When the April 27 tornado hit Harvest in northern Madison County, there was enough warning for people to take shelter in the Harvest Youth Club, but the frightened refugees were unable to close the door against the howling wind that accompanied the tornado.
When the wind subsided, there was devastation all around. The youth club had sustained some minor damage and the playground outside was destroyed, but the metal building that housed the youth club was intact and usable.
“Everything within a half mile of the youth club was destroyed except that building. We believe God protected the building for the purpose of ministry,” said Harold Sellers, director of missions for Madison Baptist Association.
Ron Lynch, church ministries director of Madison Association, reported that 40 houses in the neighborhood were destroyed and another 80 were badly damaged.
In the aftermath of the devastation, the club became a center for activities in the community, hosting FEMA meetings and serving as a command center where relief was coordinated and food was given out. The youth club also came to the attention of Harvest Baptist Church and Madison Association. It soon became a major focus of outreach in the area.
“Before the tornado, we didn’t even know they were out there,” Sellers said, describing their relief efforts as “fantastic.”
All summer, churches from Madison Association have beenworking alongside the club staff to provide care and food for approximately 75 children who come to the club each day.
Sellers said the work at the youth club has been an opportunity to plug in the smaller churches in the association and get them involved.
Lynch added that the club has been open for several years as a faith-based nonprofit organization providing services for children in the area.
“Because of the need here, this is where we plugged in. We’ve been connecting volunteers to needs out here. Children aged 4 to 14 attend here five days a week during the summer from 6:30 in the morning until 5:30 at night,” Lynch said. “They’ve allowed us to do Vacation Bible School (VBS) each morning and each afternoon.”
Various churches are each spending a week having VBS. They have used themes such as LifeWay’s “Big Apple Adventure” and others like “Hometown Nazareth” and “PandaMania.”
During VBS, the churches also provide lunch for the children.
“It’s been a way that we’ve been able to impact the children,” Lynch noted. “By the end of the week, the kids have gotten to know volunteers who are there and built relationships with them. It gives them a chance to share the gospel with the kids.”
The association is connecting volunteers from outside the state, both in the youth club and the community. Volunteers are painting, repairing and rebuilding homes.
“From the time the storms hit on April 27, folks have been calling our office, not only from in town and our churches but from out of state,” Lynch said. “I’ve been busy.”
“We have a group from Pennsylvania here this week (last week of July), and a group from Milwaukee coming next week (first week of August). A group from South Carolina wanted to do something, so they sent 100 backpacks filled with school supplies. LifeWay has given us some Bibles and some different things to give out. It’s been a community effort,” he said.
“We have sent volunteers to help them since the tornadoes. We work with cleanup and relief, and we’re working to help rebuild some homes.”
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