As California wildfires continue, so does the call to care for one another

The wind-fed wildfires that began Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County, California, claiming at press time at least 23 lives and more than 40,000 acres, continue to burn, keeping residents on high alert and the need for donations strong. Soon after the initial fire ignited, the United Church of Christ issued a California Wildfire appeal for donations.

Two days ago, the Rev. Rachael Pryor, conference minister with the Southern California Nevada Conference United Church of Christ, finally packed a “to go” bag filled with the necessary items her family would need in case the Santa Ana winds fueling the devastating fires blew in their direction.  

“We listen to the howling winds at night and wonder, ‘Is this going to be the gust that will ignite an ember?’ We don’t know what to expect, except that this is far from over,” she said, adding that unlike a hurricane or tornado, which eventually ends, the ongoing fear of where the flames will sweep through next is creating a deep trauma.

Pryor, a Midwesterner who moved to the West Coast in June 2024 to assume the role of conference minister, said the disaster now unfolding didn’t take her by surprise.

“We know this is the future we are facing,” she said, citing the role climate change plays.

What the new conference minister would have liked, though, was to have a Conference Disaster Response Coordinator and disaster response team in place.

“That was one of the things I wanted to work on because it is not if but when such a disaster will happen,” said Pryor.

These wildfires are especially reshaping Pryor’s priorities when it comes to thinking through how churches respond to disasters.

“Disaster response is not isolated to the initial incident. There are many layers, and our response needs to be viewed through the eyes of the marginalized and vulnerable,” she said.

Inequity amid scorched rubble

Pryor pointed out that many shelters set up for those left homeless due to the fires are far from full.

“The reality is that many who have lost homes have the means to go someplace else. Those who are in the shelters — the latest report was 756 — are classified as ‘socially vulnerable,’” she said. “As a conference moving forward with how to respond to disasters, we will now view what we do through a very different lens.”

Pryor also noted how most news coverage has been on the loss of homes in upscale Pacific Palisades while little has been said about Altadena, a diverse community that emerged out of the days of redlining, a discriminatory practice by mortgage companies to keep communities segregated. Reports cite that the black home ownership rate in Altadena exceeds 80%.

The Altadena Community Church, a historic church founded in 1940, which joined the UCC in 1967, was one of those welcoming beacons in the diverse community. It was lost in the fire just days after long-time pastor, the Rev. Paul Tellström announced his retirement this March.   

Katie Howe, the Global H.O.P.E.’s minister for disaster response and recovery, recognizes that the road to recovery will be long for these communities that have been impacted.

“In a recent conversation with Rev. Pryor, she noted the commitment to equitable disaster recovery by the Southern California Nevada’s executive team. This is their way of ensuring that the voices of those who are from historically marginalized communities are centered in the recovery process,” said Howe. “She also noted a commitment from Altadena Community Church, that they will continue to be the beacon of hope in their community throughout this rebuilding process.”

Celebrations turn into crisis care

The weekend of Jan. 10 was to have been one of celebration for the Southern California Nevada Conference, beginning with a clergy retreat on Friday night in San Gabriel. That was to be followed by Saturday’s installation service of Pryor as Conference Minister at the Montebello Congregational Church, ending on Sunday, with Pryor visiting the Altadena congregation to talk next steps as their pastor retires.  

Instead, the paid-for block of hotel rooms and three-course dinner for the 100 clergy registered for the retreat went to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighters.  

“We dined that night with 60 firefighters and a family who had walked into the hotel who had just lost everything,” said Pryor.

On Sunday, Tellström and several members of the Altadena congregation gathered with Pryor at Montebello Congregational for worship, followed by a two-hour conversation on what next steps might look like.

A way forward

“Many from the Altadena congregation admitted to feeling great grief and sadness and not really looking forward to worship, but after talking they had a new sense of a way forward and a sense of hope,” said Pryor. “Altadena is very committed to rebuilding in the community and are seeking to be very intentional on what that new thing will be.”  

Tellström, too, was strengthened by the time of worship and fellowship. Prior to Sunday, he asked Montebello’s pastor, the Rev. Mitchell Young, what the worship dress code was. Young said no robes, but a stole would suffice. Tellström, though, had lost his entire clergy wardrobe in the fire. He had no robe and no stoles. Young’s response was “no problem.”

Montebello Congregational has the reputation of a “stole factory” explained Pryor, with stoles created and handsewn by its members. And so, during worship, Tellström was presented with not just one but nine new stoles, in which members of his Altadena congregation placed each one around their pastor’s neck.

The weight of the stoles reminded all that while the weight of ministry can be great, it is never carried alone.

Tending the souls of the flock

This is a reminder Pryor will hold onto in the days to come — as Zoom meetings and calls with FEMA and the UCC National Office’s disaster response and recovery team fill her calendar, as she seeks to secure grants for rebuilding and tend to not only the souls of her flock but her own as well.

And just like the stoles around Tellström’s neck, Pryor knows she does not carry this weight alone.

A California wildfires appeal was issued by the UCC’s Global H.O.P.E. team on January 10.

“The gifts that are made to the appeal will help greatly,” she added.

The Rev. Shari Prestemon, Acting Associate General Minister and co-executive of Global Ministries acknowledged days after the initial wildfire how easy it was to feel powerfulness “in the face of such immense devastation.”

“But there are ways we can meaningfully and appropriately respond now, by giving generously to support recovery needs and by keeping all who are heartbroken and fearful in our steadfast prayers,” said Prestemon. “Our response as the Body of Christ, now and over many months and years to come, can truly have a powerful impact.”

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