extreme circumstances.
Like many people I check my weather app daily on my cell phone, and to my surprise I saw the snowflakes graphic with a predicted temperature reading 32°F for the upcoming Sunday, February 15, 2021. Soon I began receiving many emails and alerts about early store closures and cancelled events that Sunday afternoon and on Monday. I also received many notices and text messages about schedule changes such as not going to work and health clinic closures due to the inclement weather.
The church is a refuge in the cold weather.
I woke up Monday morning to a beautiful sight a thin cover of snow on the ground and ice covering the parking lot. Finally after living in Houston for more than 10 years, I can finally see pure white snow sticking to the ground and not melting away. As I was going through my email inbox, I received an email from Pastor Lee that was sent to all FBCC members entitled “Emergency Shelter at FBCC for those in Need.” The body of the email said that FBCC was immediately opening its doors for emergency use for people who needed a warm place to stay until they could return home safely.
Around Monday late afternoon, I noticed that all my electrical appliances and the heat in my apartment went out and that there was a substantial drop in my apartment temperature from a cozy 70°F to a brisk 62°F. I assumed the power would return back to normal in a bit, so my strategy was to be patient, eat dinner, go to bed early, and wake up Tuesday morning with electricity and heat. I stayed warm in bed by sleeping under a couple layers of comforters and blankets, and I woke up Tuesday morning to a frigid cold that permeated my apartment. I walked over to my thermostat and was surprised that it read 58°F. I realized I needed to start thinking of contingency plans if my living situation did not improve.
The news outlook for Houston was not promising with loss of power in many residential areas and electrical power not coming back until the end of the week. I thought through many options to find a living arrangement with electricity, warmth, and working water. Complicating these scenarios is that our society is still under social distancing regulations and quarantine due to the COVID virus. I considered many options, and I remembered that email from Pastor Lee stating that FBCC would be open for housing for anyone affected by the winter storm. I contacted Pastor Lee, and he told me to come by church they would have a room ready for me.
A church is usually defined as a house of worship and fellowship to Jesus Christ. I would never expect it be one of the few places in Houston with electricity, ambient heat, clean hot water, and free Wi-Fi in the midst of a freeze. When I arrived at FBCC, I was welcomed with warmth (literally) and hospitality from the church staff as they brought me to my room, which was Pastor Samuel Kwan’s office. The first thing I noticed in his office were two large couches along the wall, a coffee table, and bookshelves filled with a plethora of books on a wide variety of subjects. The office looked surprisingly comfortable, since it resembled a family living room.
FBCC started to fill up with church members, all with similar stories of having burst water pipes leading to extensive water damage and not having electrical power and heat. Families were settling inside different offices and classrooms at FBCC, and the church staff were doing their best to bring some semblance of home by offering warm pastries for everyone staying over. The warm snack tasted so delicious it was like receiving a gourmet meal after waking up to frigid temperatures.
As the sun started to set, the issue of dinner came to my mind. Uber Eats and other local delivery services could not deliver due to poor road conditions, let alone closed restaurants. However, when I was sitting in Pastor Kwan’s office, a church staff member knocked on my door to show me the kitchen amenities such as microwave, stove, and oven. On the way to the kitchen, I saw rotisserie chicken, snacks, and assortment of other foods delivered by an anonymous church member for everyone spending the night at FBCC. Throughout the evening, members from my small group texted me to make sure that I was all right. Pastoral staff members contacted me to make sure that I was getting accustomed to the new surroundings and doing well.
Reflections in times of hardship
I have gained a new perspective in not taking for granted many living necessities such as water, electricity, and heat. Most importantly I was thankful to a church for being a place of refuge and for opening its doors to the community during very difficult living circumstances. As I reflected on the living situations throughout Houston, and what FBCC did for its members, it made me think of what a church can do during difficult situations, and it can be summarized by the acronym W.A.R.M.
Willingness（甘心）“Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” (New International Version, II Corinthians 8:11). We all have limited abilities, resources, and time, and God knows that but all that He desires from us is a willing heart. The Lord wants a willing heart to obey His commands and to achieve his glorious purpose. As I got situated in the warm pastor’s office and was planning what to do over the next few days, members of my small group and FBCC were offering their resources such as warm cooked meals, blankets, hot water, and prayers to me. My housing situation was greatly improved by staying at FBCC during the winter storm, and my small group members were thinking ahead and willing to put in the effort to make sure that my living situation at the church was as close as to living at my actual home.
Available（供用）“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” (New International Version, Hebrews 13:15-16). Being available means making the needs of others our first priority rather than serving our own needs first. When we are serving, we are called to be available to Him and others for it is a form of worship that is pleasing to God. Many of the pastoral staff’s homes were affected by the winter storm, yet they were unselfish and made themselves available to serve the needs of community affected by the frigid temperatures.
Ready（準備）“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. “(New International Version, Matthew 24:44). Being ready means anticipating a need in the community and taking the appropriate action to accommodate that need. When I woke up Wednesday morning, the news report went out that the many in the nearby community still did not have power or clean water. The pastoral and church staff continued to clean and organize the church building to open its door to the community since they were anticipating a great need for shelter during this winter storm.
Mobilize（動員）: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (New International Version, Matthew 9:35). FBCC and its members mobilize and participate in many service projects throughout the Missouri City community. On the third Saturday of every month, you will see church members participate in the FBCC Food Fair by putting on masks and gloves and delivering boxes of food to families who don’t have the economic needs to afford groceries. Even during the pandemic, small groups arrange to have food baskets prepared and delivered to families needing these basic necessities.
Nobody really likes difficulties because it causes inconveniences to our lives and changes to our normal routine. I thank God for teaching me to appreciate and enjoy the modern luxury of electricity, hot water, heat, and Wi-Fi through the most recent winter storm in Houston. At first it was very inconvenient to alter my living circumstance, but I was able to experience firsthand the warmness of a church and its members. Now I have experienced and know the meaning of a W.A.R.M church.
Author Bio:
Jireh Yue is originally from Virginia. His name can be found in Genesis 22:14 (KJV), and it means, “the Lord will provide.” Jireh enjoys playing praise and worship music on the acoustic electric guitar, playing ice hockey in an adult league, and collecting stamps from different countries. He is a general dentist serving the community in Missouri City, Texas. One of his favorite Bible verses is “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.” (Psalms 81:10, NIV)