Humility Amid Disaster

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Christmas was also celebrated at Rahmat Pentecostal Church in Carita district, Pandeglang regency.

Handoko, 52, walked briskly down the 1.5-meter-wide alley on Tuesday (12/25/2018) towards El Shaddai Indonesian Pentecostal Church (GPdI) in Labuan district, Pandeglang regency, avoiding all the puddles along the route. Upon arriving at the church, Handoko, in a brown batik shirt, joined 100 other churchgoers at the Christmas celebration, and was soon singing Christmas hymns solemnly.

The Christmas celebration seemed to help the resident of Labuan’s Cigondang village in fighting his restlessness. He had apparently been in a state of constant alert since his house was swept away by the tsunami on Saturday night (12/22). Handoko said his wife screamed when the wave reached their house, 15 meters from shore. His two children panicked.

He vividly recalled the booming rumbles of the Anak Krakatau volcano. Fortunately, the family still had time to save themselves. They sought information from local agencies and raised a ladder to reach the second-floor roof of their home. “I told my family to stay calm and that God would protect us,” Handoko said.

Markus, 55, another member of the congregation, said that news of the tsunami had also reached him. His house was not on the coast, but his family panicked when they heard that a tsunami was approaching. They trekked up to higher ground and spent the night there.

Reverend Buyung Revi of El Shaddai Labuan church said that his entire congregation was in mourning, just like everyone in Pandeglang regency. As a gesture of empathy for the tsunami victims, the congregation had agreed to change the concept of the Christmas celebration they had planned.

The original plan was to celebrate Christmas at Coconut Island Hotel in Carita. However, after the tsunami struck, he congregation scrapped the plan and decided to hold a modest celebration at their white, 100-square-meter church, located down a narrow alley.

No festive decorations adorned the walls and ceilings; just the large cross hanging behind the podium and two small Christmas trees less than 150 centimeters tall. The celebration consisted only of simple prayers and the churchgoers giving thanks.

Solidarity

Christmas was also celebrated modestly at Rahmat Pentecostal Church in Carita district, Pandeglang regency. The church, located 500 meters from the shore, was also not gaily decorated. Its front doors were adorned only with colorful stickers and crepe paper. A single Christmas tree stood in the nave.

The chair of the Rahmat church’s Christmas celebration committee, Benny Kusuma, 42, said that the church had significantly scaled down this year’s celebration. In

previous years, the church had always celebrated Christmas in a lavish marquee that was erected in its 2,000-square-meter yard.

This year, the celebration was held in the nave. Benny said that he cancelled the rented marquee after the tsunami.

They also reduced the number of meals ordered for the Christmas celebration. They had originally ordered meals for 250 people, but changed the order to just 100. As a result, they did not use up the entire Christmas celebration budget, which they plan to donate to the tsunami victims, along with a portion of funds from the church treasury.

“Rather than holding a lavish Christmas celebration, it is better that we use the money to help tsunami victims,” said Benny.

Reverend Markus Taekz of Rahmat church said that the number of people who attended church had shrunk significantly since the tsunami. The church usually had a congregation of about 250 people. Markus said that many churchgoers had been affected by the tsunami, whether directly or indirectly.

Natural disasters often lead to a stronger sense of community solidarity. Today, the disaster that fell so close to a religious holiday has served as an occasion to strengthen the bond of kinship between men. (KURNIA YUNITA RAHAYU/PRADIPTA PANDU MUSTIKA)