“The love and support for ministry in Western North Carolina was obvious,” said Seth Brown, director of convention relations for North Carolina Baptists. “George and Megan Shinn really set the tone for the whole thing.”
“When Hurricane Helene came through, we got hit with three feet of water … we lost about 90% of everything we owned,” said Ronnie Rentz. “I couldn’t even get into the house at first because all the water had picked up our furniture.”
In an age driven by communication and technology, a small northeast Tennessee community near Beech Mountain, North Carolina, faces neglect and isolation.
“We’ve still got some people living in tents. We’ve got to keep working diligently to get people back in houses,” said Randy Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
While 2024 — like most years — was filled with tragedy, scandal, politics and ongoing tensions overseas, it also was a year where redemption and grace shined through a lot of the dark, discouraging moments.
Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief neared the end of its major 2024 deployments on a mountaintop in North Carolina with mass feeding and chaplaincy efforts in the tiny town of Spruce Pine.