Neighbors Helping Neighbors
As I (Betty Barton) have traveled throughout the affected areas over the last week, I have heard many heart-warming stories of neighbors, families, friends, and complete strangers helping those hardest hit. Here are just a few of the wonderful things I've learned:
Pleasant HIll UMC Command Center
|
The rooms of Pleasant HIll UMC are filled with items provided free of charge to victims of the Horse Creek storm. |
Although the Pleasant HIll congregation had damage to their building, and numerous trees on the church property were toppled, they have focused on helping their community in any way they can. Church members began collecting items needed by their neighbors - food, clothing, cleaning supplies, pharmacy items, toiletries, etc. - and have opened the doors of the church to supply these items. The fellowship hall and hallway of the church are overflowing with merchandise, and the donations continue to flow in. Church members are busy organizing these items to make the "shopping" easier and making certain that everyone finds the items they need.
A local business donated tents, chairs, tables and grills for families who have resorted to camping out on their property in order to protect what is left and to continue sifting through the wreckage to see what they can salvage.
In the meantime, another group of volunteers (who are not members of the church) have been working to remove the felled trees from the property.
A
Mennonites Helping Methodists
A Mennonite Disaster Service team arrived Friday morning at Mt. Tabor UMC, fully equipped and ready to begin work. By yesterday afternoon, 3/4 of the roof had been replaced.
As I was taking photographs of the devastation at Mt. Tabor last Friday, a woman who lived in the area, and who had damage to her own property, pulled into the parking lot to offer the workers food.
Youth Group Helps Liberty Hill UMC
Several large trees were felled by the storm that passed over Liberty Hill UMC, and the roofs of the church building and community center were both badly damaged. On Saturday, as women worked to dry out the inside of the church, men gathered to cut up the trees that were blocking the church drive. A group of youth from Christ UMC in Greeneville arrived to help.
"They had a great time, carrying armloads of branches and piling them up," said Liberty Hill member Nelle Evans. "When it came time for lunch, we started to worry what we should do about feeding the kids. Someone went to the store and bought bologna, cheese and bread, and we shared the lunches we had brought for ourselves.There was plenty for everyone, just like the story of the loaves and fishes."
Cokesbury Cares
|
One of the hymnals damaged by rain when the roof was torn open at Liberty Hill UMC |
On Wednesday, Jan Butler, manager of the Johnson City Cokesbury store, traveled with me throughout the disaster area in order to visit the churches that were affected and share with them information about Cokesbury Cares, a program that assists churches affected by fires, floods, and other disasters. This program offers to replace damaged or destroyed hymnals, pew Bibles, curriculum and denominational materials for free, and can help to arrange discounted purchase of items that need to be replaced such as sanctuary furniture and steeples.
Delivering Donations
Since publishing a list of items Tuesday needed by families affected by last week's storms, donations have been pouring in to the District Office and elsewhere. Rev. Adam Love, pastor of the Clear Springs and Albright churches reports that he has been making daily trips to the Camp Creek Command Center to deliver donated items that church and community members leave on the front porch at Albright UMC.
Congregations Helping Congregations
Several congregations have reached out to the churches near them that received damage, inviting them to use their facilities for worship or join them for Sunday morning services. About 20 members of Liberty Hill UMC traveled to nearby Clear Springs for worship last Sunday. They have also received an invitation from Milburnton UMC to join them this Sunday if the church is not ready for worship.
The Greystone Circuit includes three churches: Mt. Tabor, which received extensive damage and suffered the loss of three members in the storm that tore through Camp Creek; Gethsemane UMC which had slight damage from the strong winds, and Bethesda UMC. Last Sunday, the Mt. Tabor congregation was invited to come to Bethesda for worship at 9:30. Then, during the 11:00 worship service at Gethsemane, members collected a love offering of $2500 to be given to the families of the Mt. Tabor members who were killed.