Working together for the common good | Mark Katrick faith column
This is the time of year, I think about all the mission trips I’ve been a part of, from Middlebury, Vermont, to Pipestem, West Virginia, to Baldwin, Michigan, to Moscow, Ohio. Even my very first, to Dunkirk, New York, where it rained all week and we couldn’t get much done, had its blessings.
Trying hard not to play favorites, I truly enjoyed our two extended visits with the citizens of Moscow. According to the village’s website, it is located along the Ohio River, just 25 miles east of downtown Cincinnati.
“Over the years, the Village has faced many adversities such as river flooding and a major tornado in 2012. Although small in numbers, the residents of this quaint river village have a strong sense of community and take great pride in its rich history, parks and memorials.”
The EF-3 tornado of March 2, was particularly devastating. The cyclonic storm damaged or destroyed 80% of the buildings and caused one fatality. Our team arrived on the scene just a few months later.
Mickey, our guide and supervisor for the week, pointed out where two funnel clouds crossed the Ohio River and merged into one. A visual aid was the part of a building sitting in the branches of a big tree beneath which we were standing.
She then gave us our first and primary assignment for the week — planting 100 seedlings to replace some of the trees that were lost. We also helped pick up some of the remaining debris.
My crew was assigned to a red brick home where future king of France, Louis-Philippe, stayed while he was in exile, seeking employment as a teacher. His story reminded me of a certain rabbi, a Galilean from Nazareth, who was rejected by the people of Galilee.
Jesus Christ lived a nomadic life with his disciples, teaching, preaching, ministering and performing miracles in Galilee, Judea and on occasion in Samaria and other surrounding areas. In his own words, “The Son of Man had no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)
This was the life that the only begotten Son of God lived so that we could live forever. (John 3:16) He was an exiled king, the divine-human one who came in peace, to conquer the hearts of persons of all nations, cultures and creeds.
More than anything, I will always cherish the “kingly” welcome we received in Moscow from those who had endured such an unimaginable tragedy. The Christ within them taught, led, fed and sheltered us, adopted us as their brothers and sisters and became our lifelong friends.
The example they set is a reminder how much more can be accomplished, when we stop our fussing and fighting, roll up our sleeves, plant seedlings of love and work together for the common good.
The Rev. Mark Katrick is a guest columnist for the Newark Advocate and an ordained minister.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Mark Katrick faith column: Working together for the common good
