We’re interrupting our regularly scheduled Good Word Friday for the month of September in order to bring you a series of articles about the church’s reopening coordinated by the Native American Operating Committee (NAOC). The articles will chronicle the reopening of several branches — how, when, why? — and also share some experiences that have happened in these branches.

Today, we’re starting with the Metuchen Branch in New Jersey. Here’s their story…

As the Metuchen Branch has been in prayer regarding the time coming that we might reopen, we heard testimony of two experiences in our Sunday Zoom meeting that are not only beautiful, but relevant.

Sister Betty D’Orazio and her daughter, Sister Mary, had gone to the doctor on Friday for a treatment, and they decided to check in on the Metuchen Branch building. Her testimony is as follows:

Mary and I were coming back from the doctor’s office, and we thought we would stop at the church to pick up the mail. We went inside and looked around to check on things and found everything to be fine. We went upstairs into the sanctuary, and I looked at the pulpit. Suddenly, I felt this peace come in, and I turned around, and I remember stretching out my arms.

I felt this peace and I exclaimed, “Look how safe we are! Nothing can hurt us in here.”

I felt no fear, and even the traffic outside was silent. There was nothing but a quiet, a comfort, and a peace that I could not speak of. I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that I was safe. I was so safe there that I didn’t want to move.

And then all of a sudden, His Spirit came down and told me to pray. I knelt and all I did was thank Him. I could not pray for anyone or any sickness or anything. All He wanted me to do was to thank Him, and that is what we did. That peace stayed the entire day and into the night. I had no pain from my treatment. I cannot explain the peace and the comfort. I wanted to embrace the Lord because I knew He was there. I knew He let me know that we were in a safe place: in His arms, in church. It was a beautiful experience. I felt the blanket of the Lord upon us.

Brother Rick Calabro remarked that it was an answered prayer. That very morning as he was waking up, he prayed, asking the Lord for peace. Not knowing Sister Betty’s experience, he saw in a dream the Metuchen building covered in white snow. He felt the same quiet and extremely peaceful spirit. He knew that the building was a place of refuge and safety.

Look for the next branch reopening article next Friday!

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.