By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
-Photo: Angela Elliott
BIG ROCK — A Tennessee Baptist church facility, the home of a pastor, and the houses of several church members were flooded in the early hours of Thursday, July 7, here.
The worship center and Fellowship Center of Big Rock Baptist Church, Big Rock, were flooded. The worship center which included most of the church’s classrooms had two feet of water in it. Also two church vans were severely damaged.
The home of David Whitehead, pastor, Big Rock Baptist, was flooded. Several homes of members of the church also were damaged by flood waters, reported William Gray, director of missions, Judson, Stewart, and Truett Baptist Associations, based in Dover and Bon Aqua. Another resident who lived in a mobile home saw it washed from its location.
Disaster relief volunteers with Truett Association and the Tennessee Baptist Convention have offered their help.
Neither the church nor the pastor had flood insurance.
“Most of the time in our area you don’t think about needing it,” said Gray.
The flooding is very unusual, explained Gray, who noted that he has never seen flooding like this in his 30 years in the community. For instance, he has never seen water from a nearby stream enter the sanctuary of Big Rock Baptist though it was up to the church’s front steps several times.
Big Rock is located about 10 miles east of the Cumberland River which forms the eastern border of the Lake Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and 12 miles northeast of Dover.
Thankfully, Big Rock Baptist had already started the process to build a new sanctuary and it is on higher ground, noted Gray. Big Rock Baptist draws about 150 people to Sunday morning activities, according to Gray who also is a member of the church.
For more information, contact the Judson, Stewart, Truett Association office at 931-232-8441 or Gray at wmgraydom@mchsi.com.
