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When fires swept through Harbison Canyon near San Diego, October 25 and 26, it destroyed almost half of the homes in the community—along with the canyon's only church. Mark Mueller, pastor of Emmanuel Christian Church, was on vacation in Lake Tahoe with his family when they learned of the inferno. A friend from their church saved some of the family's most important items, but could not prevent the church and the Muellers' home from burning down, along with those of nine other church members—more than a third of his 25-family congregation.

On their return, Mueller tried to prepare his three children to see their home in ashes. But, he says now, he was not prepared for the outpouring of compassion from churches around the country, nor for the opportunities Emmanuel Christian Church would have to become more involved in the lives of the residents of Harbison Canyon.

The part of the so-called Cedar fire that raged through Harbison Canyon destroyed more than 280,000 acres, 2,232 residences, cost $27 million, left 14 dead, and injured 104 firefighters before they finally brought it under control. The California Department of Forestry said it took 1,478 firefighters to combat the blaze. According to residents who stayed, says Mueller, the fire swept down the 500-foot hills in seconds. The intense heat melted his family's play set that remained 50 feet away from the flames, leaving only a puddle of plastic.

When Red Cross volunteer Jim Garlow arrived in the canyon, he saw no emergency services. Garlow, who is also senior pastor of Skyline Wesleyan Church in La Mesa, was sent by the Red Cross to help the residents of Harbison Canyon. "I was absolutely stunned," Garlow said. "It was considerably worse than I expected. I could hardly find any homes standing." He contacted the Red Cross and asked if his church could "adopt" the canyon. The Red Cross was stretched so thin, Garlow said, they encouraged Garlow and his church to do whatever they could. Within two hours, 10 people had come to help. The next morning, October 31, 75 people came to counsel residents, clean up, and provide food and shelter. By the end of the weekend, more than 500 Skyline members had come to help, with more turned away because there was nothing left to do.

As soon as Mueller arrived home with his family, he got involved with the community leadership arranging shelter for families, providing counseling, helping people apply for loans from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or the Small Business Administration. "I was working many hours a day taking different assignments to call agencies and contact officials, reach out to individuals. A lot of people who just needed to talk to somebody, or who needed specific help, would be directed my way, so I'd sit down and try to pull something together for them."

Mueller's Emmanuel Christian Church joined Garlow's Skyline Wesleyan Church in setting up a relief camp in a canyon park. By Saturday, less than a week after the fire, hundreds of people from Skyline arrived in the canyon. "We tried to get as many people as we could to simply walk the sites, carry pizzas, carry water, love them, laugh with those who laugh and cry with those who cry," Garlow said. He also called Ray Guinta, whom he had met at the former World Trade Center site following 9/11. Guinta, who has followed disasters as a chaplain for 15 years, trained Skyline members to counsel Harbison Canyon residents.

Several larger churches, including Skyline and Shadow Mountain Community Church, adopted other area communities. "They've got crews cleaning up lots and debris," Mueller said. "When you're in a community that looks like it's been attacked, getting that debris removed is really important for emotional recovery. At least you're back down to the bare dirt and ready to rebuild." Shadow Mountain also committed to rebuilding Emmanuel Christian's chapel. "They're adopting us as a congregation," said Mueller. "They are going to do whatever it takes to get my home and our chapel rebuilt as soon as possible. That's phenomenally loving and generous for them to do that."

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November (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47