Throughout his captivity and following his rescue Feb. 4, the plight of Ethan Gilman made headlines.
The now 6-year-old — who for days was held hostage in an underground bunker in Midland City by an abductor — is back in the arms of his family and even recently made an appearance on national T.V. with his mother, Jennifer Kirkland, for an exclusive interview about the ordeal.
During those harrowing days as Ethan was held hostage and countless people waited and prayed for his safety, there were those who worked behind the scenes to provide food, needed supplies and support to Ethan’s family and law enforcement.
Jim Hill, pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Ozark, is a North American Mission Board-endorsed disaster relief chaplain through the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and serves on the board of directors for The Salvation Army in Dale County. He was called by The Salvation Army to be a chaplain during the hostage crisis.
Hill, along with two other area pastors, spent several days ministering one-on-one to Ethan’s family. With the assistance of Kenneth Hale, director of missions for Dale Baptist Association, and Ken Farley, church development director for Columbia Baptist Association, Hill said that chaplains for the crisis were provided around the clock.
Hill encouraged the chaplains to shake hands with those working at the site and let them know they were being prayed for. He said that almost every time he spoke with one of those people, the person would express gratefulness at how the community had come together in such a remarkable manner.
And that unity showed itself in many ways: the tables of homemade snacks for law enforcement, the area high school students who organized prayer vigils, and the support from businesses and individuals. “It was a huge community effort,” Hill said.
Hale agreed. “It was not one group — it was everybody working together,” he said, noting that Dale Association worked in conjunction with The Salvation Army to provide assistance. The Salvation Army coordinated food for the law enforcement command center and churches offered their support.
Dale Association stepped up to deliver snacks and Gatorade, and various churches within the association provided meals. Hale recalled a particular meal where approximately 300 people were fed.
He added that Dale Association worked in partnership with Columbia Association, and he noted how the community united to meet people’s needs. “It was just an unbelievably cooperative effort between the whole community, churches and associations,” he said.
And even in other areas of the state, people like Carrie Kreps took steps to help through a fundraising effort. A Samford University alumna and member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, Birmingham, Kreps was “deeply affected” by Ethan’s ordeal.
After Ethan’s rescue and a friend of Kreps got approval from Ethan’s family, she began an online fundraiser called “Send Ethan to Disney World.” In one day, the goal of $7,000 was met, and as of Feb. 9 more than $10,600 had been pledged by nearly 300 donors. Any remaining funds will be added to a trust fund that has been established for Ethan. (Samford contributed)
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