Sounding Board: Reflections on ashes and action

 

Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth of the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area of the United Methodist Church -

In the midst of the fires and smoke, grief and fear were real: Even when fire forces us to scatter, our love can still gather us. We will open our churches, our homes, our hands and our hearts. We will check on our neighbors, make room for those who have been displaced and accompany survivors long after the headlines have moved elsewhere.

 

Rob McCann, Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington CEO and President -

We are in this for the long haul. We know in addition to the overwhelming short-term necessities there will be even more long-term needs as the community recovers.

 

Meggan Manlove, bishop of the Northwest Intermountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -

We celebrate the heroism of firefighters, the way the community came together, the acts of kindness, including all who welcomed evacuees into their homes.

The day after an online VOAD meeting, I gave a presentation to 40 partners at Wartburg Seminary on the Synod's rural ecumenical program, United at the Font: Partnering for the Future.

I teared up when I pulled up the map of our synod. Grief surprises us! It reminds us God's love is in our hearts and bodies. As we celebrate all the good, I want to say that our faith tradition also makes space to lament. The movement from gratitude to lament to anger to sorrow to hope and back is not linear. From my experience, it has always been more wavy or cyclical. We have many lament hymns and the help of poets for those facing loss.

Wherever you are, I invite you to lament. It is a way the Holy Spirit helps us move through grief.

 

Timothy Cobb, president of the Spokane Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -

As disciples of Jesus Christ during crises, we are reminded that we are all neighbors. We want to do our part to help relieve suffering, strengthen our community and remind our neighbors that they are not facing these challenges alone.

 

Spokane Buddhist Temple, Namo Amida Butsu and JW Webb -

Our Shin Buddhist tradition reminds that people's lives are interconnected.  When our neighbors lose their homes and families are displaced, their suffering is not separate from us. These are people we work alongside, go to school with, and share this beautiful part of Washington with.

The fires are a painful reminder of impermanence. Things built over a lifetime can disappear in an afternoon, yet amid that loss, we have watched people open their homes, share what they have, care for strangers and simply ask, "How can I help?"

This is where Buddhist teachings become real. Compassion means recognizing our shared humanity and asking how we can be present for one another when we are needed.

 

Episcopal Bishop Gretchen Rehberg -

I invite members in the diocese to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Our hearts and prayers are with everyone who has been displaced or is suffering loss from the fires. We want them to know they are not alone.

 

Rabbi Yisroel Hahn, director of Chabad of Spokane -

Our goal was simple: to be there for our neighbors in a real and practical way. For a family that has suddenly lost its home, this is more than the loss of possessions. A home carries memories, photographs, keepsakes and a sense of security. We want these families to know that they are not alone.

It has been incredibly moving seeing how people have stepped forward to help one another. During moments like this, differences disappear. These are our neighbors, our firefighters and our community. When somebody is hurting, we have a responsibility to show up.

 

Sheryl Kinder-Pyle, executive minister of the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest (PIN) -

Spokane suffered tremendously from fires. After evacuations for the Spokane Complex Fires were lifted, residents in affected areas began the long road to recovery. We continue to pray for all who are suffering loss and displacement.

 

Julie Honenkamp, CEO of SNAP, and Amber Johnson, incoming CEO -

For 60 years, SNAP has stood beside the community through moments just like these. When a crisis changes someone's life, the need does not end when the emergency is over. It is only the beginning. Families suddenly need safe housing, help keeping the lights on, reliable transportation, financial guidance or support navigating an uncertain future.

 This is the work SNAP was created to do. One of the things we love most about Spokane is how quickly people come together when neighbors need help. We have already seen countless acts of generosity, kindness, and selflessness. People have opened their homes, shared supplies, checked on one another and stepped forward without being asked.

That spirit reminds us that recovery is never the work of one organization. It is the work of an entire community.

 

Jason Clarke, CEO of Second Harvest Inland Northwest -

I've been watching this community show up for a long time. These recent weeks have reminded me why.

Second Harvest was born as an emergency food bank. In 1971, our founder Kay Porta started the food bank in response to a crisis—because she believed neighbors should care for each other when things fall apart. That instinct is in our every fiber. It is who we are.

Recent weeks have been heavy. We redeployed staff from Pasco to Spokane, moved some into temporary assignments, held eight mobile markets, several with Partners Inland Northwest, who showed up with diapers, clothing and hygiene items for families who left home with almost nothing.

We spent seven days at the Disaster Assistance Center, delivering 15,000 pounds of food a day. After it closed, we opened a daily market in our parking lot.

Mostly what we've seen is people come together from all over. We've seen people in shock. People in grief and many in hope, neighbors helping when they themselves are struggling, people opening their homes, their cars, their wallets and their time.

Since 1971, together, we've helped neighbors through everyday hardships and major crises. We'll do it again this time for as long as it takes.