Alabama, Tennessee churches partner to serve Louisiana flood survivors

Alabama, Tennessee churches partner to serve Louisiana flood survivors

The efforts of five churches from two states made a major difference to one church in Baker, Louisiana.

Faith Baptist Church, Baker, withstood damage to its education space, sanctuary and parsonage after mid-August torrential rains brought with them immense flooding.

Although Pastor Thomas Fletcher now serves in Louisiana, he previously served as a youth ministry intern back in Alabama at Thomasville Baptist Church. His wife, Bethany, also has family that are members of Pineview Baptist Church, Thomasville.

The Thomasville connection, along with the desire to help, led 125 volunteers from Thomasville and other cities to team up to help recover and rebuild the church in Baker, along with three homes in the community.

Reversing the damage

Pineview Baptist Church, Thomasville; Thomasville Baptist; Pine Hill Baptist Church; Indian Springs Baptist Church, Kingsport, Tennessee; and Grace Baptist Church, Springfield, Tennessee; worked together in mid-September to reverse the damage the flooding had done.

“It was really a God thing how all the details came together,” said Pastor Mitch Thrower, who leads Pineview Baptist.

He said a small crew went to serve in Baker in late August doing mostly clean up and recovery, but a larger crew served in mid-September to rebuild.

“The best part of it all is that life change happened in the midst of it all. One of those who went to work gained the greatest gift of all — salvation,” Thrower said.

The efforts also were supported by the Tennessee Baptist Convention, Louisiana Baptist Convention, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the North American Mission Board, according to a press release from Grace Baptist.

Grace Baptist titled their part of the effort “Operation James 222,” referencing the passage James 2:22 and the “biblical principle of living out one’s Christian faith through tangible acts of mercy and love.” (TAB)