Faith
One Church’s Year-Long Mission After Waters Took 138 Lives
Faith Facts
- Riverside Church of Christ in Kerrville, Texas, led a year-long relief effort following devastating floods on July 4, 2025, that killed at least 138 people in Central Texas
- The congregation built or rebuilt 46 homes and assisted more than 1,000 flood survivors with clothing, furniture, and housing while feeding and sheltering volunteers
- A documentary honoring the 200+ Kerr County victims will premiere on the one-year anniversary, showcasing how the church answered God’s call to serve their neighbors
More than 200 residents of Kerr County — victims of the devastating July 4, 2025, floods in Central Texas that killed at least 138 people — will be honored on the anniversary of that tragedy by a local church that spent the past year serving, feeding, comforting and rebuilding the lives of their neighbors. A 36-minute documentary, “When the Waters Receded: Answering God’s Call to Serve,” produced by Jennifer Allen of the Riverside Church of Christ in Kerrville, Texas, will begin the evening.
In the wake of waters that rose as the Guadalupe River crested at 37.5 feet, members and staff of the congregation organized a relief effort that engulfed the facility and people of the church for an entire year. They were still answering requests for mattresses 363 days after the flood.
A year ago, Riverside minister Chris Carrillo called the congregation to begin a marathon. Over the next 12 months, church members partnered with several disaster relief organizations associated with Churches of Christ to salvage, serve and restore homes and lives.
Together they built or rebuilt 46 homes and assisted more than 1,000 survivors with clothing, furniture and housing. They provided area first responders with chainsaws, buckets, rakes, cleaning supplies, water, food and more. The church fed volunteers and housed them in its facilities.
“All of the pain that we go through in life can either build us up or break us down,” Riverside minister Chris Carrillo said in the documentary.
“And if we don’t use the pain and the hurt in our lives in order to help others, if we don’t take the comfort which God has given us in order to comfort others, what an unbelievably wasted opportunity.”
Elder Ron Watson said the church hopes this week’s event will provide “some closure to the devastation that happened here.”
“It’s a joyful event because we’re completing God’s work,” Watson said.
Allen, a former television journalist in San Antonio, had collected video and interviews over the course of the year, not knowing how they might be used. “The team that lived up here, the ones that dedicated their life for a full year here, were the ones that decided to do this,” she said.
“It’s a final embrace.”
The documentary captures the heart of Christian service in action — believers putting faith into practice through sacrificial love for their neighbors. When disaster strikes, churches like Riverside demonstrate what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ in a hurting world.
The year-long commitment by this Texas congregation stands as a powerful testimony to the transforming power of the Gospel. While government agencies and secular organizations often provide short-term assistance, it was the local church that remained committed for the long haul, meeting needs day after day for an entire year.
This is what Biblical community looks like in practice — Christians caring for one another and their neighbors with enduring compassion and tangible help. The 46 rebuilt homes represent more than construction projects; they symbolize lives restored and hope renewed through faithful servants answering God’s call.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Dylan Mandell, a Christian social media influencer, has received his fourth cancer diagnosis in four years.
- Mandell publicly declares he is standing on God’s promise of long life despite the repeated health trials.
- The influencer’s testimony highlights unwavering faith and reliance on Scripture amid suffering.
Christian social media influencer Dylan Mandell has been diagnosed with cancer for the fourth time in four years. Yet he refuses to let fear define his story. Instead, he is clinging to the biblical promise of long life.
“I am holding on to God’s promise of long life,” Mandell said. The statement reflects his determination to trust Scripture even when circumstances appear grim.
Family, friends, and followers have rallied around Mandell as he faces this latest battle. His transparency about his health has encouraged many believers to strengthen their own faith during trials.
Through every diagnosis, Mandell has pointed others back to the Word of God. He continues to share messages of hope grounded in Scripture rather than statistics.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Frank Turek continues sharing the Gospel on college campuses despite the trauma of witnessing Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
- Turek credits his faith in Christ for helping him process the violence and remain committed to truth.
- The Christian apologist warns that America is engaged in a spiritual battle over reality itself.
Christian apologist Frank Turek has spoken candidly about the profound effect of watching Charlie Kirk’s assassination unfold before his eyes. The shocking act of violence has not silenced his message. Instead, it has strengthened his resolve to continue proclaiming the Gospel on university campuses across the nation.
Turek explained that his faith has been the anchor keeping him steady through the aftermath of the tragedy. He described turning to Scripture and prayer as he grappled with the reality of what he witnessed. That same faith now fuels his determination to keep engaging students with biblical truth.
“The war on reality is real, and it is spiritual,” Turek stated.
He emphasized that the same cultural forces celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk are the forces actively opposing biblical Christianity on campuses and in the public square. Turek refused to retreat in the face of such hostility, insisting that the Gospel must still be proclaimed even when the cost is high.
“I refuse to back down,” he declared.
Turek’s commitment reflects a broader pattern among Christian leaders who view current cultural battles as part of an ongoing spiritual conflict. He continues to equip believers with apologetics while urging them to stand firm in the face of increasing opposition to traditional values and religious liberty.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Faith Facts
- Parents in Connecticut challenged a state law that removed religious exemptions for school vaccine requirements.
- The lawsuit was dismissed after a judge ruled the exemptions are not protected under existing religious freedom statutes.
- The decision leaves families with no legal recourse when their sincerely held beliefs conflict with state mandates.
Parents who filed suit to protect their right to decline vaccines on religious grounds saw their case dismissed by a Connecticut judge. The court ruled that the state law eliminating religious exemptions does not violate the state’s religious freedom protections.
The decision means children whose parents hold sincere religious objections to certain vaccines will still be required to receive them in order to attend public school. Families who believe vaccination conflicts with their faith now face limited options within the state.
“The plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that the religious exemptions are protected under the state religious freedom law,” the ruling stated.
Advocates for parental rights argue the ruling prioritizes government mandates over deeply held beliefs. They warn that similar efforts to remove religious exemptions could spread to other states if left unchallenged.
Critics of the original law contend it undermines the principle that parents, not the state, hold primary responsibility for medical decisions involving their children. They say the ruling sets a troubling precedent that could erode other conscience protections.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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