Some of the greatest benefits of being part of CBF North Carolina are the connections and community between our people and churches. There is nothing like a crisis to bring that into full view.
From the moment people became aware that neighbors and friends in western NC were in trouble after Hurricane Helene, phone calls about how to help and be present with their brothers and sisters began pouring in. Immediately, churches from across the state and the country gathered to put together disaster relief buckets, and then water, food and toiletries arrived. Friends and strangers were willing to do menial and unpleasant jobs, offering help and hope wherever needed.
Those of us on the ground in the region discovered we needed three things quickly: an assessment of areas that needed help, people willing to pitch in and places for volunteer teams to stay when they came to the area. Because of years of relationships across our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship family and flexibility, those three aspects of approaching a crisis came together remarkably quickly.
Tommy James is the pastor of First Baptist in Burnsville, a particularly hard-hit area in Yancy County. As soon as electricity and cell phone service were restored, people from all over the state and beyond began to contact him. One of those calls was from Kevin Moore, pastor of LaFayette Baptist in Fayetteville, with the offer to bring a team to help.
While the two churches are about five hours apart, the relationship between the two pastors began years ago when Moore was a student at Western Carolina University and James mentored him when he was considering a call to ministry. It is always appreciated in a crisis whenever someone wants to help, but the burden seems lighter when a friend walks with you.
Now, the challenge was where the team from LaFayette Baptist could stay when they came to serve because housing, water and other necessities were unavailable in the storm-affected area. Over the mountain in Mars Hill lay a possible answer with Mars Hill Baptist Church.
The small college town had not taken a direct hit from the storm and because of that, they became a clearinghouse for deliveries and meals. But the church felt like it could do more. Like so many of our Cooperative Baptist churches, they had an area where students no longer needed the space for weekly meetings.
Within two weeks, the trustees at MHBC approved renovating the space for housing teams, volunteers refitted a bathroom with two showers, and Mars Hill University loaned them 15 bunkbeds and students to set them up. As soon as it was ready, Tommy Justus, pastor of Mars Hill Baptist, let James and Moore know that housing was available. It had all come together.
Since the storm, I have seen tragic and painful things, but I have seen amazing and beautiful things as well; so have the Church and the community of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
By Rev. Dr. Wanda Kidd
Helene disaster response director
DR@cbfnc.org
828-507-5723
Want to Help the Recovery in WNC?
One of the best ways to help is to make a financial gift to CBFNC’s Disaster Response Fund, where 100% of the money goes to help people in the affected communities. CBFNC uses these funds to provide grants to churches to meet specific needs and to purchase larger items in mass quantities to support the recovery efforts. Give online or mail a donation to CBFNC, 2640 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27106. Please note “Disaster Response” on the check.
