Last Saturday, Ray received a call that a water main had burst above our church in Hollywood, and water and mud had poured into the kitchen, bathrooms, the flower room, two main rooms of the parish hall, and the priest’s sacristy inside the main church. Outside, almost 9 inches of silty mud covered the space between the main church and the parish hall, making it impossible to navigate the walkways and patio.

As the Rector’s Warden, the highest elected lay position in the church, Ray felt compelled to drive immediately to Los Angeles to assess the damage and determine whether it would be possible to hold both the Saturday evening prayer service and the two Sunday Masses. So we threw clothes for Sunday services into the car, along with a couple of sets of work clothes, a power washer, rags, shovels and hoes, our two dogs, dog food, and all the odds and ends we thought we might need, then headed into town.

To make a long story short, the two of us, two other volunteers, and the church sexton spent approximately five hours shoveling mud and mopping up silt-filled water, finally getting the parish hall clean enough for Sunday services.

As soon as we realized what needed to be done, Steven Kemp and Bryan Pitts seemed to magically appear. Without a second thought, they picked up mops and went to work. Ray headed outside to man the power washer, while I grabbed the third mop. By the time our faithful sexton arrived, all of us were working away, doing what needed to be done.

Other people would certainly have come if we’d called them. That’s one of the blessings of belonging to a church community. But once our little team got into the groove, it became clear that we were going to be able to handle this first round of cleanup ourselves.

A quiet camaraderie settled over us as we stuck to the task at hand. There wasn’t much conversation—just the steady rhythm of mops, shovels, buckets, and the power washer. Little by little, we watched the mud disappear, and the parish hall begin to look like itself again. We all felt heartened when we realized we were really going to have everything relatively clean and ready for Sunday morning coffee hour.

By the time we finished, the transformation was impressive. Many people arriving for church the next morning had no idea there had been a flood inside the parish hall. They could see, however, the 8 – 9 inches of mud still covering the patios and walkways outside. Inside, the services went on as planned, and for that, we were all grateful.

This week, we’re getting estimates for the insurance company. The outside mud cleanup, along with whatever additional damage the adjusters uncover, means the official end to this mini-disaster may still be a ways off.

Below are some photos that don’t quite do the problem justice. Sadly, I didn’t think to snap any “after” photos. You’ll simply have to take my word for it—the difference was significant.

As Steven so aptly put it, “Ain’t church work fun?”

Amen, brother.