Cropwell-based Extreme Ministries is ready to see St. Clair County come “storming back” from an April 27 tornado that destroyed 300 homes and took 13 lives in Shoal Creek Valley. So it identified nine rebuilding projects and arranged for dozens of youth groups from around the state and outside of it to work on them June 5–25.
But youth aren’t the only ones involved in the disaster relief effort. Jeff Huey, director of Extreme Ministries and a certified Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteer, contacted state disaster relief leaders about feeding units preparing meals for the youth.
So while the youth replaced roofs, built wheelchair ramps and even started rebuilding some homes from the ground up, six disaster relief volunteers from Morgan Baptist Association provided them with three meals a day the first week.
More than 70 youth from Bethel Baptist Church, Odenville, made up the bulk of the volunteers that week.
“(A year ago) we didn’t know … where we would go (on our youth missions trip), but once the disaster in St. Clair County came, we knew we had a focus,” said Youth Minister Brad Tollison.
The disaster also changed the plans of the youth group at Crestway Baptist Church, Birmingham.
“Our youth were scheduled to go to Chattanooga on a fun trip. But the youth themselves chose to work this week close to home,” explained Bill Ezelle, an adult worker who accompanied the youth.
Maria Wall, a youth worker from Crestway Baptist, said, “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if we used all this money to go on a fun, out-of-town trip when there was so much need and heartache in our own area.”
At press time, disaster relief feeding units from Limestone and Tuscaloosa Baptist associations were scheduled to prepare meals for weeks two and three. Coosa River and St. Clair Baptist associations are providing shower units.
The youth begin each day with breakfast and a devotion and then head to the job sites. After showering and eating dinner, they attend a nightly praise and worship service.
For this event, Ragland High School’s lunchroom and gym are perfect places for everyone to have meals and sleep for the night.
“It’s really special having the school available, and their kitchen facilities are first-class,” said Tom Bennich, a member of First Baptist Church, Hartselle, who served as Morgan Association’s disaster relief team leader.
As the youth line up for breakfast and dinner, the volunteers talk to and even joke with them, calling many by name. After eating, many youth thank and hug each cook.
The youth also are rebuilding even more than Huey first envisioned.
“Our rebuild projects are going much better than expected,” he said. “We have finished three of the nine original projects and have added nine more new ones.”
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