Downtown church holds service

With no bathrooms and no water, a church just blocks from the Red River on Main Avenue held its regular worship service this Sunday morning as National Guard units patrolled just across the street.
Most of the audio and visual equipment plus the chairs had been stowed earlier in the week as a precaution. About 2 dozen folding chairs were rounded up and the video projector was brought out. Nearly a dozen were in attendance to worship and hear interim pastor Neil Thielke share a message.
2 families in the church from Moorhead were especially hit hard by flood waters. It was good to hear that both were safe. Neil had aided one family in diking around the entire house when the City of Moorhead installed a temporary dike in front of the home. Most church members helped in the sandbagging efforts around the city in addition to evacuating one family from their home.
Neil's message emphasized the need for God's grace- which he stated could be thought of as God's supply. He elaborated by reviewing the story of Gideon- who defeated a vast army with only 300 men. Neil explained that people have some strength and ability but it is not enough to get the job done. Whether small or insurmountable, it is necessary to "extract the payment" and obtain God's supply. Tying the message to current events in the region, Neil noted that prior to Friday, Moorhead's flood briefing (it may have been Fargo's but I am not sure) began with a joke but on Friday there was prayer. Later that day the tide had turned. The forecast high point was smaller and water levels lowered.
Quite a few churches have been praying for the region and continue to do so.
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