Taken from: Everything Christian

NYC Churches Respond In The Face Of Tragedy

September, 2001

NEW YORK, N.Y. (EP) — In the hours that followed the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, the Christian church in the New York region fell to its knees in prayer, then rose up to mobilize congregants and volunteers to work shoulder to shoulder with rescue workers, police and fire departments, military personnel, relief workers and others. While the walking wounded and other victims were received by churches across the Brooklyn and 138th Street Bridges; their sister churches under the bridges and closest to Ground Zero attempted to determine the full extent of this horrible tragedy so close to home.

According to a story in the Tri-State Voice by Debra Chinnery Smith, in the aftermath of the attack area churches opened their doors to passersby seeking prayer, counseling, or undisturbed reflection. Signs of memorials, requests for prayer, and candlelight vigils were visible everywhere around the city.

One pastor asked, “Are the seeds of revival beginning to germinate in the remains of the World Financial Center?”

Ministers from around the region attended a prayer vigil on Sunday, Sept. 16 at Seward Park High School Playground. They came to stand in solidarity with pastors from the Lower East Side to pray with families who are waiting for word of a missing relative or loved one; to thank rescue workers, and the police and fire departments for their continued diligence; and to seek the face and hand of God in the midst of this tragedy. Area pastors joined more than 2,500 community residents in the prayer vigil on Sunday evening.

“We still have church family members who are missing,” said the Rev. Marcos Rivera of Primitive Christian Church on East Broadway in Lower Manhattan. “The pastor who rebuilt our church when it crumbled almost 30 years ago—his daughter worked in the World Trade Center and has not yet been found. There is a tremendous sense of loss. In the streets directly in front of our sanctuary the blinding glare of the sun is a constant reminder of what has been taken away. See, the Towers were the mountain backdrops of the Lower East Side community and now they are gone. People are numb. Yesterday’s events are surreal -- almost off the screens of a Hollywood movie.”

“I have been at what is being termed ‘Ground Zero’ almost from the moment this happened,” said the Rev. Rick Del Rio of Abounding Grace Ministries in Lower Manhattan. “It is total devastation. The pictures being conveyed by the media do not tell the whole story. What I have seen and experienced is an entirely different story. Access by the news media is very limited. The devastation is such that you cannot imagine it, even in a movie.”

Rivera and Del Rio have organized the Ground Zero Task Force, a coalition of clergy and affiliated lay ministries formed to address the long-term economic and social impacts of the collapse of the World Financial Center on the surrounding communities of the East Village, Chinatown, Lower East Side, Financial District, and other neighborhoods. The Coalition notes that once the media shifts its attention and volunteers return to their everyday lives, the churches of New York must continue to rebuild the lives and neighborhoods affected by the terrorists’ attacks on the World Trade Center.

Hundreds of families living in Battery Park City have been displaced, possibly permanently. Families have lost or will loose employment income, and the psychological and emotional toll is incalculable. Government agencies and community organizations are looking to churches to partner with them, if not to take the lead in meeting the challenge of the aftermath.

“I believe that this is a time when the glory of God can come down,” said Del Rio. “The Body of Christ can come together and be of service and support and show the world that we [the Church] are the relevant people with a relevant message for this hour. We are to bring that message of hope, love and support to those who remain to grieve for those who have gone on ahead.”

Tax deductible contributions can be made payable to Ground Zero Relief Fund and sent in care of Primitive Christian Church 207-209 East Broadway New York, New York 10002. For more information on the Relief Fund call (212) 673-7868 or send an email to groundzerorelieffund@yahoo.com.