Why did a Houston church give $50,000 to help Texas Panhandle wildfire victims — 600 miles away? Well, that’s an interesting story.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
CANADIAN, Texas — Nearly 600 miles separate this small town in the Texas Panhandle from the vast metropolis of Houston in the southeast part of the Lone Star State.
The 800 members of the Memorial Church of Christ in Houston likely wouldn’t even know Canadian existed if not for their preaching minister, David Duncan.
But Duncan, 56, grew up in the rural community and often shares memories of Canadian in his sermons.
So when the ranching and oil-and-gas town of about 2,200 souls got caught in the path of the largest wildfire in Texas history last week, Memorial members recognized the name on the news.
“It was kind of funny,” Duncan said Sunday. “Like, I bet half the church asked me about it today or called me or texted me during the week: ‘Isn’t Canadian where you’re from?’”
Related: Christians look to God for strength after Texas’ largest wildfire
Indeed, it is.
But Houston has become home since Duncan moved to Space City to serve as Memorial’s preacher in 2006.
Houston experienced its own disaster in 2017. The Memorial church became a relief hub after Hurricane Harvey dumped a record-breaking 52 inches of rain on the nation’s fourth-largest city.
Since then, Memorial has strived to pay forward the outpouring of support it received from Christians across the nation.
Typically, that means the church will donate $5,000 or even $10,000 to help after a major storm or fire.
But in the case of Duncan’s hometown, Memorial’s elders decided on a different amount, Canadian Church of Christ preaching minister Jake Perkins announced Sunday.
This column appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
Photo by Bobby Ross Jr.
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