Feature

Holding Fast to the Promises of Jesus

After devastating wildfires destroy thousands of homes, God’s people in Los Angeles County continue to gather around Word and Sacrament as LCMS Disaster Response helps them begin to recover and rebuild.

Story by Sarah Hjulberg | Photography by Erik M. Lunsford and Sarah Hjulberg | Spring 2025

The neighbor’s knock at their front door was the only warning Michael and Harriet Dickens had. The Eaton wildfire was spreading rapidly toward their home in Altadena, Calif., and they needed to evacuate immediately.

In the panicked moments that followed, they grabbed what they could on their way out the door. But the power was out, so they had trouble finding the essentials — their important documents and family photos.

Pauline Daniels was also warned to evacuate by a neighbor, so she headed to another family member’s house in Altadena. But in the middle of the night, the family dog began pacing and barking.

“Someone got up, opened the door, looked outside, and the fire was at the top of the hill, at the top of the street,” said Daniels. She and her family immediately evacuated, heading to a hotel for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Michael and Harriet Dickens learned that their 100-year-old house had burned down. Daniels’ house, thankfully, was spared.

Fueled by the Santa Ana winds — which at their fastest clocked in at 90 miles per hour — five wildfires ravaged Los Angeles County in the first week of January 2025, causing unprecedented destruction. The two worst fires, the Eaton fire and the Palisades fire, left 29 people dead, tens of thousands of people displaced, and over 16,000 structures destroyed.

A white fence outlines a home destroyed by the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

Historic First Lutheran Church in Pasadena, Calif., escaped the Eaton fire, but six families at this congregation, including the Dickens family, lost their homes and saw their neighborhoods destroyed by the flames. An additional six families (former members or immediate family of current members) also had total losses, and one former student of First Lutheran’s school died in the fire.

“For me as pastor, there was just a feeling, for about the first four days, of total helplessness,” said the Rev. Christopher Schaar, pastor of First Lutheran. “There was absolutely nothing anybody could do, and [everything] just seemed so unbelievable.”

Thirty miles southwest of First Lutheran, Palisades Lutheran Church in Palisades, Calif., faced similar hardship: 16 member homes burned, and roughly 85% of members had to evacuate. And while the church’s property still stands, significant smoke damage has rendered its buildings unusable for at least six months.

‘We Had to Go to Our Father’s House’

Just a few days after the fire, people gathered in record numbers at First Lutheran for Sunday worship, even the members who had lost homes.

“Remember when the young Jesus was in the temple and His earthly parents were looking for Him? He said, ‘I was in My Father’s house.’ So, we knew we had to go to our Father’s house, where we could be loved, prayed for, supported,” said Harriet Dickens.

“[I’ve been] encouraging [the congregation] that we need to be together around Word and Sacrament,” said Schaar. “People are recognizing that we need to be together at a time like this and, as Scripture says, to grieve with those who grieve and to rejoice with those who rejoice.”

Schaar said he has seen his congregation come together and be the Body of Christ to each other, showing remarkable generosity in the aftermath of the fire: cooking meals for each other; helping victims with insurance paperwork; and purchasing and distributing thousands of dollars in Target and Visa gift cards, first to members and then to people in the community, to kickstart the process of replacing lost possessions.

“The church is a family,” said Johnnie Douglas, a former Lutheran school teacher whose home was destroyed by the fire.

As they grieve the loss of their homes, these families also grieve the loss of a neighborhood: Altadena’s historically black community is a tight-knit place, where most residents — and generations of families — had lived for decades. For instance, four generations of the Daniels family, many of whom have been baptized, confirmed and married at First Lutheran, all live in Altadena. Three of the five homes in their family were destroyed.

When it comes to insurance, God has provided for Douglas, the Dickens family and other members who have lost houses. Most said their insurance companies have been helpful so far, and they all hope to rebuild. In the meantime, semi-permanent housing is their greatest need.

