FBC Greeneville partners with churches to reach big goals in short time

Pastor David Green, right, of First Baptist Church, Greenevllle, visits with one of the families whose homes were rebuilt through a joint partnership with Aidnet, Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, and Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. From left are Kim, Dennis and Brayden Tompkins. — Photos by Lonnie Wilkey

GREENEVILLE — David Green was planning to be out of town on the final weekend of September last year.

Green, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church, Greeneville, had two weddings on his schedule.

Those plans, however, ultimately had to be altered.

With little warning, Hurricane Helene created a series of storms that ravaged parts of East Tennessee, causing unprecedented flooding in Greene County and the surrounding areas.

Green knew where he needed to be. [Read more…]

Brandon Moore used his trucking company to transport load of generators and supplies to God’s Warehouse in the weeks after Hurricane Helene.

RIENZI, Miss. — When Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and east Tennessee last fall, Brandon Moore felt called to help. The Rienzi farmer and trucking company owner didn’t know his small Mississippi community would rally to donate more than $100,000 worth of supplies.

“I saw it was devastating. So I started praying about it, asking God, ‘What could I do to help?’” Moore said.

After researching relief organizations, Moore contacted God’s Warehouse through Mississippi’s Northeast Baptist Association. When he asked what was needed most, the response was clear: generators.

Moore made a Facebook post saying he would try to collect “a little small pickup load of generators.” Within 24 hours, community donations poured in, enough to buy about 20 generators. [Read more…]

David Baines stands inside God’s Warehouse.

ELIZABETHTON — David Baines walked 50 yards from his home to Grace Baptist Church, driven by curiosity that changed his life.

Baines, a retired construction worker, faced a challenge after Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters devastated Elizabethton and surrounding areas. Unable to assist due to selling his equipment, he noticed skid steers and excavators at Grace Baptist Church and went to investigate.

“I had just sold all my stuff,” Baines said. “I couldn’t even go help my neighbor, which is what I would typically do. They’d call and I’d absolutely help. I just like helping people. But I didn’t know how to help anybody spiritually.” [Read more…]

God’s Warehouse responds to storm ‘in its backyard’

Don Owen moves supplies in God’s Warehouse, a ministry of Nolachucky Baptist Association, based in Morristown.

MORRISTOWN — Don Owen’s ministry work with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief has sent him all over the map.

Last fall, however, the disaster came to him.

When Hurricane Helene tore through sections of the South last September, it ravaged large regions of East Tennessee.

This meant that Owen, the director of God’s Warehouse in Morristown, didn’t have to put much mileage on his truck to make an impact.

“We’ve done recovery work with dozens and dozens of storms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, ice storms, everything, but this is the closest one of this magnitude that has ever reached us,” said Owen. “We’re not accustomed to having hurricanes here.” [Read more…]

Ladies from Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, deliver water and snacks to volunteers. From left are Leigh Freeman, Katie Freeman, Sierra Jones, Mary Allen, Ella Allen and Sandra White.

GREENEVILLE — Six families in Greene County whose homes were heavily damaged by Hurricane Helene last September were back in their homes on Thanksgiving Day or shortly thereafter.

First Baptist Church, Greeneville, in conjunction with Aidnet of Greene County, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, coordinated a four-day effort that fueled the rebuilding of the houses, said FBC pastor David Green.

The project originally was designed to construct five homes in five days, but it turned out to be six homes in less than four full days, Green said.

“It was exciting to see,” Green said. [Read more…]

Mary Danner looks through a collection of letters written to her husband from friends and family during his time in the military. The letters had gone undiscovered for decades.

JOHNSON CITY — For decades, Mary Danner never even realized the letters existed. Now they are some of her most cherished possessions.

This summer, Danner, who lives in the Johnson City area, received a phone call from Tina Golden, the DR coordinator for the teams serving in Johnson City as part of the Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Golden was calling Danner to let her know that a duffle bag of letters had been uncovered.

The letters were written to Danner’s late husband, Melvin, from his parents, sisters, aunts, and neighbors. They were written to him in 1967 and 1968, when he was serving in the military and stationed in Fort Benning, Ga.

“Having these letters means so much to me,” Danner said. “I will treasure them the rest of my life.” [Read more…]

Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief Coordinators

ELIZABETHTON — For Kaye and John Thomas, Hurricane Helene wasn’t just another disaster. Instead, it became their most demanding mission in nearly 30 years with Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief (TBDR).

“It’s taken some creative minds,” Kaye explains, describing their role, from overseeing massive repair work to organizing large groups of volunteers.

The Thomases, from Sevierville, have been stationed at Grace Baptist Church since Helene swept through Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee last September, destroying homes and taking lives. They, along with three others, have coordinated hundreds of volunteers in rebuilding efforts. [Read more…]