Resources & Updates

Dear Beloved in Christ,

What a joy it was to gather in worship with you yesterday. In times of joy and in seasons of sorrow, it is good to be together as the people of God. As we sang, prayed, and opened God’s Word, I was reminded again of the beauty and strength of our church family—especially in times of trouble. 

Over the July 4th weekend, floodwaters surged through our region, particularly along the Guadalupe River Valley. Our own families, friends, and neighbors were deeply affected. Yesterday in church, Morgan and I sat behind a family that recently had two children at camp in Hunt, and we were overwhelmed with gratitude that they were present and safe yesterday. We have Covenant Partners and staff members who live in Kerrville and Hunt. Many of you have loved ones in Kerrville; others have children who were at summer camps along the river this summer and know others who have been lost. Still others have properties and memories rooted in communities now facing damage and disruption. This disaster is not distant—it is personal.

All of us are waiting to hear what the news of the day will bring. In the face of such devastation, we turn to the Word of God, which does not ignore pain but meets us in it. Psalm 77 gives voice to the anguish of God’s people in a time of distress, but also to their hope.

It begins with the plea: 

“I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. 
In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; 
   in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; 
   my soul refuses to be comforted. 
When I remember God, I moan; 
   when I meditate, my spirit faints." (Psalm 77:1-3)

 But then, the psalmist remembers God’s mighty works of deliverance and then speaks these words:

 “Your way was through the sea, 
   your path through the great waters;
   yet your footprints were unseen. 
You led your people like a flock 
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” (Psalm 77:19–20)

This is the mystery of God’s providence: His way often leads through the deep waters—not around them. Yet even when we cannot see His footprints, He is still leading. God is never absent from our trials. He led His people through the Red Sea, and He leads us now—sometimes invisibly, but never aimlessly. He is still the Good Shepherd. There is an old devotional called “Footprints in the Sand,” about a man who has a dream that he was walking down the beach with the Lord, reviewing every season of his life. He noticed that most of the time there were two sets of footprints—his own and the Lord’s. But he also noticed that at the most difficult times in his life, there was only one set of footprints. He asked the Lord why He had not walked with him during the hard times. The Lord answered, “when you saw one set of footprints in the sand, that was when I was carrying you.” As I was reading Psalm 77, I thought to myself, “There is one set of footprints in the mud, and He is carrying us now.”

Thank you for the way you are already responding—with prayers, with concern, and with readiness to act. Lindsay Selli, our Director for Mission and Mobilization, is in contact with our local and national partners and our Local Missions Committee is ready to move forward. In the coming days, we will provide opportunities for you to give financially and to serve personally as we respond to the needs of those affected both within and beyond our congregation.

In the meantime, I urge you to continue in prayer:

• Pray for safety and shelter for those who have been displaced.
• Pray for the emergency responders and local leaders who are working around the clock.
• Pray for our members and their families who are directly impacted by the flood.
• Pray that our church may be a vessel of compassion, hope, and the presence of Christ in the midst of sorrow.

Know how deeply I love you and how grateful I am to be walking this path of faith with you. Even now, the Lord is leading us—perhaps in unseen ways, but always with His steadfast love.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Bob Fuller