For 35 days, Tom Barry and Billy Swindle manned a tent in Concord, giving out meals, canned food, water, drinks and other supplies to people affected by the late April 2011 storms.
One thing the pair experienced on a daily basis was cooperation among the churches of Mud Creek Baptist Association.
“Every church that I called — every church — responded Johnny-on-the-spot,” said Barry, who is a member of First Baptist Church, Oak Grove, and disaster relief coordinator for Mud Creek Association. “Anything that I asked for, it was there. There was no hesitation.”
Barry said he called a lot of churches and all willingly provided.
People from all over the area gave and people from outside the area gave, he added.
The tent was set up across from Bessemer Baptist Association’s Concord Highland Baptist Church, Hueytown, which was heavily damaged by the storms.
“We kept our tent set up in Concord till the middle of June,” said Ken Maddox, director of missions for Mud Creek Association.
Although the services offered at the tent were a ministry of Mud Creek Association to those in need, the tent also served as a lodging place for some volunteers from Kentucky, who slept there one night.
As many as 400 meals a day were served out of the tent, Barry estimated. Some meals were delivered into the community.
Sometimes, other helpers assisted Swindle and Barry in the ministry.
“So many people helped,” Barry said of the churches and individuals who gave food, items and their time. “Thank the Lord for everybody who helped.”
That was not all of Barry’s food service during the recovery process. He also worked 16 days in Birmingham with the Birmingham Baptist Association Loaves and Fishes feeding unit, which he has been associated with since 1998.
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