The Christmas blizzard and the goodwill to men

Over the holidays, on Dec. 26, 2023, the blizzard that passed through Chase County produced so much snow that the roads had to be closed down, leaving approximately 170 people stranded. Those stranded were directed to the Imperial Berean Church for shelter. Cots were provided by the Chase County Dispatch and McCook Fire Department. The Imperial Manor and police department both provided additional mattresses and other citizens volunteered to lend spare blankets. The church even gave the people food that was leftover from their Christmas dinner. The Republican sat down with the pastor of the Berean Church, Matt Maxwell, about this event and what should be taken from it.
“Duane Dreiling, the county emergency response manager, called me around 6 p.m.” said Maxwell. “He told me that the interstate was closing, that people would be routed through here and wanted to know if they could use our church.” This was the first time bad weather forced such an event, though thankfully, the Berean and the other churches in Imperial had all preemptively prepared for a similar event. As one might suspect, suddenly being forced to divert from an intended path and cohabitating with any number of strangers can cause tensions to run uncomfortably high. Thankfully, such problems seem to have been at a minimum. “The problems were all mostly for the travellers” Maxwell remarked. “Everyone was very kind, and their spirits brightened when they got inside and out of the cold. Some people kept to themselves, and some started making friends with each other after they set up their spaces. In my time there, I think I only ever encountered two people who were even mildly cranky.” Fortunately for the people, even though things went positively, the weather had calmed down enough to permit travel the next day.
Though the season was of goodwill and charity, the paper was curious if there were any specific reasons the Berean chose to open its doors. “It was just the opportunity to help those people with a real need” said Maxwell. “We were taught that God saw us in our time of greatest need and brought our salvation. We want to be like that and helping someone in need is the best way to do that.”
The last thing we spoke of was the impact the pastor felt from the event. “I was encouraged by the kindness of all involved” he said. “The politeness of the people stranded, the members of the law enforcement and the fire department, and the generosity of the regular folks who gave their blankets, pillows and air mattresses. I felt so encouraged by their readiness to respond to their pleas for kindness.”