Sinkholes. They’re the kind of thing that can appear without warning, swallowing roads, damaging buildings, and sometimes even threatening lives. Most occur naturally, as water gradually erodes underground rock and soil until the ground above can no longer support itself.

But the sinkhole that developed on the Sanctuary Plaza at First Baptist Church Columbia had a different explanation.

Ours was a man-made inevitability.

“I just really need Jesus.”

When Nathan Burgess heard those words through the phone, something changed.

An elderly woman had called First Baptist’s Prayer Line asking for prayer. Nathan had only been serving in the ministry for a relatively short time, and like every call that comes through, he had no idea where the conversation would lead.

She began by sharing