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By Jim Coggins
"WHAT SATAN intended for evil God has turned into something positive," says Central Heights Church executive pastor Steve Boakes.
Boakes is referring to the aftermath of the collapse of the church floor during a Starfield concert April 25.
Over 40 people slid into the basement of the Abbotsford, BC church after a floor joist gave way. No one was killed in the incident, but dozens of people were injured.
In some ways, the aftermath of the incident has been as unexpected and remarkable as the collapse. One observer said it has been very encouraging to see the way "the church has rallied around" the victims, "including the church at large."
Serious injuries
Debbie Helsloot, who attended the concert with her teenage daughter, was the most seriously injured. Because she suffered a spinal cord injury, doctors at first feared she would be paralyzed. However, she has regained some movement in her legs, and doctors now expect that she will be able to walk again, even if her recovery is not complete.
"It's been a miracle," says her pastor, Shawn Vandop of Promontory Community Church in nearby Chilliwack, BC. He has been chronicling Debbie's recovery on the church's website.
Debbie is now receiving physiotherapy in the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre in Vancouver. Vandop says she "still has a long journey" ahead of her, but "she is pretty positive and determined."
Another of the most seriously injured, Adam Hoock, is a 15-year-old whose left hand was crushed. The cuts and most of the broken bones have now healed, but his thumb is still in a splint, and he is receiving therapy to restore movement. His mother Val says he has "come a long way" but it is still unclear if there will be total healing. "He's young. There is a lot of hope," she says.
An atmosphere of peace
When Val learned of the accident and rushed to the hospital, there wasn't "a typical hospital emergency room feeling," she says. Instead, there was "an atmosphere of peace."
Some police were also surprised when they arrived at the church, says Boakes. Expecting to find chaos, they found instead a peaceful scene with teens gathered in small groups praying.
"God's people got to work and started praying," says Val. "If my son was going to get hurt, church is the best place for that to happen. What better help could you ask for?"
After the incident, other members of the audience and emergency response teams received high praise for the assistance they offered the injured. So have the church pastors.
Some of the church's pastors were at the concert, but the others arrived quickly, and all immediately took responsibility for some aspect of the response. Some pastors dispersed to the four local hospitals where the injured were taken. Others remained at the church compiling lists of the injured, both those treated at the scene and those transported to hospital. This allowed them to give information quickly to anxious parents who phoned the church or showed up looking for their children.
These lists also allowed the pastors to follow up on all of those injured through phone calls and personal visits.
The Central Heights pastors were "amazing," praying for the injured at the hospital but also offering practical help, says Val Hoock. The pastors have continued to be "very supportive," and still contact the family at least once a week, she adds.
"We knew we had a good church staff, but we didn't know how good until this incident," says Boakes.
Debbie Helsloot and her family have also greatly appreciated the support of the pastors, says Vandop. His own church has rallied around the family in practical ways, and a trust fund has been set up.
However, there has also been support from "the church at large." His web journal notes that Canadian worship leader Brian Doerksen showed up in Debbie's hospital room, shared some of his own experiences with difficult times and sang "a few worship songs." Joni Eareckson Tada, who heads a Christian ministry for the disabled, has also contacted Debbie.
In the week and a half after the incident, Central Heights Church hosted three counselling sessions where people could talk about what had happened and receive personal counselling if necessary. Counsellors were provided by the Billy Graham Emergency Response Team and by Campus Crusade's Global Aid Network -- the CEO of which, Bill Blaney, is an elder at Central Heights.
Stars shine
Members of Starfield have also been in touch with many of the victims and have called for prayer at their later concerts. Val Hoock says these contacts have "meant a ton" to Adam, who is an aspiring drummer.
On the night of the accident, Starfield was just beginning an 'I Will Go' tour with two other groups. Two other concerts were cancelled after the accident, but on June 6 and 7 the band offered makeup concerts in Abbotsford and Burnaby, BC.
The Abbotsford event, held at Seven Oaks Alliance Church, was, in Val Hoock's words, "a good opportunity for people to bring closure to the trauma of the event and move forward."
Several of the injured were called forward to talk about their experiences and what they had learned about God. "The testimonies of spiritual growth were really positive," says Val.
