Spiritual Reinforcements Needed

If you have the time, please read this post in its entirety and join me in prayer for a friend and brother, Marc Neal. I am a participant in Pastors of Excellence, a wonderful ministry put on by Ashland Theological Seminary. Eighty of us come together for six three-day retreats over the course of two years for spiritual renewal and personal growth. Marc is the mentor for the group of six ministers of which I am a part. He is pastor of the Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church in Akron, OH.

Marc didn't make it to our most recent retreat, Monday through Wednesday of this week. Last Friday, a 33-year-old member of his church collapsed at the dinner table and died. He had no previous medical history and no history of drug or alcohol abuse. The funeral was Monday, and you can imagine how difficult it must have been for Marc to bring comfort to the family.

The Saturday before the funeral, Marc got a call from Kelvin, a 30-year-old member of his church. Kelvin is an employee at Marc's church--he handles the web site and other technical matters--but Marc counts him a close friend and confidant. Kelvin told Marc that he had tripped while carrying his month-old daughter and fallen on her, injuring her badly enough that she had to be hospitalized.

As Marc was driving to the cemetary after the funeral on Monday, Kelvin called him on his cell phone, distraught. Kelvin confessed that he had not fallen on his daughter; he had lost his temper with her and had thrown her, not once but twice. Kelvin was covered with guilt and remorse and told Marc that he was going to go away for a while. He called several of his relatives and told him the same thing. Marc left the cemetary and went in search of Kelvin. Before he found him, Kelvin took his life by jumping off a bridge. Marc was given the task of informing the family. In the aftermath, protective services is threatening to take the baby from its mother, a woman who is reeling from the news that her baby was abused and her husband his killed himself.

If you've stayed with me this far, I'm asking you to join with me in praying for Marc, these two families, and the Jerusalem Baptist church. If ever there was a time to call in all available spiritual reinforcements, this is it!