A fire in Vancouver forced more than a dozen residents out of their apartments earlier this week, and 15 were given shelter at the Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

There was a call for help, and the Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene answered.

In just a few hours, church leaders had created space for more than a dozen people enduring a stressful situation.

Folks living in transitional housing in Vancouver were displaced Monday after an apartment fire. The Southwest Washington Chapter of the Red Cross did not hesitate, making calls to local churches, searching for temporary shelter.

“It’s interesting. I’ve been preaching through the gospel of Luke. The first section, we’ve kind of sub-titled that series: Open Arms for Desperate Souls. We notice Jesus noticing people who are in need and offering help and support,” said Jason Matters, lead pastor at Ridgefield Church of the Nazarene. 

“Two Sundays ago, (I) preached on the parable of the Good Samaritan,” Matters added. “Who is your neighbor and am I being neighborly?”

With that in mind, church leaders gave the green light. Actions, after all, must follow words. Those affected by the fire were welcome. Church leaders helped set up cots and blankets. And the Red Cross was the Red Cross, Matters said. 

“We asked, ‘What’s required? What’s needed?’ Really, they just needed space,” Matters said. “The Red Cross is well organized. Their staff and volunteers are well trained. Once we provided the space, they took it from there.”

Residents were getting situated on the church grounds by late Monday night. 

On Tuesdays, the church hosts Meals on Wheels. That organization cooked a little extra this week to not only feed local senior citizens, but also to feed the displaced residents.

The church also has a cafe for its members. The new, temporary residents were invited to have a coffee and conversation.

“It’s a place to sit and talk and have relationships,” Matters said. 

The church’s only request: Be at home here.

Amber Langeliers, the youth minister at the church, answered the phone on Monday and then went to work. She and family members helped set up the cots.

“It was a cool experience to be able to help serve,” she said.

Nora Mattingly, the community disaster program manager for the Southwest Washington Chapter of the Red Cross, said it was a team effort from all involved.

The apartment complex that had the fire is a Vancouver Housing Authority property, with services run by Share. In all, 15 residents and two cats were displaced. 

Share sent some of its employees to the church to help residents transition to the temporary shelter. The VHA worked with C-TRAN to transport residents to Ridgefield. The Humane Society came out to the church as well.

Many of the residents did not have an opportunity to grab more than a handful of items before leaving their apartments. The church has a donation closet, and residents were invited to look for more clothing there.

The residents only stayed for two nights at the church. VHA had, by Wednesday night, secured vouchers for hotels, allowing residents to have their own rooms until they can return to their apartments.

“Everyone we worked with, I was so impressed with,” Mattingly said. “Everyone was really, really focused on getting these clients what they needed. That was beautiful.”

Matters said everyone became strong partners during this crisis. His church, he noted, was just doing its part in a larger operation.

“I do have this conviction that we churches need to share our spaces with our community,” Matters said. “Our church buildings need to be a blessing to the community. As much as we can use our buildings for the community, to be a blessing to our community, that’s part of being a good steward of the resources we have.”

And he gave advice to all believers.

“Churches use our resources to bless our community.”