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Those called forward included Debbie Helsloot's husband Stephan and their three children and Adam Hoock and his brother Josh. A group of pastors then prayed for those on stage and others who were injured. Individual counselling was also available for those who needed it.
Starfield is currently in Europe and unavailable for comment. However, at its first concert after the incident, singer Tim Neufeld noted that just before the accident happened, the band was singing, "We're finally seeing it clearly -- one body, one church, one Saviour, one call to praise." He suggested the incident could "turn us back to the things that are important and have lasting value."
Church
The Mennonite Brethren Conference of British Columbia, the denomination to which Central Heights belongs, has also expressed concern for the injured and support for the church, which also has "recovery issues," says conference minister Steve Berg.
For three weeks after the accident, Central Heights held its Sunday services at Columbia Bible College. It is now back in its own building, but services are being held in a smaller auditorium, Nikkel Hall. In addition to its two Sunday morning services, the church has added a third service on Saturday night, and sends children out to children's church during the entire service. However, Boakes says the church is still having trouble fitting everyone in and may have to add another service on Sunday morning.
While it has been harder to keep an accurate count, attendance seems to be "up a little" since the accident and there is "unity in the congregation," says Boakes.
Val Hoock says that one of the things that impressed her at the makeup conference in Abbotsford was a statement by Central Heights associate pastor Cam Broad: The church is not a building but people. Just because the building is damaged doesn't mean the church can't flourish."
Engineers are still trying to determine why the floor collapsed and what can be done to ensure it doesn't happen again, so Boakes says the church doesn't expect to get back into its sanctuary until next year at the earliest. The church has hosted other Christian rock concerts in the past -- including weekly Doxa events for a couple of years -- and earlier inspections had found no problems, Boakes notes.
That's why we have insurance
About two weeks after the original concert, an Abbotsford man, Michael Williams, launched a class action lawsuit against the Mennonite Brethren Conference and Unite Productions, the promoter of the tour, on behalf of his teenage daughters. The suit alleges that the daughters received a number of specific injuries.
The two daughters were not on the list the church compiled of those who were injured, but that could be "for a number of reasons," says Boakes. The church can't be sure its list included everyone.
However, information on the website of the legal firm Webster & Associates, which is handling the lawsuit, says that people who were not physically injured but who received "emotional injuries" watching the incident could also be compensated.
Lawyer Barbara Webster-Evans says the Williams have received some "negative feedback" for launching the lawsuit, but their intention was to help others access the insurance money that is available. However, she agrees that victims could receive compensation payments from the insurance companies without a lawsuit.
Class action lawsuits are considered efficient by the courts because they allow the issues to be decided in a single court case rather than having separate court cases for every victim, says Webster-Evans.
At present, the action is only a proposed class action lawsuit. It will only become a class action lawsuit in a few months if a court "certifies" it, or determines that this will be an efficient way to proceed. If the lawsuit does become certified in this way, then all those injured automatically become part of the lawsuit unless they choose to opt out.
Those who opt out are free to make separate claim agreements with the insurance companies. However, when minors are involved, the public guardian and trustee would have to approve any compensation arrangement and any decision to opt out.
The law firm is holding an information session June 26 at 7:00 p.m. in the Super 8 Motel in Abbotsford.
A few people have already made claims to the insurance company, says Marilyn Hiebert, administrator for the Mennonite Brethren Conference. These have mostly been for things such as lost cameras and lost wages.
The church has been able to find some lost possessions, including a camera and a couple of "special Olympics" jackets that have sentimental value, says Boakes. It also has a couple of boxes full of items that concert attenders left behind and that no one has claimed yet.
Boakes says some have asked the church to look for lost possessions but have specifically said they don't want to be compensated for their injuries, saying, "Christ suffered for me. I'm willing to suffer for Christ."
Those most seriously injured in the incident have so far shown little interest in any recourse to the courts.
Val Hoock says Central Heights has been very forthcoming in providing information on how to make an insurance claim. She admits her family has had some additional expenses because of Adam's injury but they are "waiting to see" if it is worth making a claim.
She prefers to talk about the spiritual growth that has come about because of the accident and about how supportive everybody has been. "We don't have any hard feelings towards anybody because of this," she says. "Our faith is not dependent on circumstances. They are too fleeting. Our faith is in Jesus Christ, no matter what."
June 19/2008
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