NORWEGIAN FIRE DEPARTMENT

One dark night outside a small town in Minnesota , a fire started inside the local chemical plant and in a blink of an eye it exploded into massive flames. The alarm went out to all the fire departments for miles around.

When the volunteer fire fighters appeared on the scene, the chemical company president rushed to the fire chief and said, "All our secret formulas are in the vault in the center of the plant. They must be saved. I will give $50,000 to the fire department that brings them out intact."

But the roaring flames held the firefighters off.

Soon more fire departments had to be called in as the situation became desperate. As the firemen arrived, the president shouted out that the offer was now $100,000 to the fire department who could bring out the company's secret files.

From the distance, a lone siren was heard as another fire truck came into sight It was the nearby Norwegian rural township volunteer fire company composed mainly of Norwegians over the age of 65. To everyone's amazement, that little run-down fire engine roared right past all the newer sleek engines that were parked outside the plant.

Without even slowing down it drove straight into the middle of the inferno. Outside, the other firemen watched as the Norwegian old timers jumped off right in the middle of the fire fought it back on all sides. It was a performance and effort never seen before.

Within a short time, the Norske old timers had extinguished the fire and had saved the secret formulas. The grateful chemical company president announced that for such a superhuman feat he was upping the reward to $200,000, and walked over to personally thank each of the brave fire fighters.

The local TV news reporter rushed in to capture the event on film, asking their chief, "What are you going to do with all that money?"

"Vell," said Ole Larsen, the 70-year-old fire chief, "Da first thing ve gonna do is fix da brakes on dat focking truck!"

A family joke from a friend who is half-Norweigian.  I love it.

UPDATE ON SLAVE LAKE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE FIRE

A home in Slave Lake burned to the ground.

Tim Chesterton, an Anglican priest who lives in Edmonton, Alberta, writes to give an update on the aftermath of the fire in the nearby town of Slave Lake:

Hi Mimi:

Thanks so much for mobilising the troops for prayer for Slave Lake. On that subject, I thought this might interest you.
....

Your friend in Christ,

Tim

From the Anglican Journal:

When Pastor Leigh Sinclair and the congregation of St. Peter’s Ecumenical Church in Slave Lake, Alta., gathered for a confirmation service last Sunday morning, they didn’t think the wildfires were close enough to town to be worried.

Most went to celebration lunches and barbeques for the newly-confirmed. At around 3 p.m., Sinclair said people at a barbeque party she attended started getting worried. “Everybody thought, ‘This isn’t normal. There’s too much smoke!’ ”

By 6 p.m., Sinclair–who pastors a shared ministry with the Anglican, United and Lutheran churches–packed a bag and started the long drive to her parent’s home in Edmonton, joining a stream of vehicles on the road out of town.
....

She would later learn that two-thirds of Slave Lake burned down. Her home and St. Peter’s church were spared but five families who belonged to St. Peter’s lost everything. (My emphasis)

Thanks be to God that no lives were lost. Pray for the people of Slave Lake and the other towns who lost everything as they begin to rebuild their homes and their lives.

If you recall Tim asked for prayers for the people in the area several days ago.

Tim blogs at Faith, Folk, and Charity.

Photo from the Vancouver Sun.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE TOWN OF SLAVE LAKE, ALBERTA

From Tim Chesterton:

Dear Christian Blogging Friends:

I wonder if you might post this news item on your blog and ask for prayers? The town of Slave Lake is only 250 kms north of Edmonton and many people in this city have family and friends there. I myself led a couple of workshops at the ecumenical church there back in the 1990s. It seems that hundreds of buildings have been burned down and there is no sign yet that the fire is anywhere close to being under control.

After a day of caution over two encroaching wildfires, the winds picked up and brought chaos and destruction to Slave Lake.

Wind gusts that accelerated the advance of fires and grounded water bombers Sunday afternoon allowed the fire to jump two highways. Afterwards, it was free to tear through the Alberta town of 7,000 people. A long list of hundreds of buildings have burned down – including city hall, the police station, the radio station and countless houses – and the town has brought in a mandatory evacuation. The fires appear out of control.

