• Central Baptist student ministries had a very humbling week working to rebuild in St. Clair County. From the selfless service of our Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteers in the bright yellow shirts to the contractors from North Carolina who came all the way here to offer help in making new homes for folks in need, we were blessed to join the team and lend a hand for a week.
The most unforgettable moment of the week came when Mr. Sanders, who lost everything, including a son and daughter-in-law, gathered us around on his new porch and shared the gut-wrenching story of April 27 in Shoal Creek Valley. After holding his son in his final moments of this life and keeping his oldest granddaughter alert until rescuers could dig her shattered body from the rubble and get her to the hospital, Mr. Sanders remarked about how all he had left was his faith. My teens added fuel to his hope for the future by rebuilding his once magnificent rock garden into a glimpse of its old glory. This meant so much to him because it was the only activity he and his wife could truly enjoy together as the cruelty of aging whittled away at her mind.
We will never forget this time of reaching out in love. We, by far, were the ones who were blessed as this resilient man opened up his heart to its deepest and most emotionally bare core, urging us to never take a moment with the ones we love for granted — and to love them in such a way that when they pass there are no regrets.
We are proud to be a part of St. Clair Baptist Association and have witnessed firsthand what amazing Kingdom work can be accomplished when churches join together for His glory.
Eric Gargus
Student pastor
Central Baptist Church, Argo
• A new long-term plan of action for tornado recovery has been implemented in Jackson and Dekalb counties — the Sand Mountain Long Term Recovery Committee (LTRC).
The LTRC consists of Sand Mountain Baptist Association, the Upper Sand Mountain Parish, Dekalb Baptist Association and the Salvation Army, Red Cross, EMA and DHR for Jackson and Dekalb counties. The group also consists of other community agencies, some local pastors and a regional FEMA representative.
“We formed a similar committee in 2008, after the Pisgah/Rosalie tornado, and again in 2009, after the Macedonia/Powell/Sylvania tornado,” said Sand Mountain Association director of missions and LTRC chairman David Patty. “This time the damage is much more widespread, and the needs are much greater but our purpose is the same as before, which is to help storm victims with repairs and rebuilding. It is great to see agencies from our two counties and various religious denominations sitting down at one table, working together to help families in our communities.”
The LTRC meets weekly at Northeast Community College, room 110 in the Health Education building, to assess needs and resources. Volunteer caseworkers from the area are being assigned to each community. They will meet with tornado survivors to assess their unmet needs. The caseworkers then present those needs to the LTRC.
“Based on the availability of funds and volunteer labor, we will help the families as much as possible,” Patty said.
Tornado survivors should call 256-638-2126 or go by the Upper Sand Mountain Parrish in Sylvania to request a caseworker.
Donations and volunteer builders also are needed.
• Donations may be sent to the Upper Sand Mountain Parish, P.O. Box 267, Sylvania AL 35988 (designated for Long Term Recovery Committee or LTRC). Donations may also be dropped off at Horizon Bank in Sylvania, Powell and Fyffe.
• To volunteer as a builder, call Sand Mountain Association at 256-451-3750.
For more information, call Patty at the associational office or e-mail dpatty@smbassociation.com.
• The Christian Community Long Term Recovery Group in Jefferson County is gathering on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills (2017 Columbiana Road — 205-822-1670).
Christian volunteers are needed to establish work groups for management of volunteers, donations, construction, disaster cases, finances, spiritual/emotional care and communications.
For more information, contact Saint Green, disaster recovery coordinator for Birmingham Baptist Association, at sgreen@valleydale.org.
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