Churches Provide Aid after Devastating London Tower Fire

Amanda Casanova | ChristianHeadlines.com Contributor | Updated: Jun 16, 2017

Churches Provide Aid after Devastating London Tower Fire

In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, people should remember the many officers who ran toward the building to save others, Andy Walton, a contributing writer for Christian Today, said in a column for ChristianToday.com.

"We owe them more than we can put into words," he said.

Even in the midst of tragedy, Walton said people should also look to the churches, which have stepped up to the area's needs.

St. Clement's opened to provide shelter. The Salvation Army provided food and drinks to emergency services. Donations came into local churches. St. John's, Notting Hill, set up more beds and provided food and even set up a play area for children. Sikh mosques also started taking donations.

"It isn't just material needs of course- spiritual needs are also being met," Walton said in the column. "Prayer vigils, one-to-one listening and services are being held to help people through the devastation."

The Bishop of Kensington also joined families to pray for them and comfort them. He called the churches' work an "outpouring of the most extraordinary love and generosity."

"Our local churches have done a fantastic job opening their hearts and homes and buildings for the local community," he said.

Walton called it a "stunning rapid response."

"Whenever a tragedy happens, you can be sure of two things- emergency services will be putting themselves in harm's way and the local church will be pretty close behind."

 

Photo: Queen Elizabeth II meets members of the community affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower in west London during a visit to the Westway Sports Centre, which is providing temporary shelter for those who have been made homeless in the disaster on June 16, 2017 in London, England. 30 people have been confirmed dead and dozens still missing, after the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road was engulfed in flames in the early hours of June 14. Emergency services will spend a third day searching through the building for bodies. Police have said that some victims may never be identified. 

Photo courtesy: Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Publication date: June 16, 2017



Churches Provide Aid after Devastating London Tower Fire