More information at the Edmonton Journal and the Globe and Mail.

Thank you for your prayers.

Tim

UPDATE FROM TIM:

If you feel right about doing so, you might want to add that the toll-free number for the Alberta Red Cross is 1-800-418-1111.

Of course, I feel right about it.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO HELP ST. MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HOUMA, LA

I bumped up my post on St. Matthew's in Houma to include the information below for those who may want to contribute.

A relief fund has been established at South Louisiana Bank. Donations may be mailed to:
St. Matthew's Relief Fund
c/o S. Louisiana Bank
PO Box 1718
Houma, LA 70361
Please include the account number
in the memo section of the check: 02-0195-2.

Watch the slide show at WDSU.

Historic Church Destroyed In Morning Fire - Photos - WDSU New Orleans

Almighty God, we give thanks for the gift to the parishioners of St. Matthew's of many years of fellowship and worship in their beautiful church building. We ask you to give your people comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding as they grieve the loss of their building. May the people of St. Matthew's remain bound together in love and obedience to you, ever mindful that a church is the gathering of its people to give you praise, honor, and glory. Give them strength and courage to continue in worship and fellowship, as they move forward to rebuild their building. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

PHOTOS OF ST. MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HOUMA, LA, AFTER FIRE

Watch the slide show at WDSU.

Historic Church Destroyed In Morning Fire - Photos - WDSU New Orleans

Almighty God, we give thanks for the gift to the parishioners of St. Matthew's of many years of fellowship and worship in their beautiful church building. We ask you to give your people comfort, consolation, and the peace that passes understanding as they grieve the loss of their building. May the people of St. Matthew's remain bound together in love and obedience to you, ever mindful that a church is the gathering of its people to give you praise, honor, and glory. Give them strength and courage to continue in worship and fellowship, as they move forward to rebuild their building. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

FIRE DESTROYS ST MATTHEW'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN HOUMA, LOUISIANA

From WDSU News:

The Houma Fire Department officials are investigating an early-morning blaze that destroyed St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at the intersection of Barrow and Belanger Streets.

The fire was reported around 3:41 a.m. Thursday.
Officials say the church was completely engulfed in flames. Portions of the school and surrounding trees are reported to have been destroyed as well. Witnesses reported seeing flames up to 100 feet in the air.

St. Matthew's Church is on The National Register of Historic Places.

Pray for the rector and congregation of St. Matthew's and for the students and teachers at St. Matthew's school.

Houma, Louisiana, is about 20 miles away from Thibodaux, where I live. I've attended activities at St. Matthew's on several occasions. How sad. St. Matthew's was a lovely old church.

UPDATE: From the Daily Comet:

The full extent of the damage remains unclear, but damage was sustained at the church and the lower building of the school. Houma Fire Department District Chief Chris LeCompte said nobody was in the church or the school at the time.

All that remains of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Houma at daybreak today.

Members of the tight-knight congregation learned of the overnight fire by way of a flurry of phone calls made as the community awakened and encountered firefighters and flashing lights still surrounding the smoke-filled intersection.

Some parishioners, teachers and school workers gathered nearby to watch firefighters work.

Beulah Rodrigue, a church member for 70 years, said she was among a group of ladies who spent the past 11 years on needlepoint work that decorated the sanctuary's prayer kneelers.

Rodrigue peered down Barrow Street this morning, toward the spot where the church's steeple once poked through the trees.

“You can't see the church from here any more,” she said. “To me, (the church) was the star of Houma.”

Updates continue at the Daily Comet website.

UPDATE 2:

But church officials said they will rebuild the historic church.

“The church will be rebuilt. We're not sure what it will look like, but the outpouring of support we've gotten from the community has been very encouraging and affirmative,” said the Reverend Craig Dalferes, pastor of St. Matthew's.

He added that much remains uncertain in the immediate aftermath of the fire. Church administration will meet tonight to decide where the congregation will meet on Sunday. Dalferes said a number of community churches have called to offer St. Matthew's aid.