The Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in less than 45 minutes on Friday, July 4, resulting in death and devastation across Kerr County, Texas. Nearby residents and property owners were unprepared for the historic rainfall levels. According to the latest reports, at least 100 people have been killed by the floodwaters. The number is expected to rise as dozens remain missing.
Billy Crain pastors Christ Church Presbyterian (PCA) in Kerrville. Crain describes the city of 25,000 people as a popular vacation spot for residents across the state.
According to Crain, “We are known for retirement and recreation. People visit and move to Kerrville because they want to enjoy the hills and river.”
The recreation options are one reason a number of camps have been established over time in the vicinity.
“Probably more than half of our church are people who are not originally from Kerrville. They moved here to retire or work at one of the nearby camps.”
Though no one from Camp Mystic is a part of Christ Church, the summer camp and its staff are well known in the community. Camp Mystic reports that 27 campers and counselors were killed in the flooding.
When asked to describe the experience of the flood, Crain stated, “I went to bed on Thursday night like many, looking forward to the long holiday weekend like everyone else. On Friday, I woke up to disaster.”
According to local officials, the river surged nearly 30 feet between 4:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Friday, July 4. When Crain woke up, his phone was filled with text messages from friends and extended family checking on his family. It was then that he began to realize the gravity of the situation.
“I got in touch with our church leaders, and we divided the church directory, contacting every family to check on them,” he said.
The direct impact on church members was minimal, compared with the overall devastation. Some lost power and water, while the homes of a few suffered water damage from the intense rainfall. However, as the day progressed, reports started to come in of people who were dead or missing.
Among the victims is a family from Crain’s neighborhood. Reece Zunker was the soccer coach for the local high school. He and his family were vacationing next to the river at the time of the flooding. Zunker’s wife was also killed, and their two children are missing.
“Kerrville is small enough where almost everyone in the church knows someone who was killed or remains missing. Everybody knows somebody whose life has been turned upside down by this,” Crain said. “The information only keeps getting worse. Every few hours, bad news arrives.”
As Sunday approached, Crain realized the church would need to adjust its planned worship service to acknowledge and address the tragedy engulfing the town. Though the bulletins had already been printed, they changed the call to worship to Psalm 46 and replaced the planned hymns with “Abide with Me” and “It Is Well With My Soul.” Crain also wrote a new message, meditating on Psalm 20 and what it looks like to pray to God in moments of deep distress.
“It was somber,” he said. “We’ve all been through a traumatic experience and haven’t had time to fully process it yet.”
Crain and the leaders of Christ Church are communicating with MNA’s Disaster Response to find ways for the denomination to assist with disaster recovery efforts. But for now, roads to the impacted areas are blocked to provide first responders with all the resources they need.
“There’s a lot of heartache and need, but not a lot of ways for ordinary people to help in the impacted areas right now,” Crain said.
Crain encourages anyone who wants to financially assist to consider a gift to the flood relief fund established and managed by the local community foundation.
As Tuan La, one of the church’s ruling elders, prayed during Sunday’s service, “Jesus, our savior, is a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. When we mourn the terrible loss of life that has occurred, especially amongst those campers, Lord, help us remember that the promise is that those who mourn shall be comforted and that you heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.”
Crain sees the moment as an opportunity for God’s people to serve as his ambassadors.
“We appreciate the prayers being offered for our city and the messages we’ve received from around the country,” he said. “We know difficult days lie ahead. Please pray for our church as we seek to bring comfort and hope to a town desperately in need of it.”
Video Courtesy of Pastor Billy Crain