initially helped by establishing a disaster relief store, but for the past few months it has partnered with a church from Washington state, along with area business owners and individuals, to help clear some of the more than 300 homes destroyed in the area.
“I had spent a year asking God to use me in this community and made prayer a major part of my life,” said
Paul Luna, senior pastor of MCCC. That’s when high winds swept the Beachie Creek Fire through the Santiam Canyon just as Labor Day was ending.
“Most of us had been enjoying the day with barbecues and pleasant weather, but that evening ended with a cloud of smoke that turned our skies to deep orange,” Luna said. “I don’t think any of us really knew how bad things were going to get.”