David Butler, a church deacon, coordinated the chartered bus trip for about 30 members.

The group left Augusta on Friday and returned home Monday. They traveled the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel, which were closed Tuesday after the attacks.

''It's devastating to look at this,'' Mr. Butler said Tuesday morning. ''We were just there. I've been getting calls all morning asking us if we made it back.''

The church group, led by their pastor, the Rev. Otis Moss III, visited a Bronx area church, where the Rev. Moss served as a guest speaker and the choir performed.

Millicent Mazyck, the church's music coordinator, learned of the attacks after returning from her daily walk at the mall.

''My husband was standing there watching TV with a stunned look,'' said Mrs. Mazyck, a retired educator. ''Our son called us from the University of Georgia between classes and told us about it.

''Lord, I'm just so grateful to God that he put us in the right place at the right time. It could have happened while we were there. We had such a pleasant trip, and now this.''

En route to New York, Arma Gerald said the bus stopped in Washington briefly so riders could shop.

''We were in both those areas,'' Ms. Gerald said after hearing of the subsequent attack at the Pentagon. ''We're praying for the families that are involved.

''Everything happens for a reason,'' she said. ''If I'm going to do things for Christ, I can't go around being afraid - even in disaster. I'll still have my faith, and I have no fear.''

Reach Timothy Cox at (706) 823-3217.