The earthquake that rocked the San Francisco Bay area on October 17 caused minor damage to churches, ministry offices, and Christian colleges there, prompting relief efforts by both large organizations and local groups.
In the Santa Cruz mountains, near the epicenter of the quake, Camp May-Mac, run by City Team Ministries of San Jose, offered its cabins and dining hall to area residents displaced by the disaster. About 30 people stayed at the camp, which sustained minor damage and power outages, said Joey Scanapico of City Team. Volunteers from the ministry’s rescue mission in San Jose supplied food, blankets, and labor to the mountain area, isolated by road closures and downed phone lines. “This is just an extension of what we usually do,” Scanapico said.
Soon after the quake, World Vision announced it would make available $100,000 to aid the very poor and homeless affected by the quake. World Vision representative Bruce Brander said the relief organization is not often involved in domestic work owing to the effective work of national and local emergency agencies. But because of extensive connections with churches in the Oakland area, it acted to help mobilize them and provide aid.
World Relief, an arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, immediately released $5,000 and channeled an additional $22,000 in designated donations to help in the cleanup and reconstruction of the region. The organization has a branch office in San Francisco, which it used to assess needs and aid other agencies, said representative Teri Jacobs.
Other Christian ministries reported only minor damage. At Mount Hermon, the well-known retreat center near Santa Cruz, windows and water pipes were broken, and stone chimneys were toppled. Bethany Bible College in Santa Cruz reported only minor problems and was operating normally within a week after the disaster.
Damage to the sanctuary of Twin Lakes Baptist Church in Aptos, also near the epicenter, forced 1,500 worshipers to meet in the fellowship hall for several weeks following the quake. But the church also went to work with the Red Cross and the Salvation Army (as did many other churches) to provide relief. Twin Lakes lent support to the Pajaro Rescue Mission in Watsonville, which was especially hard hit.
Jews for Jesus headquarters in San Francisco had minor damage; several staff members were displaced by damage to their homes. But the ministry, well known for its tract distribution, rushed a sober broadside into print, entitled “Where were you at 5:04?” said Susan Perlman, director of publications. Members of the organization were passing it out two days after the quake.
“We’re a landmark in the city,” Perlman said. “People figure, if Jews for Jesus is out on the streets, things must be pretty close to normal.”
