Lahaina faces an uncertain future following the Aug. 8 wildfire that consumed the town. As survivors continue reckoning with the series of chaotic events that generated one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history, local pastors and residents are asking what it will take to persevere through the tragedy.
The latest official death count reached 114, but with roughly 850 people unaccounted for, the toll may climb to multiple hundreds.
Lahaina Baptist Church, pastored by Barry Campbell, was spared from destruction while neighborhoods around it were destroyed. Even though their building is still standing, they held worship outdoors on Sunday, August 20 because access to the area is still limited.
Campbell’s wife Marci said, “All but two of our families (in their church) have lost their homes and everything they had. So, we’re just working with our families, trying to meet immediate needs and trying to get them places to stay.”
The Campbells cooked and provided meals for their neighbors after the fire went out. They tracked down their church members and helped them find missing loved ones, and they opened their home for some who had been displaced by the fire.
Several churches that were outside the burn zone have been meeting needs and supporting the survivors who had been displaced by the fire and Send Relief has helped to undergird some of those efforts financially in cooperation with the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention.