I enjoy watching a race once in a while.
Of course, Sunday was the Daytona 500 so NASCAR naturally came to mind when I discovered a news story about an organization called God’s Pit Crew. It’s a group of volunteers based out of about 300 volunteers based out the Lynchburg, Va., area which has traveled around the South and Midwest responding to disasters.
The story I came upon described the organization heading out to an area of Kentucky hit hard by the recent ice storms. This piggybacked on a trip to Texas to help rebuild a church which had been destroyed by Hurricane Ike last fall.
Like many I’ve seen plenty of news coverage of groups and individuals stepping in to clean up the Gulf Coast. I’ve seen it first-hand only once, when during my first newspaper job in Minnesota, a tornado touched down and devastated a small rural community.
Stepping in to serve in difficult situations, whether it is a major disaster or something as minor as letting a friend stay overnight when their power has gone out, is a vital faith component which shouldn’t be taken for granted.
On their site, God’s Pit Crew quotes Ecclesiastes 4:9. It makes sense, especially in this type of racing, where the value of speed is in the response and the care in which it is delivered.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, government faltered in its response but faith-based groups performed heroically and efficiently. As a Christian, it was overwhelming to see how these groups represented our best efforts to alleviate the suffering and begin rebuilding the region. In that spirit, may God bless God’s Pit Crew.