On Wednesday, April 13, nine-year-old Melvin got into trouble at school and the trouble followed him home. Angry at everybody, he took off. When he did not return home, the Clark County, Wash., sheriff’s department was called and a search was organized.
Local police often use the Orchards Church parking lot when a secluded place is needed to write reports or to take breaks. Since Melvin lives near the church, the officers decided to use the lot as their search staging area.
The weather that night was cold and wet. About 4:30 a.m., one of the sheriff’s deputies called his friends John and Londa Rau, Orchards Church members, to ask if they could open the church so the officers could have a warm and dry spot for their headquarters.
Once settled in the church lobby, the officers were provided with high-speed Internet connections, a copy machine, bathrooms, hot water for their coffee and fruit donated by members. John Fletcher, another church member, activated the local ham radio network to give communication help as necessary.
Searchers kept arriving throughout the day, and by 5 p.m., there were more than 100 people involved in the search, going house to house.
About 6 p.m., Melvin was found hiding in his grandfather’s basement. The search was called off, and his mother brought him to the church. The lobby was packed with the searchers who cheered as Melvin walked in. The Orchards Church members were pleased that their church could serve their community in this way.
The Orchards Church lobby in Vancouver, Wash., served as the search and rescue headquarters for a missing child. (John Wesslen)
The Red Cross brought in their van to feed the searchers a mid-day meal. (John Fletcher)
Two Portland TV stations parked their trucks in the Orchards Church parking lot and provided news coverage as the search for the missing boy continued. (John Wesslen)
