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 — Six families in Greene County whose homes were heavily damaged and their lives were disrupted by Hurricane Helene 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 the effort that began on Friday, Nov. 22, and concluded on Monday, Nov. 25, said FBC pastor David Green.
The project orginally 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,” he said of the effort. All of the houses are either completed or 90 percent completed, he noted.
Elizabeth Roberts, right, shares information with women from Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, about meals for the more than 100 people who came with Grace to assist in rebuilding six homes in less than four days. Roberts, a member of First Baptist Church, Greeneville, planned and spearheaded the effort to feed the volunteers.
First Baptist Church made an early decision to partner with Aidnet and TBMB in the relief and recovery efforts after the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, Green said.
According to the most recent statistics, 57 homes in the county were destroyed and 50 homes were still standing but were inhabitable, he noted.
“At first we worked with as many people and churches as possible to identify needs,” Green said.
“(We helped) clean the mud and debris out of flooded homes and to distribute water and supplies as the initial phase of recovery started,” Green said.
Aidnet, a non -profit organization in the county founded a few years ago to help flood and tornado victims in the county, vetted applications and selected six homes that could be restored in five days, Green said. Aidnet is led by Jeff Idell, a contractor and a deacon at First Baptist, and his son Josh Idell and Robert Bailey, a volunteer with the organization.
Steve Freeman, center, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, and project manager for an effort that rebuilt six homes in four days in Greeneville, gives last minute instructions.
Steve Freeman, pastor of Grace Baptist, sang the praises of Jeff Idell and Aidnet. “We have been doing this a long time and they are the best people I’ve ever worked with. They had the materials on site and if we needed anything, they got it for us.”
The costs for helping the residents get back to their home will be shared by First Baptist, Grace Baptist Church and Aidnet, Green said.
During the recent meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention in Murfreesboro, Green shared how the county was affected by the hurricane and how the devastation in the area affected him when he saw homes and churches destroyed. “God wants those places rebuilt and lives restored,” he told messengers.
First Baptist has received thousands of dollars and multiple offers to help, including Grace Baptist Church in Springfield which is led by pastor Steve Freeman, a longtime friend of Green.
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.
Grace Baptist brought about 108 volunteers from their congregation and surrounding churches in Middle Tennessee to Greeneville to begin the process of restoring the homes on Nov. 22, Freeman said.
As the storms rolled through East Tennessee in September, Freeman said he remembered thinking that there will be a lot of response at first but eventually the rebuilding process will be needed.
“When we had the opportunity to assess what needed to be done and prayed, we knew we needed to start somewhere, so we contacted David,” said Freeman, who also served as project manager. He was assisted by Damon Ross of First Baptist Church, Woodlawn.
In an interview with the Baptist and Reflector at the end of the third day, Freeman said it has been a whirlwind. He actually flew to Springfield on Sunday morning and returned to Greeneville that afternoon. “I think we got more done today (Sunday) with me gone than on Saturday,” he laughed.
Volunteers from Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, prepare to hang sheetrock.
Freeman said he had several contractors within the group and he assigned each one a house. “My only instruction was to get it done,” he said. “And, they did.”
He noted three homes were completely finished while two were waiting on owners to choose the paint. The late additional house they were asked to complete needed more work done, but it was to be nearly finished when the last team left on Monday at noon.
Volunteers were skilled in every area of constructions, from electrical and plumbing to flooring and drywall and more, Freeman said.
The effort in Greeneville is part of a larger effort called Arise and Build which has been established by Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.
More than 500 houses were destroyed and 450-plus homes damaged in northeast Tennessee, from Newport to Mountain City and in between, according to Randy C. Davis, TBMB president and executive director.
Volunteers wrote Bible verses at the request of the homeowners.
As the effort began in Greeneville there were more than 100 workers doing everything from construction to meal preparation. In addition, a group of men from FBC (the Ramp Gramps), comprised men who build wheelchair accessible ramps in the community, worked at the sites for a couple of weeks so volunteer teams could complete the home repairs in five days, Green added.
In addition, FBC member Elizabeth Roberts spearheaded the effort to provide all the meals for the volunteers, beginning with breakfast each day through dinner at night with snacks and drinks throughout the day. The volunteers were housed at Camp Greene, which is owned by Campground Church of God.
“I am so thankful for all who have sacrificed so that our rebuild efforts can be successful.
“At First Baptist Church, we realize that it takes all of our volunteers, churches and organizations to help the hurting people of our county and our region,” Green said.
“The rebuild efforts in Greene County alone is a God-sized task. We simply want to share the love of Jesus Christ as we work together to restore hope in our community.”
Homeowners express thanks
The homes that were helped were basically in the same area. One of the families who received assistance were Dennis and Kim Tompkins and their son, Brayden.
Adam Burchett, foreground, and Lewis Heatherly of Grace Baptist Church, lay down flooring in one of the six homes that was rebuilt in four days.
Kim Tompkins related that they had to evacuate the night of the flood and when they returned the next morning there was 12 feet of water and all their belongings were destroyed. She noted that after the flooding they had hundreds of volunteers who helped with flood recovery.
“Now, First Baptist is here and hopefully they are going to get us back in home by the end of the month,” she said. “We are grateful for all the help and all the volunteers. We could not have done it without them.”
Her husband agreed. “It’s been truly a blessing how the community has come together to take care of us,” said Dennis Tompkins.
The couple is especially appreciative of the Christian community. Tompkins said he never comments on Facebook but if he sees anything in the future that is negative about the church, he will respond. “I will say those are the people who came and saved our neighborhood. They were the ones there to help anybody and everybody.”
Efforts are not over
Green said the church and Aidnet will continue to help every home in Greene County that was destroyed or heavily damaged.
Freeman agreed. “We (Grace Baptist) are in it for the long haul.” B&R
