Sept. 12, 2001 -- It's a sight now burned into the collective consciousness of America -- the twin towers of the World Trade Center, smoke billowing from the top floors, then crumbling into dust. Terrorists struck the United States Tuesday morning in an unbelievable attack that included at least three commercial jet crashes.
Thousands are feared dead in New York and Washington after hijacked jetliners slammed into both towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, and through the middle of the Pentagon. Hundreds were apparently aboard the jets, and more are presumed dead after both of the Trade Center towers collapsed, reports the New York Times.
Jason Pearson, who works for Christianity.com, got off the subway less than 10 blocks from the World Trade Center, some eight minutes after the second crash. "Both towers were on fire and about 25 minutes later, I saw the explosion at the top and the first tower coming down. At first it was just pure panic as you saw this black cloud of smoke coming toward you."
Pearson lived in New York for about 10 years before moving to California and says New Yorkers typically don't show much emotion. "But all day, there's really been a huge outpouring of emotion - a lot of weeping," he told Crosswalk.com in a phone interview Tuesday evening.
Not long after the first tower crumbled, Pearson started to walk uptown. He stopped in front of a church off West Broadway where a number of people were praying on the steps. As he turned around, the second tower crumbled. "I remember a woman yelling out, 'Everybody needs to pray, right now!' and there were people screaming and men pounding their fists on cars."
The rest of the day, Pearson witnessed a number of scenes showing New Yorkers pitching in together - handing out water, putting their arms around each other. "It's a city that has banded together."
In fact, when Pearson tried to donate blood at the Red Cross building on Broadway and 66th, he was turned away. They had too many people trying to give blood, and they told him to come back tomorrow. Another long line, of people filling out volunteer applications, circled around the block.
While people were clearly distressed and moved to help, Pearson didn't personally witness any people coming to faith. But he could tell they were thinking. "Except for the sirens, this is the quietest New York has ever been."
Trinity Church Escapes Destruction
When the first aircraft hit New York's World Trade Center, young children were arriving at Trinity Wall Street's pre-school, staff were on the streets around the center, and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Wales was preparing for a day's videotaping with Trinity Television.
According to John Allen, communications director for Trinity Wall Street, the Rev. Daniel Matthews, rector of Trinity Church, and a group of colleagues were in a meeting in the parish's office tower three blocks from the center.
"We were on the 24th floor, which has a view of the World Trade Center, when we heard the sound, and looked up to see a ball of fire coming from one of the towers. A few minutes later, we saw the second plane hit, and again a ball of fire erupted," Matthews said. He was soon down in the building's lobby, reassuring shocked staffers as security staff sought guidance on the safest response.
Before the first blast, staff on the streets around Trinity heard what to some sounded like military jets carrying out a low flyby before hearing the blast. Within minutes, pieces of paper were raining from the sky onto the church, the churchyard and the surrounding streets.
The Rev. Gay Silver went to minister to the teachers and pupils at the pre-school. The Rev. Lyndon Harris, who heads the ministry at historic St. Paul's Chapel across the street from the World Trade Center, set out for the chapel to see how he could help there. Before he arrived, the second aircraft hit the center and he was forced to return to Trinity to avoid flying debris.
The Rev. Stuart Hoke, executive assistant to Matthews, was among those in the church leading prayers and hymns for shocked passers-by some time later when a tower at the WTC collapsed. The power was cut and much of the congregation fled screaming into Broadway. Trinity's office tower shuddered and dust began to penetrate the building down lift shafts from the top.
Staff who tried to leave the building found the lobby filled with dust, and were forced to return to upper floors to breathe. Outside, the pall of dust that had settled over the financial district with the tower's collapse had made it dark as night.
When the order to evacuate the office block came, Trinity staffers and pre-school children filed out under the direction of security staff and fire wardens. They streamed down Greenwich Street at the back of the building, heading through the gloom and holding masks or towels to the their faces, to the south end of the island of Manhattan. When they heard the sounds of another collapse from the World Trade Center, they dashed for cover in doorways and under alcoves.
Numbers boarded the Staten Island ferry across New York harbor to escape the downtown area, and others were evacuated by buses. At the time of writing, says Allen, there was no way of knowing the fate of friends and colleagues.
A Quick Response
Meanwhile, Christian organizations around the nation were making plans for relief efforts. The Salvation Army's emergency food and aid vehicles and personnel were on-site at the World Trade Center area since 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, assisting victims and emergency personnel.
In addition, mobile emergency centers are at the plane crash site in Somerset County, Penn., and every Salvation Army emergency canteen, along with thousands of counselors and social workers throughout the northeastern United States and Canada, are on call to serve victims, families, friends, and rescue workers, 24 hours a day.
In less than an hour of the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., Operation Blessing International's (OBI) Disaster Response Team was coordinating a plan for disaster aid through its Outreach Centers in both cities.
Funding was immediately provided to OBI's New York Center as disaster team members and church networks were beginning to assess the scope of the crisis and the pressing needs of the communities under attack. OBI's Hunger Strike Force also contacted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and has made available their fleet of tractor-trailer refrigerated trucks to FEMA to transport relief supplies.
In New York City, OBI's Outreach Center Director, the Rev. Jim Esposito, has requested a prayer movement for the families and loved ones of those hurt in the World Trade Center attack.
"Our church, Living Word Church, is several blocks from the World Trade Center," says Esposito. "Obviously, it is very chaotic in the city right now. And though communication within the city has been limited this morning, we have a large network of churches and relief groups that are mobilizing to aid those who are suffering."
OBI's New York Outreach Center, established in the 1980s, provides hunger relief, educational projects, homeless programs, children's outreach, and disaster relief to metro New York City and the surrounding communities.
A Call to Prayer
Perhaps most significantly, upon hearing news of the tragedy, Christians in the United States and around the world fell to their knees. In boardrooms and news rooms, on campuses and in shopping malls, believers immediately began to pray. Scores of churches and even whole cities organized prayer vigils. Somebody Cares Houston, for example, is hosting a citywide prayer meeting tonight.
Doug Stringer, founder and president of Somebody Cares International, is asking the nation to pray for the pilots and passengers in the aircrafts; those injured at the various sites; and the families and friends of those injured or killed in this tragedy. He also mentioned President George W. Bush and all other advisors involved, emergency workers, fire departments, police, military, doctors and nurses.
"Recently," says Stringer, "Jackson Senyonga of Uganda was ministering in our city. He shared this insight - 'Revival always comes by desperation. And desperation either comes by persecution or by passion.'
"This is the time for us to go to our knees with desperation asking God to intervene," Stringer adds. "He can turn what is meant for harm around. It is tragic that innocent people are victims in the wake of such evil in the world today. We the Church must do whatever we can in tangible ways to help the victims and their families. May we seize this terrible tragedy as an opportunity to share our faith and compassion."
Many other Christian leaders offered up their voices after the tragedy, including a number who shared their prayers with Crosswalk.com in "A Call to Prayer."
"It is so important," said Janet Parshall, whose own show was disrupted by the Pentagon crash not far from her studio, "as our President ponders what the United States' response must be, that we remember 'the heart of the King is in the hand of God.'
"The people who love our eternal King must be in constant prayer for President Bush," Parshall said. "May God grant him the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the discernment of Paul. And may God bless America."
