Nine months after fierce winds from Hurricane Helene toppled a massive 100-year-old pine tree onto the 1930s-style sanctuary of Camak Baptist Church, the congregation has returned to worship in its restored building.
Perry Brindley, associational mission strategist of Buncombe Baptist Association, Asheville, North Carolina, has been named AMS of the Year by the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders.
“He said he’d be back, so I looked for him and, true to his word, they’ve been here,” said local resident Mack Thomason, 77, of a Baptists on Mission volunteer who said he could help.
Mal Underwood, a Brentwood Baptist DR volunteer, described the relief effort as a multi-stage process. “Flood relief is about triaging first responses — getting the mud out and helping families return to a degree of normalcy,” he said.
Working alongside non-profits serving those affected by Hurricane Helene is a priority of Tennessee Serves, an initiative headed by Tennessee’s First Lady Maria Lee.
This disaster not only comes after the region’s recent recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene but also amid severe winter weather conditions including snow and ice.