When tragedy strikes, some of the first people to respond are local churches. The recent double hurricane disaster that devastated much of the Southern East Coast brought helpers from all across the states – including groups of people from our area.
Shortly after the two storms that destroyed so many lives, Pastor Donnie Owen and the members of Broadway Baptist Church looked for ways to help the victims of the storms. “Many folks approached me with questions about what we could do to help,” said Owen. After some thought and prayer, Pastor Donnie parked his box truck in front of the church and then invited the church and the community members to donate supplies.
The church and our community responded. “We had donations from Dayton to Mathias,” Pastor Donnie said. “People were so generous.”
After several days of collecting paper products, water, and other necessities, the Owen family drove the box truck to the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia Disaster Relief headquarters to meet with leaders in Lynchburg. Once they got there, they soon discovered that the SBCV project leaders were overwhelmed with all the materials that were being donated. “They were concerned about how to get the supplies from Lynchburg to Damascus,” says Pastor Donnie. “Their truck was having some issues.” Pastor Donnie agreed to collect the remaining supplies on Monday evening and to take all of the supplies to Damascus the next day. So, volunteers packed more stuff into the little box truck. “The truck was packed full of supplies all the way to the roof,” said Pastor Owen.
Before reaching Damascus, they were informed that new stations were set up to help organize and the distribution of the donations, including a clean-up station, a command central station, a chainsaw station, and a food station. “It was a Divine appointment,” says Pastor Owen with a smile. “They needed help with the food station. And of course, our experience with our food truck (The Hummingbird) was an asset.”
Our plans were changed, but we knew God was making a way. The Owen family was sent from Lynchburg to Bristol, Tenn, —more specifically the Bristol Motor Speedway! The family’s box truck became part of a larger convoy of trucks, trailers, horse trailers, choppers, 4-wheelers, church busses, and many other vehicles all filled with supplies and volunteers of every kind. The National Guard was there to help assist with small forklifts to unload the vehicles and sort the items.
Some organizations the Owen family saw assisting with the enormous project were Samaritans Purse, a ministry led by Franklin Graham, United Way, The Red Cross, and many civic groups and churches.
Although many people responded (and continue to respond) to the need for relief, the clean-up is far from over. According to the Samaritan’s Purse website, they are still sending crews to areas devastated by the storm damage. “We are coordinating hundreds of airlift relief flights to cut-off communities in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. (We have) delivered supplies include food, water, generators, fuel, Starlink systems, heaters, solar lights, and blankets.”
Broadway Baptist Church is part of Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia. SBCV Disaster Relief is working alongside the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Our feeding team is on-site providing meals. The first mud-out team is scheduled to start work on Sunday, October 6th. A second mud-out team begins October 13th. Flood recovery and chainsaw teams will be needed Oct 20th.
Southern Baptist Churches of Virginia is offering training for individuals wanting to help with disaster relief. Some churches are hosting on-site instruction, and training is also available online. Visit the SBVC website for more information (https://www.sbcv.org/hurricane-helene-relief/)
“Churches are called and commanded to take care of each other,” said Pastor Owen quoting Matthew 9:37 “Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”. (HCSB).
