Members of a Baptist Church in Georgia showed up in droves to help the owner of a nearby gas station that had just been broken into.
Malik Waliyani is the co-owner of a BP gas station that sits less than 1,000 feet from Smoke Rise Baptist Church. He was away celebrating the eve of his brother’s wedding when someone broke into his gas station.
Waliyani said he’s not sure insurance will cover the damage done by the thieves —they stole cash and various items and also damaged the store.
When the church heard of Waliyani’s situation, the conventional response of “thoughts and prayers” didn’t seem adequate. Church members wanted to help in a more tangible way.
In the week that followed, pastor Chris George wrote a letter to his congregation telling them they had “an opportunity to be a good neighbor to one in their community who has suffered a setback.
After the morning service, members of the congregation filed into the BP station, filling up their tanks and buying snacks and goods from the store. More than 150 people showed up, packing up the parking lot until no more cars could enter. Throughout the week, more came.
Waliyani, a practicing Ismaili Muslim who moved to the US from India 12 years ago, was amazed.
He said, “Although there is a great financial loss that occurred to me and my family, fortunately we are connected with a great community around us.
The story has quickly gained widespread media attention, as New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote, “Good people, like the members of Smoke Rise Baptist, are reweaving our nation’s social fabric even as it is being torn.”