Faith Facts

• Devastating back-to-back earthquakes killed at least 4,490 people in Venezuela, with thousands more homeless, injured or missing
• Christian relief workers are digging through rubble with bare hands, praying with survivors, and risking their own lives to serve earthquake victims
• Despite devastating losses in their own communities, Venezuelan churches have baptized eight new believers while serving in disaster zones

Digging through the remains of collapsed buildings, Christians in Venezuela searched for survivors after back-to-back devastating earthquakes shook the troubled South American nation. What they found tested their faith—but also revealed God’s power to bring hope from tragedy.

José Antonio Quinones, who ministers for a Church of Christ in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, described the heroic efforts of his fellow believers. His sons and other church members traveled north to La Guaira, a city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, where the damage is severe.

“Many of them, including my two sons, are working with their bare hands moving stones and debris,” Quinones said.

“The pharmacies in La Guaira were looted, so supplies aren’t readily available,” Quinones said.

The late-June earthquakes followed more than a decade of economic and political turmoil in Venezuela. More than 7 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014, and those who remain struggle with unemployment and rising crime rates. Now, on top of these ongoing trials, the nation faces one of its darkest hours.

The quakes killed at least 4,490 people, according to numbers from Venezuela’s government at press time. Thousands more are homeless, injured or missing.

Members of Churches of Christ are among the dead, including six of 12 Christians who recently planted a new church in the La Llanada neighborhood of La Guaira, Carlos León told ministry partners. León, a minister in San Antonio de los Altos, Venezuela, is working on relief efforts in La Guaira and its neighboring state, Miranda.

As the tremors and aftershocks subsided, the disaster continued to claim lives—even among relief workers. Joaquín Rodríguez, a minister and one of the leaders of the La Guaira Church of Christ, suffered a heart attack and died after working for three straight days.

“He was helping others and looking for survivors,” said Germán Chirinos, a minister in Falcón state in northwest Venezuela. “Some brothers told me that they prayed together with him, and while he was driving, he died.”

Rodríguez “was a humble man with a big heart,” Chirinos said, adding that the minister was “very concerned and committed to the church in La Guaira.”

At least four other members of the La Guaira church are among the dead, Chirinos said. The loss has been devastating, but believers are pressing forward with the work of the Gospel.

Casualties weren’t confined to the coast. In San Antonio de los Altos, about 30 minutes south of Caracas, church members were meeting for a Wednesday night Bible study when the quakes began, León said. They prayed quickly before taking the stairs out of the building and helping others.

Church member Adela Maqueda and her granddaughter perished when a wall collapsed on top of them, León said. Another church member suffered a skull fracture. Friends carried him on a bicycle to the nearest hospital.

In Caracas, at least two church members died, minister H. Jose Silencio said. The losses continue to mount, yet the Christian community refuses to surrender to despair.

“The situation is critical,” Silencio said. “There are many dead, many injured and many missing. Many people have died in the rubble, and many survivors are left without hope.”

Helping with ‘the Lord’s loving hands’

León and other church members, including fellow ministers Diego Orea and José Bello, are coordinating relief shipments and serving quake victims in Miranda state, La Guaira state and the city of La Guaira. Silencio and others are serving quake victims in Caracas.

Nonprofits associated with Churches of Christ, including Healing Hands International and One Kingdom, are collecting funds and organizing relief shipments for Venezuela. Great Cities Missions, a ministry that plants Churches of Christ across the Latin world, also is collecting for Venezuela aid.

Congregations across Venezuela are collecting funds and supplies for relief efforts, despite their own needs. Chirinos applauded church members who work tirelessly to help the earthquake victims.

“They are doing an amazing job,” Chirinos said. “They just travel every day carrying supplies and food, connecting with the people in tents, praying and preaching to them—and they’ve even baptized some of them, too. I consider them as our Lord’s loving hands spreading not only his Word but his love.”

In La Guaira, relief efforts have resulted in two new mission points, León said.

“One is in Los Corales, where six people have already been baptized, and another in Naiguatá, where two have been baptized.”

‘There’s mourning, but there’s hope of something beyond’

As they begin the long task of rebuilding their lives, earthquake victims take comfort in the divine promise of peace amid suffering, León said. The Christian response to this disaster demonstrates what faith looks like when everything else has been shaken.

He sees God “in the peace that we have. … In spite of the difficult situation that we’re living through, we have a peace that passes all understanding. There’s sadness because of the pain people are suffering, that our brothers and sisters are suffering, and for the loss. There’s mourning, but there’s hope of something beyond.”

For León, the earthquakes in Venezuela call to mind the earthquake Elijah experienced in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, Chapter 19. When the prophet was overcome with grief, God told him to get out of the cave where he had sought refuge.

