Two weeks after Roan Park Baptist Church, a congregation in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, of about 15 members, reached into their savings account and spent approximately $20,000 to pave its parking lot, flood waters caused by Hurricane Helene washed it away.
In addition, the church’s sanctuary, Sunday School building (former sanctuary) and fellowship hall all had at least a foot of standing water inside.
RELATED: For more stories on ministry efforts related to Hurricane Helene, click here.
“Losing our parking lot was a setback but it did not destroy our spirit,” affirmed pastor Lincoln Shelton.
“It was discouraging for sure but we all know God has a plan and purpose. We have to remain faithful,” he added.
Shelton believes the damages to the church have drawn members closer to each other. “Everyone is on the same page with the same mindset,” he noted.
“Our people love the Lord and they love the Bible and people. They are very resilient,” said Shelton, who has served the church for a year-and-a-half.
Remaining confident
Deacon Jerry Moore, who is coordinating repair efforts at the church, acknowledged the “damage (to the buildings) could have been worse, but it was bad enough.”
Church members with assistance from Disaster Relief teams and other volunteers, have begun the process of tearing out the carpet and damaged walls in the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. The Sunday School building was the most damaged of the three structures and the paneled walls had to be removed.
They were able to clean the fellowship hall and return to it for worship within two weeks after the flooding, Shelton said. “We are continuing to worship and praise God.”
Shelton knows the damages will add up and the church received less than $3,000 from its insurance company, but he remains confident.
“I feel we will be able to repair our buildings and be better than we were.”
Moore and Shelton said they hope the church will be able to return to its sanctuary by the first of the year,
The pastor is less confident about the parking lot. That’s a huge prayer request, he said.
Shelton said the church will probably go with a gravel parking lot for now. “We believe the Lord will bring in resources we need.
“We are being diligent and doing the preparatory and restoration work while waiting on His abundant provision.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lonnie Wilkey and originally published by Baptist and Reflector.
