Living With Faith While Surrounded by Fire

A Photo Essay From Bishop Megan Rohrer's Visit to Our Savior Lutheran Church in Quincy, CA

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When I visited Our Savior Lutheran Church in Quincy, CA, the members rejoiced that the wild fire smoke had cleared from the air long enough to go on an evening walk. For months and months, the people of Quincy have been surrounded by fires. This morning (August 31, 2021), they are once again 9 miles from the mandatory evacuation zone.

Surrounded by burnt trees, soot and ash on all sides there is no way in or out of Quincy that doesn't bare the marks of fires past and present.

Once inside the quaint town, nestled in the heart of a valley, life slows and calms. An oasis for those fleeing fire or in the early stages of imagining how they will rebuild their life after everything was lost in the flames, the people of Quincy are caring for both the long-term and newly homeless.