Julia Bolling

After experiencing events during the past year that are best described as miraculous, Methodist minister Julia Bolling knows something about the power of prayer.

Bolling, who also works as a part-time hospital chaplain, serves a United Methodist church in Huntington, West Virginia, and another in Glenwood, about 20 miles northeast of Huntington. After conducting Sunday-morning services at Guyandotte United Methodist, she leads evening worship at Glenwood United Methodist. With fewer than 15 members in June of 2006, the latter congregation was already struggling. Then a fire gutted the sanctuary.

Investigators believed the blaze was the result of arson. But what seemed like a death knell sparked a series of developments that are leading to renewal within this country congregation.

Signs and wonders
The fire drew far less attention than a string of church arsons in Alabama several months before. Still, it proved equally tragic. When members discovered property missing as they sifted through the rubble, they realized the fire had been set to cover up a burglary.

Still, even before the flames sputtered out, members saw evidence of God's hand at work. The first sign occurred as firefighters were still battling the early-morning blaze.

Two men were standing to the left of the porch, waiting for the power com-pany to arrive to shut off the electricity. Suddenly, the church steeple bell rang twice. Alarmed by the noise, the firefighters looked up at the steeple and jumped back. Just then the electrical line burned in two and the bell fell—right where they had been standing.

The next sign took place about three weeks later at the restaurant where the congregation met for Sunday school and evening worship while awaiting construction of the new sanctuary.

That Sunday night a man who said he didn't attend any church came in and announced, "The church has to rebuild" and handed the pastor a wad of bills.

Bolling handed the money to the church treasurer, who later said, "Do you know how much he gave us?"

"No, I didn't count it," Bolling replied.

"Five-hundred dollars!"

The donation would jumpstart a fund-raising campaign to rebuild the church. The effort raised more than $60,000 by the spring of 2007, with some $50,000 more in pledges. No small feat for a church whose $30,000 of insurance was far short of the minimum $100,000 needed to rebuild.

Another remarkable occurrence was the growth of the small church. Discouraged by their dwindling numbers and ever-graying demographic, Bolling had been encouraging members to get out in the community to share their faith.

Once the building was gone, they had no choice, she says. After knocking on doors to invite people, weekly attendance soon rose from 10 to 22, including more young adults. By this spring it had risen above 30, with a peak of 39 on Easter.

Two converts who expressed faith in Christ were baptized last summer. The second took place in early September in the nearby Ohio River, right after heavy rains had sparked swirling torrents.

One parishioner called the pastor that morning to report the river was a "muddy mess," but the convert insisted on being baptized.

That night at 7 o'clock it was a completely different story.

"I was in the Ohio River up to my knees and I could still see my feet and there was not a ripple in the water," Bolling says. "At 9 A.M. the river had been muddy and choppy. We have seen some pretty amazing things happen."

Miracles keep coming
All these events have encouraged Pastor Bolling, who has been in her two-church position since June of 2004.

"The congregation at Glenwood has taught me a lot," she says. "They have accepted this tragedy. They're puzzled, confused, and hurt, but they're not angry. They said, 'We've got to pray for whoever did this.'

"It has brought everyone in the church together. It has brought the whole community together."

However, the story doesn't end there. Last February, the Guyandotte church endured its own bit of drama when thieves broke into the church building and stole $5,000 worth of equipment, including a computer and sound system.

The police were called. But before the crime could be solved, the next night someone broke into the church again. This time, however, it was to return all the stolen equipment.

The policeman in charge of the case said he had never seen anything like it. Church treasurer Rocky Frazier told the local newspaper, "They taketh and the Lord giveth back. It's like there's a higher power at work."

Bolling, by now, was ready for the unexpected. When the parishioners initially learned of the theft, she says, the first thing they did was to pray for the burglars, that God would show them grace and meet their needs.

The Guyandotte church, which averages 50 people each Sunday, also prayed God would restore the equipment, since they couldn't afford to replace it.

"And the next day the stuff was back," the pastor says. The miracles keep coming.

Still, Bolling admits to frustrations, especially the painstaking process in getting the Glenwood church rebuilt. Rainy weather in early spring delayed groundbreaking, and one longtime member died before he could see the new church completed.

"It's been a little trying," Bolling says. "It's a test, and the congregation and I are standing firm and trusting God in this. We know that we're going to be able to do more ministry in both churches as a result of the problems we've had."

	What did you think of this story?
	Please to give us your feedback.

Read more from 'Today's Culture'

Home  |  People of Faith  |  Stories of Hope  |  Today's Culture
Build Your Faith  |  Laughing Matters  |  Archives  |  Contact Us

				Try Today's Christian Woman Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. If you decide you want to keep Today's Christian Woman coming, honor your invoice for just $17.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Today's Christian Woman as a gift Order a gift subscription!

FREE Newsletter Subscribe to the Today's Christian Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help