Fire in the Palisades

George Wilken had never seen a wildfire like this one before.

“I was born here,” said Wilken. “I’ve been through maybe 10 fires up here, [but] this is crazy, how this fire spread. I never thought it would happen like this.”

Wilken’s apartment building, along with Palisades Lutheran Church, where Wilken attends, both narrowly escaped the blazes, thanks to the timely arrival of a firetruck, a change in the direction of the wind and Wilken’s own heroic efforts. He worked around the clock to put out spot fires that cropped up around the two blocks that included his apartment building and Palisades Lutheran, sometimes stringing together three garden hoses at a time to reach fires.

Congregation member George Wilken hoses ash off the steps of Palisades Lutheran Church during the Palisades fire in January. Below: Homes and cars destroyed by the fire.

“I just know that if you’re around, you can put out little spot fires, and that’s what I’ve been doing,” he continued.

Buildings all around Palisades Lutheran, including the Presbyterian church right across the street, burned down.

Many members of the congregation are displaced and scattered. Some elderly members, many of whom have lost homes where they lived for decades, now face starting over in a new place.

The Rev. Richard Z. Meyer, pastor emeritus of Palisades Lutheran (who began his ministry at First Lutheran), and his wife of 70 years, Carrie, lost their home and cars in the fire.

When he first heard the house where they had lived for 50 years had burned down, Richard recalled saying to himself, “I don’t have anything.”

“Then I caught myself, and I said, ‘Richard, the devil just got you.’ And then I laughed — and the devil can’t stand laughter. And then all of a sudden, I found myself saying, ‘Richard, you have everything.’ I’m getting meals every day. I have people checking in on me, all day long. … I’m content and thankful. … [I prayed,] ‘Lord, keep my heart open to be a thankful heart.’ What is life? It isn’t a house.”

The Rev. Richard Z. Meyer hugs the Rev. Dominic Rivkin, mission executive for the LCMS Pacific Southwest District. Richard and his wife, Carrie (right), lost their home in the Palisades fire and are staying with friends.

‘A Different Message’

In the aftermath of the wildfires, LCMS Disaster Response provided the LCMS Pacific Southwest District with a $20,000 matching grant for recovery efforts and is partnering with both Palisades Lutheran and First Lutheran.

Renovation of Palisades Lutheran’s sanctuary and other buildings will be covered in part by a grant from LCMS Disaster Response. Another grant is helping cover the cost of temporary housing for the Rev. Dr. Martin Lee, pastor of Palisades Lutheran, and his wife, Anne.

Lee expects that their church, which is one of the only buildings left standing with gathering space, restrooms and utilities, will become a staging center for the community as it rebuilds, thus offering an opportunity to share the Gospel. “We’ve got a different message than the rest of the [relief] organizations that are trying to connect with us,” said Lee.

Lee said 1 Peter 3:15 has come to mind often during this crisis. “Make the most of every opportunity to confess or testify to the hope that is within you,” he paraphrased.

LCMS Disaster Response is also walking alongside First Lutheran, providing the congregation with a $25,000 grant to assist members who lost their homes and $10,000 in Visa gift cards to distribute to members and to the community. The Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of LCMS Disaster Response, is also working with Schaar to ensure that renters, homeowners who don’t have house insurance, or other underserved people don’t fall through the cracks as recovery efforts progress.

In the aftermath of the fire, Johnson visited both congregations, providing spiritual care and the comfort of the Gospel to members who had lost homes.

“We look forward to the resurrection, not to the things of this world, to find comfort,” Johnson said to victims of the fire before praying with them. “Forgiveness isn’t based on how I feel or what is going on in my life, but on the promises of Jesus.”

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Heavenly Father, to whom all our needs are known, according to Your will, grant continued recovery for those devastated by the wildfires in California. Give to Your people the courage and ability to care for those in need and to share the message of Christ’s forgiving love, through Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

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Sarah Hjulberg

Staff writer and editor for LCMS Communications.