Choir practice at the West Side Baptist Church, Beatrice, Nebraska, US, started at 19:20. Members were always prompt and singing usually commenced by 19:25. On March 1, 1950 a gas explosion demolished the church at 19:27. Yet all the choir members were late to church that one night.
Vandegrift and her sister were late because their car had broken down and her alternate ride was late picking them up.There is little doubt that God prevented their attendance and is a testimony to his grace.
The pastor, his wife and his daughter were late because the daughter’s dress was soiled and the wife was ironing another. The pastor had actually lit the furnace earlier in the evening and had returned home.
One choir member was working on an important letter while another choir member and her daughter were late because they had to tend to matters at her mother’s house before arriving.
Another man was late because he was taking care of his two sons and did not realize until the last minute that he was late.
Mitchell, the pianist for the choir, had planned to arrive 30 minutes early, but fell asleep after dinner, causing her and her mother to be late.
Two high school students, who usually rode together to choir practice, were late because one had to listen to the end of a radio program....
Joyce Black... waited until the last possible minute before leaving because of the cold weather. Black lived across the street from the church.
Not an urban legend.
perhaps this is just the cynic in me talking, but one thing I always wonder with these kinds of stories is why didn't God just stop the church from exploding? I do actually believe it was an act of God, but i wonder why God acted that way instead of another. Perhaps to show His existance? Perhaps there was a specific reason why the church needed to explode? Perhaps allowing the church to explode was respecting human continguancy in a way that preventing them from showing up isn't?
ReplyDeleteI guess it comes back to the cliche "God works in mysterious ways".
Yes, a little cynical. The church blew up because of a gas leak. Result of fallen world. If God chooses to act in this situation then he can repair the leak or prevent people from being there. Both are just as easy for him but the latter is a testimony to his grace. I am more in awe of his goodness for knowing this.
ReplyDeleteAnd if he does things like repair leaks from time to time, how would we know? Perhaps he does?