Church hears of shuttle crew member’s faith

Thousands gathered February 2 at a Houston-area church to honor and mourn the seven astronauts who perished the previous day with the space shuttle Columbia, including two of the congregation’s own.

Clear Lake’s Grace Community Church pastor Steve Riggle played portions of video interviews he conducted with shuttle commander Rick Husband (second from left) and payload commander Michael Anderson (third from right) several weeks previous.

“If I ended up at the end of my life having been an astronaut but having sacrificed my family along the way or living my life in a way that didn’t glorify God, then I would look back on it with great regret and having become an astronaut would not really have mattered all that much,” said 45-year-old Husband, who was married with two children.

“And I finally came to realize that what really meant the most to me was to try and live my life the way God wanted me to and to try and be a good husband to Evelyn and to be a good father to my children.”

The congregation also heard from Anderson, also married with two children, who joined the church four years ago. “We have had a lot of challenges,” Anderson, 43, said on the videotape. “Rick and I both feel we were put on this mission for a reason and we have tried to meet all those challenges with prayer.”

The only black member of the Columbia crew, Anderson grew up in Spokane, Washington, where he attended Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, whose members “celebrated their belief that he was in a place higher than space,” The Seattle Times reported.

A gospel choir brought the mostly black congregation to its feet with a rousing “Amazing Grace,” in an emotional tribute to Anderson, who like Husband, was on his second shuttle mission.

“He always wanted to fly. He was born for that, trained for that, ready for that,” Morning Star pastor Freeman Simmons told the congregation, The New York Times reported. “He told me: ‘If this thing don’t come out right, don’t worry about me. I’m just going on higher.’ He was an eagle.”

By Eric Tiansay. Reprinted with permission from Charisma and Christian Life (www.charisma-mag.com)

“In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more.…

“The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on. In the skies today we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see there is comfort and hope.

“In the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.’

“The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home.”

—President George W. Bush, February 1, 2003

 

 Catching a wave; committed to the Lord

The crowd was so large that the line wrapped around the theatre, each person anticipating the premiere. In fact, over 3,500 people attended its West Coast showings alone. The Outsiders, the second surfing movie from the Walking on Water Foundation, continues to receive positive press from the media as well as wave-riders as it continues its tour.

The elements are the same as any other surf video, or so it appears at first glance, “big waves, cutting-edge surfing, big name talent, and hard-driving music,” writes William Lobdell of the Los Angeles Times. But there are a few things you won’t find: drinking, smoking, cursing, drugs, and shots of scantily-clad women. Instead you’ll be captivated with the personal testimonies and faith-filled private lives of the featured top surfers—including world champion C.J. Hobgood.

Discouraged by the negative lifestyles portrayed in many of the other surfing videos, the producers of The Outsiders set out to counter those messages by profiling surfers who are spiritually content in Christ, not in the typical partying that accompanies professional surfing lifestyles. Opportunities to make a commitment to Jesus Christ are made at the conclusion of each screening—and kids have not been shy about stepping forward to take the challenge.

Founded in 1994 by professional surfer Bryan Jennings, Walking On Water is a non-profit organization ministering to youth through Christian surf camps and conferences for girls, as well as through their videos Changes and The Outsiders. You can find out more about their ministry and how to obtain a video at www.walkingonwater.org.

 

Kate’s Closet: A boutique with a difference

Women leaving prison in Alabama walk out the door with $10 in their pocket, a bus ticket, and little more than the clothes on their back—only to face obstacles in every aspect of daily living. With no one to turn to, no money, no job and no identification, they feel alone and scared, and often feel defeated before they begin.

In 2001, Kate Richardson, who works with Aid to Inmate Mothers (AIM) and a former inmate herself, met with the St. James United Methodist Women In Mission (UMWIM) in Montgomery, Alabama, to get their support with AIM’s aftercare program, Project Reconnect. They were inspired by Kate to partner with AIM to create a clothes closet especially for these women—providing hygiene supplies and interview outfits. The idea was to give the women special attention, and show them that there are people willing to help them.

St. James designated space in a barn on their property for the Boutique and women from St. James spent a year raising money for its renovation. Walls, clothes racks and cabinets are painted in bright colors. “Like new” clothes were donated by church members.

“I wanted it to be really nice,” said Kim Bullard, President of the UMWIM, “These women have been through so much, and are now faced with overwhelming demands. We want them to have at least an hour just for them…to help them a little with their self-confidence and to draw out the positive elements each of them carries inside. Through our partnership with AIM, we hope to really make a difference in their lives.”

After leaving Kate’s Closet, AIM steps in to help the women secure jobs and housing, and to provide essential supportive counseling for one year after release. “It will give them just the boost they need,” Said Kate Richardson, for whom the closet is named, “It’ll let them know that someone out there cares.”

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