A community devastated by fire comes to terms with forgiveness…
Today we take you to a remarkable story in Lewis Creek and Barriere
British Columbia. It's the story of how a community reached out
to forgive a man who had caused their lives enormous loss. Our
story begins with Mike Barre. The man who pled guilty to setting
a fire that consumed 26,000 hectares, an area twice the size of Toronto.
More than 850 wildfires were burning in British Columbia in
August, 2003 and thousands were evacuated from their homes for
safety. Mike is working on a backyard tree,
installing a satellite dish for high speed internet to his mountain
side home. He butts out his cigarette in a tinder dry
forest. While walking back to his house, he turns around and sees
smoke.
Mike was guilty of dropping a burning substance within one kilometer of
forest. His cigarette aggravated British Columbia’s inferno
of 2003. More than $31 million of government fire fighting was underway.
No one died in the fires that ensued, but there were millions of
dollars in property loss. The community’s largest employer,
the sawmill and its 170 jobs, gone. 75 homes engulfed in flames.
Barriere and Lewis Creek faced their crisis and pulled together.
Its hard to pinpoint just where this wave of forgiveness begins, but
volunteers and donations flooded into Lewis Creek and Barriere and set
a tone of hope.
Lots were cleared, ruined property carted away and after a long days
work – volunteers and victims gathered in the church for healing
circles.
The Appel’s met Mike at a healing circle – Their
uninsured home and welding business, valued at hundreds of thousands of
dollars was gone.
The Appel’s began a petition to plead mercy at a court trial Mike would be facing
2400 signatures from town residents helped Mike – the judge
choose not to impose the maximum fine of $500,000 or a three-year jail
term – rather, he decided Mike’s case was a warning for all
to be more careful in tinder dry seasons. Mike was fined
$3,000. Two civil suits are still are still underway against
him.
The church became a new friend through the ordeal. Pastor Bob Basher and Mike met for weekly breakfasts.
Mike meanwhile – has started a whole new chapter on his life. One
year after the fire, Mike was in the lake with his pastor, getting
baptized.
Mike and Pastor Bob have become good friends through the Lewis Creek
and Barriere Fire - Mike sees him each week as a life coach.
“This
whole community now has a new hope and faith in the future
……we are captivated by that word through
forgiveness.”
Mike
Barre – a 52 year old former corrections officer
and father of a seven year old son. Mike turned himself in for starting
the Barriere/McClure Fire that destroyed an area twice the size of
Toronto. Mike was charged and found guilty under British
Columbia’s Forest Practice Code of dropping a burning
substance within one kilometer of a forest. He was fined $3,000 by a
provincial judge, who said his example should encourage others to be
more careful. The judge chose not to impose the maximum fine of
$500,000 or a three year jail term. At least two civil suits are still
outstanding against Mike – one from the owners of a destroyed
sawmill and the second from another business owner.
Reverend
Bob Basher – is the pastor of Christian Life
Assembly in Barriere, BC. He turned his church into a Recovery Centre
during the fire and Mike and Pastor Bob have become good friends
through the Lewis Creek and Barriere Fire - Mike sees him
each week as a life coach.
Lori and Lane
Barsi – mother and son who lost their home in
the fire, reunited to extend personal forgiveness to Mike.
Rick
and Pat Appel – couple who lost their home and
business in the fire – uninsured, and began a petition to
forgive Mike of his court charges.
Numerous
other town residents who experienced the trauma of the fire
Lorna’s Interview with
Mike Barre
“As soon as I saw the smoke, my heart went down, I
mean …you knew ….you knew chances are that this
was going to be something tragic. I just knew it was going to
be devastating. I just assumed it was my cigarette
….
“At that point you’re just scared, you go
into panic, you make sure you do everything ….I called 911
….I filled the bucket of water with as much as I could lift
….
….by the time we got up the hill, it was gone, you
couldn’t see anything but smoke, within 15 minutes, 20 max,
it was out of control.”
“As soon as I called 911 I gave an admission that I did it, I
just assumed I did it and I gave them my name and number
…then I gave a statement to forestry, I gave a statement to
them, they came by twice and took statements from me, never heard
anything from them and about a year, year and a half later they charged
me.”
Then life just started to go on, all the press was in, the
firefighters coming in, that is a little bit of a blurr, the
firefighters took me out, and rightly so, I wasn’t mentally
suitable to stay in..
“There’s nothing worse, in my mind,
nothing worse I had a hard time just keeping my emotions together
….you’re watching on TV the fire, and all you
could see is smoke.”
“In reality I put my family through hell, I put this
community through hell…if I wouldn’t have thought
suicide was a cheap way out, I would’ve done it.”
“It amazes me that the ones that love me the most, lost the
most. And I have no explanation for it. Mr. Opper
here, Mr and Mrs Appel, our editor Jill
…..I can only thank God for what they’ve done for
me.
……The fire came ….and everything, my
whole life just turned over. At that point I never thought of
God – I was so distraught, well, He never came to me, we were
just too busy dealing with the situation, we were just hiding
from the press…
Mike
meanwhile – has started a whole new chapter on his life. It
began one day as he returned to town from hiding from the media.
“.. one day we came back and there was a message on my
machine …..it was Pastor Bob ….. churches all
over North America were praying for me ….I
couldn’t fathom that, I got the true meaning of
Christianity…Pastor Bob was there for counseling …
Lorna
: “So the guilt, the
shame, it’s made a difference bringing it to God?”
Mike
:“Absolutley…OH
– ABSOLUTELY ……I look at it totally
differently..And he is the one who forgave me… he no longer
remembers it …the guilt, the stress the trauma is now gone.
One
year after the fire, Mike was in the lake with his pastor, getting
baptized.
Lorna:
“What does that symbol of baptism in that lake
mean?”
Mike
:
“…to commit myself to Jesus Christ,
totally…I was making my true commitment to the
Lord, and how I would walk with him - in my true heart got
down and dirty and said I am committing myself to you Lord, and He gave
me His answer immediately.”
Lorna
: “The bottom line, you
felt you had to say the big yes, to God?”
Mike
: “it’s
all you have to do –You have to mean it, you have to feel it
-- you have to use your mind, your emotions, your body,
everything. That’s what I learned in Pastor
Bob’s Church.”
Mennonite Disaster Service is a channel through which various
constituencies of the Anabaptist church can respond to those affected
by disasters in North America. While our main focus is on
clean up, repair and rebuilding homes, this activity becomes a means of
touching lives and helping people regain faith and wholeness.
Mennonite Disaster Service put the Barriere Fire community at the top
of their priorities. A volunteer agency that stayed for many months,
partnering with the local church to help families rebuild.
Rick Appel (a fire victim) “And total strangers
from out of province ….and may never meet again, people felt
they would help …without that we couldn’t have got
through it.”
Pacific 1:30
am Monday
Mountain 2:30am
Central 3:30am
Eastern 4:30am
National Religious Broadcasters (NRB)
Eastern 8pm Monday
10:30am Wednesday
DVD's of all our shows are available for sale. To place an order, please call (905) 336 9777 x27. Copies are $15.00 which includes shipping. Payment can be made by cheque (made payable to Listen Up TV); VISA or Mastercard.
Read Lorna's Globe & Mail columns by searching
our archive.
Read 'Media & The Message'. Lorna says if the church wants to impact society, we need to share our stories.
On April 30, 2005 Lorna was privileged to receive an honorary Doctorate of Christian Ministries from Canada's largest Christian university, Trinity Western University. Lorna was recognized for the witness and leadership that Listen Up TV has provided in public messaging: "a leader in the voice of evangelical life in Canada."
