Bethel church is taking a giant step of faith. The Redding California church is giving $1,000 to every household that lost their home in the Carr Fire. The Carr fire, one of 13 large fires burning in California, was ignited in late July when a trailer tire blew out and created sparks as it ground on the asphalt. It killed seven people and destroyed 1,077 homes in the small city of Redding, in the far north of the state.
Announced on Bethel’s website, the church writes: “When we first made the decision to give a financial gift for the people in our city who had lost their home, the numbers being reported were 150-200 homes. Within just three days, that number had climbed to over 1000 homes, and the amount we had expected to raise and give went from $200,000 to over $1,000,000 dollars. This was a step of faith for us to say “yes” to this commitment, $200,000 was a challenge, but doable in our own strength and resources. But $1,000,000 is a God-sized step of faith. We are believing Him for it, and are now in the process of reaching out to our friends around the globe to be the hands of Christ to our city in this moment. We are determined to honor this commitment, whether the generosity comes from gifts from the global community or from our own church finances.
It is our desire to offer a $1000 gift of assistance to residents who experienced the loss of both home and possessions because the home they were residing in was destroyed. This gift is intended to assist with emergency needs such as food, gasoline, air filters, etc. We are able to give one gift per home lost (not per person), to the people that were living in the home during the Carr Fire.”
Bethel church was established in 1954 in Redding, California. The church, which is currently being led by Bill Johnson, is notable for their music label Bethel Music.
