Christmas in July would have a whole new meaning for Micah and Serena after this week.
Forget summer sales or early preparations for the official December holiday. For the McDaniels family, it symbolized the love and caring the Richmond community had shown New Hope Community Ministries since word spread about the damaging flood at Stillwell Elementary.
Five local pastors called Monday morning and offered to let Micah use their churches on Saturdays or late Sunday afternoons to hold New Hope's services. Others invited Micah's congregation to join their members for worship service.
Most powerful, however, had been a personal visit from Rev. Randy Tolliver, the elderly pastor of Zion Memorial Church, located about five miles south of Stillwell Elementary in South Richmond. He tracked down Micah after viewing Sabrina Shaw's TV segment on the flood and hearing Micah's comments during the piece. Over pancakes at an IHOP not far from his church, Rev. Tolliver had made an unusual request.
"We want your congregation to take over our church and allow us to blend in with you."
The Caucasian, white-haired minister and the dark-skinned, brown-eyed Micah gave each other a once-over and laughed heartily. In that instant, Micah knew that whatever this man said, he had a heart for God's people. That was enough to cement a friendship.
"Well, maybe 'blend' is not the word I'm looking for," Rev. Tolliver followed up. "How about 'merge' with New Hope members?"
"Why do you want to do this?" Micah asked.
"I'm seventy years old and I represent the average age of our sixty-member congregation, Rev. McDaniels," he said. "We haven't had new members in years, and we have this beautiful forty-thousand-square-foot church that includes a 600-seat sanctuary, a gym, and a two-story education building that needs to be filled with the light and love of Christ.
"I've seen and heard good things about your ministry for several years now. When I saw you on TV after the flood, God laid it on my heart to call you," Rev. Tolliver said.
"The deacons and trustees of the church—all five of them—have prayed about this, too. Zion is located in a neighborhood that years ago changed demographics, more fitting with the population you serve."
Rev. Tolliver didn't sugarcoat reality. "I'll be honest with you. We were the victims of white flight. Those of us who are still well enough to come on Sundays drive in from the suburbs or a nearby retirement home," he said. "But we have no clue about how to serve the growing African American and Hispanic population that surrounds the church.
"If you have a heart for God and for God's work in the mission field, you have to allow him to do new things in you and through you. This would certainly be a new thing for the silver hairs at Zion, Rev. McDaniels; but if God is giving us this opportunity to open his house of worship to others in the body of Christ, we want to accept it."
Micah was speechless.
Rev. Tolliver seemed to understand.
"The magnitude of God's awesomeness can do that to us, can't it?"
They left the restaurant with the agreement that for the next six months, New Hope's thousand-plus members would worship and fellowship at Zion Memorial and use all of its facilities as desired. Micah offered to start a specific seniors ministry that could incorporate the needs of Zion's members, on Sundays and throughout the week.
If the trial period was a success, the two ministers agreed to evaluate from there how to move forward.
Micah walked Rev. Tolliver to his car and shook his hand. When the older minister drove away, Micah sat in his Jeep, in silence.
Lord, you never cease to amaze me, he prayed.
His heavenly Father's reply made him smile.
Don't ever think I will.
Micah picked up the phone to call his wife.