Gasoline shot above the $3 per gallon level again this week, not exactly a surprise after recent headlines about oil zooming into the $90-plus a barrel range.

That isn’t the only bad news of late, as anyone living in the path of Southern California’s wildfires can tell you.

And there’s more. Brought on by foolish lending practices that created a mortgage crisis, the housing slump has prompted some economists to forecast a recession during the coming year.

Then there are predictions that Social Security will develop shortfalls a decade from now—about the time I can start drawing benefits.

The same day gasoline spiked 26 cents a gallon in our area, I received an e-mail from a director of a Christian businessman’s group I write for regularly. He told of his house in a San Diego suburb being spared from the fires that destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

Staying put because his family wasn’t in immediate danger, his house became a refuge for several other families who were forced to leave their property.

"You should have seen our driveway," he said of the multitude of cars parked there. "People were sleeping all over the place."

Ironically, the same day I discovered a story about an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship leader in San Diego. She spoke of ministry opportunities that were possible following the fires that displaced an estimated 500,000 people.

"People are way more open to God when they have no control over what’s going to happen to their own safety and their own haven," Natalia Kohn said. "I feel like in the next week, we’re going to see a lot of things happening in churches."

Backing up that optimistic prediction is solid action involving numerous church members. As happened in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—which I wrote about last year for ChurchCentral—the California disaster has become the Church’s shining hour.

Among examples are The Rock Church helping feed and shelter nearly 350 evacuees after it was certified by the state emergency services office as an evacuation and distribution center.

Through partnerships with other ministries and companies, the San Diego-based church provided food, clothing, toiletries and bedding to evacuees and 10,000 other people.

Further north, Saddleback Church opened its doors to provide food, housing, comfort and counseling for both refugees and firefighters. Pastor Rick Warren said many of the church’s 3,500 small group leaders also invited evacuees into their homes.

"It’s been a busy, busy week," Warren told TV talk show host Larry King last Friday. "We have been housing animals, pets (and) feeding people."

As of last weekend, Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers had served 30,000 meals to displaced people via mobile kitchens in San Diego County and San Bernardino.

"I think churches have realized that we have an opportunity to extend the hand of God into the community through gestures of love," said Dwight Simpson, director of missions for the San Diego Baptist Association. "And that through this, we can earn the right to share the most important thing God has to give: a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ."

None of this is to minimize the suffering of people in California, those left on the verge of despair by the mortgage crisis or the prospect of reduced benefits for future retirees.

Yet, in the midst of trouble the world searches for answers. When they see Christ’s followers renovating damaged homes, serving meals and offering a sympathetic ear, they may believe there is hope for tomorrow.

In today’s world unsettling news can not only surface daily, it hurtles around the globe at the speed of hyperspace. Churches can bemoan the headlines or help bring relief. Like those in Southern California, let’s pray more will choose the latter option.