SELMER — Sometimes the best way to help is by assisting those who are assisting others.
That’s exactly what First Baptist Church Selmer is doing in the wake of the deadly tornadoes that tore through parts of Tennessee during the first week in April.
With the church’s ROC building (which, fittingly, stands for “Reaching Our Community”) serving as home base, FBC Selmer is housing Disaster Relief volunteers from Alabama. Will Shelton, associate pastor of discipleship at FBC, is helping coordinate the housing details for the teams from Alabama, who began arriving in Tennessee on April 5. The incident command center will operate out of the ROC building, and will be run by the Alabama volunteers.
Tennessee Baptist DR volunteers will also be aiding with the relief efforts in Selmer when they are available, said Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. However, many of TBDR teams are already deployed in other parts of the state, working on the Arise and Build initiative and assisting those who were impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Shelton, who noted that FBC Selmer has hosted DR teams in the past, said the recent storms created widespread devastation and heartache for those in the region. “It was the worst one I’ve seen, in terms of damage to this level, in my 40 years here,” he said.
Shelton said there were fallen tree within 200 yards of the church’s buildings, but said the church, thankfully, did not sustain any damage.
Those who are available to serve in Selmer or elsewhere around the state should contact Wes Jones (wjones@tnbaptist.org), Garry Maddox (gmaddox@tnbaptist.org) or Elizabeth Holmes (eholmes@tnbaptist.org) and let them know your unit type and when you are available. Once a team or individual has committed to serve, details will be sent, Jones said.
Donations to Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief can be made online at tndisasterrelief.org/contributions.
