"Feature: No Wings, but a Lot of Prayer"
"Kenneth C. Carter, Jr."
by Kenneth C. Carter, Jr., pastor. First United Methodist Church, Carrollton, Texas, with Joel B. Green
We'd heard rumors that Braniff International was in trouble, but when the Dallas-based airline suddenly folded its wings in May, 1982, it still shocked us. Some 9,000 people found themselves without jobs, and that wasn't counting those laid off earlier as Braniff began curtailing services. In our church in suburban Dallas, more than 20 families were affected. Some members were pilots, others were upper-level management, and still others were reservation and support personnel. In some cases both husband and wife suddenly joined the ranks of the unemployed. The economic crisis experienced by these families is obvious. Not so obvious, but also a major problem, are the emotional upheavals caused by loss of security, feelings of inadequacy, and the shock of career change. We discovered, however, that the situation gave our church the opportunity to be truly the body of Jesus Christ. Since the church is in the business of helping needy people, here was a chance to expand our ministry. Our people responded quickly. Bob Sewell, our lay associate for evangelism, immediately compiled a list of our affected members. Within two days of the shutdown, each family was contacted by phone or in person to determine their needs. In some cases, employees had been expecting layoffs and had other jobs already lined up. Others, however, were desperate to find work. With the information in hand, the church developed a strategy. The plan, administered primarily by Smith Noland, lay associate for counseling, worked on several fronts. • An informal employment bureau. Those without work were encouraged to update their resumes and place copies in the file ...
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