Tennessee Baptists continue to give aid around the state — and well beyond

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Scott Brown, left, pastor of First Baptist Church, Waverly, and Kaye Thomas, volunteer coordinator for Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief in Waverly, prays with truck driver Kent Lovell who delivered 200 water heaters on Jan. 18. The water heaters were donated by the A. O. Smith Company for residents of Waverly who lost their belongings from flooding in August.

MOUNT JULIET — The numbers tell the story: 2021 was an extremely busy year for Tennessee Baptist disaster relief teams. 

With flooding, tornados and other emergency situations occurring in rapid succession —  and sometimes even overlapping — Tennessee Baptist DR personnel  logged more than 34,000 work hours during the past year. The DR teams combined to serve more than 14,000 meals in 2021,  and performed more than 250 chain saw jobs during one of the busiest years on record. 

For Wes Jones, though, there is one statistic that stands above all the rest.

“The greatest number of all from 2021 was that we saw 48 souls who joined us as part of the family of God this past year,” said Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.  [Read more…]

By Maggie Evans
The Baptist Paper

Gary Cate serves as the “blue hat” or team leader for the group of Tennessee Baptists who are working as a chain saw crew in Hammond, La.

KNOXVILLE — Chopping firewood might not be everybody’s idea of a good time, but for Gary Cate, it’s something he genuinely enjoys. 

Chain saws definitely make his job easier, but it’s such a source of enjoyment for Cate that he and his wife heat their house with a wood fire when the weather gets cold. 

“It’s just something that I’ve done my whole life,” he said. “I enjoy that.”

And through the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board Disaster Relief’s chain saw crew, Cate found a good fit. The result has been a relationship that has lasted more than two decades.

“I found a place that I can serve the Lord and do what I like to do,” he said.

 Cate, a member of Sharon Baptist Church in Knoxville, joined about a dozen other men from the Knoxville area on a trip to Hammond, La. [Read more…]

Tennessee Baptists answer the call after flooding leaves trail of destruction throughout Humphreys County

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

A house located near the campus of FBC Waverly shows the destruction caused by recent flooding in the area. The floodwaters resulted in many homes, like this one, being pulled off their foundations and spun in different directions. Also, numerous cars were swept up in the flood and crashed into houses and buildings. — Photo by Lonnie Wilkey

WAVERLY — Walking through certain parts of the flood-ravaged city of Waverly feels almost like navigating through a war zone. Houses, cars, fences and furniture are mangled and mashed. Random pieces of brick and wood are strewn along the streets and sidewalks.        

But in the heart of the choas stands First Baptist Church, Waverly, where help and hope are being distributed.

The church campus features a perpetual buzz of activity in every direction, with people (of all ages) rushing about, moving from room to room on the lower level of the main building. Boxes and crates are being transferred from Point A to Point B. There is a constant flow of cars, coming and going, from the parking lot. Food, clothes and other items are being collected — and given away — simultaneously. 

The scene is intense and energetic. And yet, it is also organized and effective, with smiling faces penetrating the heavy emotions that hang in the atmosphere.

Welcome to “Ground Zero” — the cornerstone of the recovery efforts for the Waverly community after floodwaters tore through parts of Humphreys County, Dickson County and surrounding areas.  [Read more…]

By Carrie Brown McWhorter
The Baptist Paper

Flooding and wind damage were reported in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida’s landfall on Aug. 29 as a Category 4 hurricane.
(Screenshot/Fox46 Charlotte Facebook video)

PORT FOURCHON, La — Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams in several states are on alert for likely deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm.

Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, La., around noon Sunday as a high-end Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The strong winds downed trees and power lines, and heavy rains caused localized flooding in New Orleans and other cities in the storm’s path. At least one death has been attributed to Ida in Louisiana.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in an early Monday morning tweet asked residents to remain in place due to “many hazards across Louisiana including flooded roadways, debris & downed powerlines.” [Read more…]