“An earthquake appeared, but God wasn’t there in either the earthquake or the hurricane-force winds,” León said, “but rather God was in the peaceful and gentle whisper that gives us peace, that gives us confidence.”

For the Venezuelan minister, Christians are called in a time of suffering not to offer easy answers but comfort. This is the ministry of presence—being the hands and feet of Christ in the darkest hours.

León believes that God wants us to “listen to victims and pray with them … cry with them and be there … be there serving them, so they feel our love and our empathy.”

Chirinos thanked his fellow Christians around the globe for their prayers. The body of Christ is proving once again that borders and distance cannot separate believers united in faith.

“The whole congregation, nationally and worldwide, are together in this trying to help any way they can,” the minister said. “So thanks to God and to all of you.”

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Faith Facts

• Pastor Joseph Stoll was killed while cycling on a Delaware County, Ohio bike path when struck by a truck
• His church community remembers him as ‘the nicest and godliest man’
• The tragedy has left an Ohio congregation grieving the sudden loss of their spiritual leader

An Ohio congregation is mourning the sudden and tragic loss of their beloved pastor, who was killed in a collision while cycling on a local bike path. Pastor Joseph Stoll’s life was cut short when he was struck by a truck on a Delaware County trail, leaving behind a community that revered him as a model of Christian devotion and kindness.

The church community has rallied together in their grief, sharing memories of a man whose character left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered. Those who knew Pastor Stoll describe him not just as their spiritual leader, but as a living example of Christ-like behavior.

“The nicest and godliest man,” is how congregants are remembering their pastor, a testament to the profound impact he had on their lives.

The circumstances of the accident have shaken the local community, as many knew Pastor Stoll as an active member who embraced healthy living as part of his stewardship of the body God gave him. His commitment to physical fitness was matched only by his dedication to spiritual shepherding.

The loss serves as a sobering reminder of how fragile life can be and how quickly our earthly journey can end. For Christians, such tragedies underscore the importance of living each day in faithful service to the Lord and maintaining strong relationships with loved ones and community members.

As the investigation into the accident continues, the church family is focusing on supporting one another through this difficult season. Prayer vigils and memorial services are being planned to honor Pastor Stoll’s memory and celebrate a life well-lived in service to God and his congregation.

The outpouring of support from both the local community and the broader Christian community demonstrates the wide reach of Pastor Stoll’s ministry. His legacy will continue through the lives he touched and the faith he helped nurture in others.

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Faith Facts

• Scripture reveals a spiritual dimension to global hostility toward Israel rooted in ancient biblical prophecy
• God’s covenant promises to Israel remain unchangeable despite centuries of opposition
• Christians are called to stand with Israel as part of their faith commitment and understanding of biblical promises

Throughout history, the nation of Israel has faced relentless opposition that defies ordinary geopolitical explanation. For people of faith who study Scripture, this persistent hostility reveals something deeper—a spiritual battle that transcends politics and finds its roots in the pages of biblical prophecy.

The covenant God established with Abraham and his descendants was never meant to be temporary. Despite empires rising and falling, despite dispersions and persecutions, the promises made to Israel stand firm.

This divine decree has withstood millennia of attempts to nullify it. From ancient Pharaohs to modern adversaries, countless forces have sought to erase the Jewish people and their homeland from existence. Each attempt has ultimately failed, not through human strength alone, but through divine providence.

For Christians who take Scripture seriously, standing with Israel is not merely a political position—it’s a theological conviction. The Bible makes clear that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will face consequences.

Understanding this spiritual dimension helps explain why certain ideologies and movements exhibit such intense, seemingly irrational hatred toward a small nation in the Middle East. The opposition isn’t ultimately about land disputes or political disagreements—it’s about rebelling against God’s sovereign plan.

The modern state of Israel, reestablished in 1948 after nearly two millennia, stands as a testimony to the faithfulness of God. No other ancient people dispersed for centuries has returned to their homeland, revived their language, and rebuilt their nation.

This miraculous preservation and restoration should give pause to those who stand against Israel. They are not merely opposing a nation-state or a political entity—they are positioning themselves against the declared purposes of Almighty God.

The enemy of souls has always sought to destroy the Jewish people because of God’s covenant with them and their role in His redemptive plan. This spiritual warfare manifests in human hearts and movements that exhibit hostility toward Israel without fully understanding the forces at work.

For believers, the call is clear: stand with Israel, pray for Jerusalem, and recognize that earthly battles often reflect heavenly realities. The promises God made cannot be broken by any human power or demonic scheme.

As we witness continued hostility toward Israel in our own time, we can rest assured that God’s Word will not return void. His covenant stands, His promises remain, and His purposes for Israel will be fulfilled regardless of human opposition.

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