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Terry Vega-Ramiriz, a staffer at Primitive Christian Church, was walking out of the subway at 9 a.m. when she saw a plane flying extremely low. "The plane was silvery and smaller than a big jumbo liner. All of sudden there was an explosion that sounded like two big booms."

Running to the church, which is within walking distance of the trade towers, Vega-Ramiriz helped other staff members to open up their doors, set-up prayer groups and call for help. "People covered in ashes started walking in."

At the nearby Overseas Chinese Mission, the largest church in Chinatown, pastor Andrew Lee stayed over night Tuesday to provide what ever help was necessary. The church nestles right next to the court and police headquarters in downtown Manhattan. After the nine-story church building shook for several seconds, Lee ran up to the roof to see what happened. He thought that there might have been a construction accident with the huge cranes up the block. Instead, he saw "orange flames shooting several floors high out of the World Trade Center." Soon after, a church member in the U.S. Air Force Reserve came with the eyewitness news that it looked like the second plane's attack had angled precisely to cause maximum structural damage.

Lee started to prepare the church to help refugees from the attacks. "Within forty-five minutes of the first crash, church people started coming in. They were trying to find a place to stay. They didn't know where else to go. People then started coming in covered and hacking with a fine gray ash that was in the air." The church provided phones, e-mails, and a television so people could catch up with what was going on. "In the shock of everything, they wanted to find out about loved ones. Several prayer groups gathered on our different floors."

Many of church leaders who were interviewed by Christianity Today said that they were still in shock and numb. Lee says, "The shock is still lasting, but it doesn't immobilize you from thinking about the implications."

Diane Sahateo, a production specialist at the book publisher Harry Abrams Inc, joined everyone else to huddle around the television for news. Then, she turned to another Christian, saying, "We need to pray." Reports have come of impromptu prayers all over the city. Several prayer groups were witnessed right outside the trade towers before they collapsed. One federal officer said, "We need prayer in here, in the belly of the beast."

Suhateo and her group came out of their prayer convinced that God is still in charge and "wants us to be a light to those around us." Prayer services were scheduled Tuesday night by several churches, including Primitive Christian Church, Central Baptist Church, and Emmanuel Presbyterian Church.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church has many attenders who work in the World Trade Towers. Church leaders were particularly concerned about members who were working in the twelve floors that Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, the investment firm, leases in the towers. By late Tuesday afternoon, Redeemer's pastor Tim Keller reported that he had not yet heard of anyone from the church among the killed. However, Keller says, "I can't help believe that there are some."

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September (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45