By Kristen Thompson
As Hurricane Helene passed through South Carolina lashing the state with ferocious winds and record setting rainfall, it destroyed almost the entire electrical grid and left a third of residents without power. However, Trinity Baptist Church in Seneca was spared the worst of the storm. “Most in our community lost power and several in our community have had damages from the storm, but we were impacted far less than other areas to the north and south of us,” said associate pastor Tony Vincent. “We are located on the North Carolina and Georgia border close to the mountains, so just a short ride from here is significant devastation.” During disaster relief efforts, Trinity has been a true light in the darkness to those in need – in Seneca and beyond.
The Sunday after the storm, the church held a “come as you are” worship service for anyone who could attend, which included a responsive reading celebrating the church’s commitment to missions. It served as an inspiring reminder of the congregation’s call to minister during the darkest of times:
“We build, we repair, we carry meals to those grieving,” read the worship leader.
“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine,” responded the congregation.
“Churches should always be about meeting the needs of our community, but emergencies and natural disasters remind us of how reliant we are on one another in difficult times,” Vincent said. In addition to collecting an offering to aid CBF Disaster Response, Trinity is engaging in local efforts to help those impacted by Helene. Partnering with Lifepoint Church and the Salvation Army, they provided a meal for 70 rescue workers who traveled three days from Riverside, Calif., to work with FEMA in South Carolina. “These workers were so gracious and kind, even as they were tired from their travels and delays in arriving, thanking us for the gift of a hot meal. It was such a blessing to help them as they work in our community.”
Trinity let their light shine across the state line into devastated Asheville, North Carolina. In conversations with Rev. Casey Callahan at First Baptist Church Asheville, Vincent learned the community there needed clean drinking water. Church members from Trinity began scouring stores in Seneca for water to send to Asheville and negotiated with store managers to purchase five pallets of bottled water. “Another church member volunteered a flat-bed truck and a driver from his business to deliver the water.” When they heard Asheville needed porta potties and hand washing stations, a church member jumped at the opportunity, as he owned a portable restroom company. The next day, they were on site at FBC Asheville.
In times like these, says Vincent, the key is to discover what the priorities are and focus on those. “Effective leadership in these hard times directs the energy that we all have in wanting to help into the most helpful and beneficial ways.” When Seneca was hit by a tornado in 2020, many volunteers showed up with chainsaws to clear roadways and clean up yards. A sister church provided an ice truck for the neighborhood until power was restored. Less helpful were donations of clothing, which had to be sorted and stored. Though well-intentioned, the donations ended up diverting resources from more immediate needs. “Knowing what is most helpful at a certain time, and then doing that, is the best support you can offer, and being willing to say, ‘thank you, but not yet’ is vital.”
Vincent encourages churches who want to help to join Trinity in supporting CBF Disaster Relief and to be mindful as they look for ways to respond. “This will all be such a long-term recovery. There will be needs and scars that will be persistent and we have not even begun to know all that we can do to help.”
Your gifts to CBF Disaster Response help change lives and make stories of hope like this possible. Please give generously at http://www.cbf.net/hurricane-relief.