After an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, MO in May 2011, a group from First Presbyterian Church went to help with the relief efforts.
“It opened our eyes to how everything can be turned around in less than 30 minutes,” said Anna Fergurson about finding damaged belongings and speaking to those the tornado had affected.
Now, the group continues to help with the needs of those in Joplin by writing a song titled “Turn Us into Miracles.” It is also a tradition for the youth group to write songs after a mission trip as they did after going to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Tim Chipman, Anna Fergurson, Andi McCombs, Maddy Albers, and Holden Jones all came together and used inspiration from a sermon their pastor, Dr. John Kay, gave before they left for Joplin entitled “Miraculous Living” where he spoke of God using others to be miracles. “This profound concept stuck with me—and resurfaced in Joplin, on our work trip, in very meaningful ways,” said Chipman.
It only took about an hour for the group to write the song as inspiration just flowed. They sat in the cool basement of the church building in Joplin and began to brainstorm ideas for lyrics as Chipman started to form chords and melodies on the piano.
“The most enjoyable part of the process is being able to work with my youth group and using our talents to help more with the relief effort,” said McCombs.
With the help of producers, Allen Stare, Robert Sampson, and Stuart Smith, the song will be released on iTunes around March 1 of this year.