Pastor John Crowder shares story of healing, comeback for West community
McLENNAN COUNTY (CBSNewsTexas) - To get a handle on just how much progress was made by those who live in West, CBSNewsTexas sat down with Pastor John Crowder, the leader of First Baptist Church. He is among those who lost their homes ten years ago, but what he gained over that time is a step-by-step lesson in what a successful comeback looks like.
"We've learned that there is a predictable timeline after disasters," Crowder said. He said it starts in the immediate aftermath, when the goal is to make sure survivors are rescued. "There is just a terrible drop in the overall emotional wellbeing of the community," he said. "But then very quickly after that, there's an impressive rise in the emotional wellbeing because we're able to say, 'look how we're coming together.'"
The first Sunday after the explosion, the First Baptist congregation knew that they needed to come together, but their church was off-limits, cordoned off as part of the disaster zone. So, they gathered chairs, a flatbed truck, and a sound system and met in an open field in the south end of town. It's the same place they've met every year at the same time.
While faith played a big role in the recovery of West, prayer couldn't fix everything.
"For a little while your community is stronger than you were before," said Crowder. "But then comes this huge decline. It's the worst part of the disaster in many ways."
Crowder said that typically happens days or weeks after the initial event, when widespread attention fades and outsiders leave. But when it came to leaving or staying in West, Pastor John said it was never a question.
"When we were finally ready to come back, we didn't want to feel like we had to move to a new house," he said. "We wanted to feel like we were going home, so we rebuilt basically the same house on the same lot."
For the children of West, the history of what happened begins with subtle salutes to the town's first responders at the new playground. "Even though it's a fun place for kids, it's a living memorial for the twelve," said Crowder. "And this is how we tell the story to them - how we start telling the story to them."
Ten years later, Crowder said the burden of recovery is now a blessing to be shared with other communities who face their own disasters. "They don't have to spend time reinventing the wheel," said Crowder. "What a terrible waste it would be to go through something horrible like that and not grow because of it and become a stronger person because of it."
