Christian churches and organizations in the Bible Belt are coming together to lend a hand to victims of Joplin, Mo., after it was hit recently by an F5 tornado, claiming 125 lives and leaving 900 injured.

Considered one of the most lethal tornadoes in U.S. history, the twisters left a six-mile wide path of destruction with its sweeping winds at more than 200 m.p.h. It is not yet known how many people are missing. However, 8,000 buildings, or one-quarter of Joplin’s total infrastructure, was destroyed, Crosswalk said.

Dustin Lee Sisney, whose home was spared, told Crosswalk, “It was unbelievable and hard to describe what was going on. We need prayer and help to get through this time. This is a close-knit town and resilient, but we need prayer.”

Rick Brust, pastor of Bethel Christian Life, told Journal and Courier that a couple who rented a home (which does not have a basement), almost got sucked up by the twister. “They got into a small closet in the bathroom in the center of the house. They got cushions to cover their heads.”

Brust told Journal and Courier, “The doors blew off and the man’s wife started to float up. He grabbed her and then he started to float up. The man said, ‘God, I have a hold of her, but I need you to grab hold of me.’”

Although the house was severely damaged, the couple experienced only minor injuries. But there are stories others were sucked out of houses and cars, including one young man who had his seatbelt on, but was dragged through the car’s sunroof, Journal and Courier reported.

“Praying is a constant state of being right now,” Amy Rogers told Citizen-Times. She, her husband and two-year-old boy were spared. She has since been helping with search and relief work in the neighborhood.

Another couple that survived is Richard, 87, and Joanna Green, 86. Their house was destroyed but she told Citizen-Times, “I can’t believe we rode that out. The Lord was protecting us.”

Survivors could not explain to Citizen-Times why God allowed the tornado to occur. But many expressed certainty that God has a greater plan. Definitely Christian churches and organizations are responding.

A Red Cross spokeswoman told Citizen-Times that this has been the biggest disaster season since Hurricane Katrina. It has set up shelter for up to some 350 families. Marita Wenner, a Red Cross volunteer said, “Twenty years of disaster experience, and this is the worst I’ve seen by far.”

Bethel Christian Life is also conducting relief work in collaboration with several churches including several in Tippecanoe County, Lafayette Community Church, Sunrise Christian Reformed Church and Harvest Chapel, Journal and Courier said.

They are providing shoes, tarps, underwear, children’s items, toiletries, and others. Brust, pastor of Bethel, said some of the members of his church lost their homes or were injured, the Journal and Courier reported.

However, Brust said the response has been tremendous. He told Journal and Courier, “People are calling with truckloads of things. One truckload is coming from Kansas City and the Professional Bullriders Association. A church in Colorado is sending two truckloads.”

Also working together in relief work are Central Bible College, Assemblies of God and Convoy of Hope, Crosswalk said. CBC is sending relief workers to assist in distributing food, cleaning debris and running shelters on site.

Juleen Turnage, director of AG’s public relations told Crosswalk, “The Assemblies of God and Convoy of Hope have made long-term commitments to our neighbors in Joplin as well as to churches in other states impacted by the recent string of natural disasters. Yet, without the generous support of individuals and churches throughout our Fellowship, our ability to impact hurting people and communities through compassion ministry would fall far short.”

College Heights Christian Church in Joplin set up a distribution center, and hundreds have volunteered to assist in the distribution of food and supplies. Roger Lieb told Crosswalk, “The outpouring of help is coming out of the woodwork. People’s love and concern for others is seen vividly here.”

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American Idol has a distinct church connection–Most of the show’s winning contestants have hailed from the “Bible belt,” and many of them having been trained by singing in evangelical or Pentecostal churches.

This season’s top contenders were the exception, as Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze are from the Midwest.  However Aaron Kelley, Michael Lynche and Tim Urban got their “singing legs” by performing in their churches, the LA Times said.

In season eight, half of the top 10 were worship leaders in their church.  Churches also became a big part of the contestants’ fan bases with congregations launching viewing parties and vote drives for their favorites, the LA Times reported.

Danny Gokey got serious about music when he was 19 after attending FaithBuilders, a nondenominational church in Milwaukee.  Mandisa of season 5 also has church roots and is currently recording under EMI Christian Music.  Jason Castro of season seven used to sing at Lake Pointe, a suburban Dallas mega-church that’s known for its sophisticated musical performances.

Jordin Sparks performs on American Idol in 2007. She got her start singing in church. Credit:Wikimedia Commons.

Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Jordin Sparks and Taylor Hicks, all Idol winners, also got their training largely by singing in churches before they became famous through the show, the LA Times said.

The fact that many contestants honed their vocal skills at black churches and suburban megachurches is also one of the reasons why “Idol” has been embraced by Christian communities across the nation.

The show has projected to an audience of tens of millions an image of heartland youth driven by faith and strong family values, which has become an important source of appeal, according to the LA Times.

All of the winners from the previous eight seasons came from the Bible Belt states except for Arizona native Jordin Sparks of season six.  Of note, “Idol” ratings are highest in such southern cities as Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala. (which produced “Idol” winners Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks); and Winston-Salem, N.C., according to the Nielsen Co.

Music is a huge part of modern American church culture, particularly in its praise and worship services.  According to Mandisa, “There are always so many Christians that go on ‘American Idol’ and I don’t think that’s a coincidence,” the LA Times said.

Churches provide a natural training ground for prospective “Idol” contestants, and have gained even more importance as school boards have slashed budgets for arts programs in recent years.

During Season five, Mandisa made a gesture pointing to her heart, head and the sky that she took from the work of the evangelist Beth Moore. “A lot of people recognized that and were rooting for me,” she said.

She performed the gospel song “Shackles (Praise You)” for the Top 10 week. She even cited the example of Jesus’ life in telling judge Simon Cowell that she had forgiven him for making cruel on-camera remarks about her weight, the LA Times reported.

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The fastest death rate of churches in America is happening in the Bible belt, said a southern US pastor at a 3-day convention that was held recently, according to Christian Today (CT).

Churches are dying fastest in the so-called Bible Belt/Credit: klsmith77/sxc.hu

At Advance10: Contextualizing the Gospel in the New South, Pastor Tyler Jones of Vintage21 Church in Raleigh, North Carolina said churches are dying rapidly in the Bible belt. He and several other pastors blamed the churches themselves for the decline, CT reported.

According to Jones, churches don’t understand the gospel and how it applies to people’s lives. They are being taught “quaint moralism over the Gospel.” Jones said, adding “Moralism is the greatest form of self worship. It robs us of our need for God,” CT reported.

Jerome Gay, lead pastor of Vision International Church in Raleigh agreed, saying, “Christianity has been presented as a list of don’ts. Don’t go to the club, don’t join the frat, don’t do this, don’t do that.” As a result, people leave the church, disillusioned, without actually knowing Christ as he is presented in the Bible, CT said.

The conference was held by Advance the Church, and co-sponsored by The Summit Church and Vintage21 Church. They seek to help local churches become more responsive to the changing culture without watering down God’s Word, according to the Christian Post (CP).

CP quoted Pastor David Platt of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, who said many churches need clarity on the Gospel. “A lot of people who [grew] up in the church need to hear the Gospel as it’s presented biblically,” said Platt.

Other scheduled speakers were Matt Carter of The Austin Stone; Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle; J.D. Grear of The Summit Church in the Raleigh-Durham area; Johnny Hunt, who heads the Southern Baptist Convention; and Tullian Tchividjian, grandson of evangelist Billy Graham and pastor at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla, according to CP.

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