Dear Salem family,
Grace and peace to you from Our Lord Jesus Christ. I am so honored to see this church in action during this time of emergency and crisis. You have each demonstrated the love of God and the strength of the Holy Spirit by collecting supplies, checking in neighbors, clearing paths, feeding your family in Christ, caring for the vulnerable, and generally being exactly the kind of people that make Salem United Methodist Church great.
While all of us have been navigating the “rescue” phase of this emergency, I have been here, there, and everywhere to coordinate supply lines, ensure clean water for neighbors, direct our missional network, travel back and forth to areas with access to communication and information, housing volunteers and refugees alike, and leading efforts to keep folks sanitary and safe with waste disposal. Although I have been spread dangerously thin by all of this action and I am frankly experiencing significant distress because of it, I am so proud to be the pastor of a church where we respond to tragedy with love and action. You have proven to me and every neighbor we have that we serve the God who saves.
As for our intended upcoming schedule, we will be worshiping together in the sanctuary this Sunday at 11AM. If we need to, we will move to the fellowship hall, but we’ll start in the sanctuary. Following worship, we will have a discussion about how we might best-direct our aid efforts as a church.
Before Sunday comes along, though, please join us for a meal together at Smokin’ Joe’s Barbecue this Thursday at 4:00PM. This will be a beautiful time of fellowship and community—something we badly miss right now. We’ll be looking forward to seeing everyone who can make it!
God bless you and keep you,
Rev. Jordan Durham
Other updates:
- While power is quickly being restored by tireless teams of line workers from across the country, clean water will not come back to Asheville and the surrounding area until possibly early November. Please prioritize clean water storage, wise rationing, and sanitary disposal of bodily waste.
- The United Methodist Committee On Relief has established a supply base for Buncombe County at Covenant Community UMC (11 Rocket Drive, Asheville). I continue to work with them and other area churches to establish satellite bases of supply for affected areas. If you are interested in volunteering with this effort or any others supported by the WNC Annual Conference, please text me at 864.934.7175. Oakley UMC continues to act as a supply node in our network, distributing supplies from 12-3 every day.
- Please contact one another and me to alert each other of our safety and needs. As above, text messaging is the most reliable at this time for all of us. My number is 864.934.7175