Bishop Jonathan, who is a United Methodist Church minister, said: "I am thankful for pastors and church leaders who are making the difficult decision regarding whether to hold Sunday services, and I trust you all to make the best decision you can to balance the safety of worshipers with the desire to gather in prayer."
"If you are unable to gather with your church family on Sunday, I urge you to gather with your family – in a shelter, a hotel or wherever you may be – to pray for the people impacted by this storm, for the first responders and early responders who work tirelessly to see to the needs of others, and for the many community and church agencies who will be working with people in the months ahead.
Before Holston current role, he worked as a conference disaster relief coordinator and served on the United Methodist Committee on Relief, on the Catastrophic Disaster Response Team and as the Church World Service disaster consultant in Georgia.
In this statement addressed to South Carolina United Methodists he ended: "Finally, as people of faith, we trust that God's love will triumph in the midst of anxiety, fear, loss and destruction. We trust that God will lead us to respond faithfully to the needs of our communities in the aftermath of the storm. We give thanks for our shared ministry."
Other churches have also prepared to help the community:
Missouri Baptist DR volunteers are getting trained at Green Valley Baptist Church in St. Joseph today and tomorrow so they're prepared to respond to Hurricane Florence! pic.twitter.com/PLUiEouHbZ
— MBC Disaster Relief (@MOBaptists_DR) September 15, 2018
United, WE can make an IMPACT. Drop off relief supplies as WE support those affected by Hurricane Florence @ValleyBrookOBC
— Valley Brook Baptist (@ValleyBrookOBC) September 15, 2018
8323 Augusta Rd Pelzer, SC 29669 - Saturday & Monday 9a-7p (portable at rear of church) #WeAreIMPACT#WELOVe ❤️#WELOVeInAction #HurricaneFlorenceRelief pic.twitter.com/Qk5p27v9jv
And some have indeed cancelled their services or changed times:
Due to Hurricane Florence we cancelled this Sunday's Worship Service and Community Field Day (September 16) and rescheduled our first church anniversary for Sunday, October 14. Be safe! https://t.co/F7dlozrgIv pic.twitter.com/N71FpPvPvF
— Empowered Living CLT (@Empowerd_Living) September 14, 2018
ATTN: @FreedomHouseCh service time adjustments!! Spread the word. #hurricaneflorence #church #clt @exploreclt @charlotteagenda https://t.co/6SU9wQgtbJ
— Clint Pugh (@cpugh) September 15, 2018
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