On Monday morning, January 10, Pastor Jason Damkoehler’s phone rang; a neighborhood church was burning. He could see the smoke from his house. He messaged Dr. Ed Herald, pastor of the church, and organized a coffee station for the firefighters who were working on the scene. The collaboration between Jason’s church, Journey Church in Normal, Illinois, and Ed’s church, Victory Church, began that day, but the two men have been friends for 15 years. Jason said, “The Bible teaches that ‘a friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.’ This is a body demonstration of that.”
Seventeen years ago, Jason and his wife, Nancy, planted Journey Church, but after a few years, Jason had become concerned about the demands on his family. In that difficult season of ministry, he felt like quitting. Since he worked as a bi-vocational pastor, Jason drove by Victory Church every day to and from his job. One day, he pulled into the parking lot and walked into Ed’s office. He asked him, “Are you the pastor? Will you pray for me?” That day, Ed said, “Your family will be stunned but not wounded. And it’s going to be okay.” His prayers for Jason turned into a mentoring relationship and, eventually, a friendship.
The day of the fire, Jason encouraged Ed with the same words that he received from him 15 years ago: “Your church and family will be stunned, but they won’t be wounded. You’re going to be okay.” The day after the fire, Victory Church gathered at Journey Church. Though Victory Church plans to rebuild, the two churches continue to collaborate.
