When residents in Morgan and Lawrence counties were told in mid-June that they couldn’t drink water coming from their own faucets because of contamination, area stores quickly sold out of bottled water. There was limited or no water access for miles.
Clayton Scott, retired director of missions for Randolph Baptist Association, read an article about the need for water in the area and knew he needed to do something about it. He’d lived through many weeks in Vietnam while in the military with only two canteens of water to last him throughout the “103-degree days and nights,” he explained to The Alabama Baptist.
“Water is essential absolutely,” Scott said. “Their need in Morgan County struck a deep part of myself (from having my military background) that these people needed help.”
Together Scott and Jane Stroud, who serves as director of the association’s two service centers and food pantry, began collecting gallons of water from area churches to send to Morgan County.
A nondenominational tent revival was taking place in Randolph County on June 13–17 and Scott was allowed to announce during the revival the need for water donations. All total, 398 gallons of water was given to Randolph Association, along with $250 in monetary donations. The Roanoke Wal-Mart also donated $100 toward the association’s purchase of water.
Perfectly timed delivery
As Stroud and Scott set out to deliver the 1.5 tons of water to the United Methodist Disaster Warehouse in Decatur, where the water would be stored until its distribution, they received a call from the warehouse saying there was a Baptist church plant in Morgan County that was in severe need. The church needed 300 gallons of water to distribute the next morning.
Stroud and Scott were delayed in their trip but arrived at the warehouse just as the Baptist church’s truck pulled up.
Stroud said, “It was great timing. We met at the warehouse and literally loaded the water off our trailer and onto (the Baptist church’s) trailer.”
Baptist churches in Morgan County were then responsible for distributing the water from the Methodist warehouse to churches and homes across the county. That means that not only were associations working together in the ministry but also two denominations were making one combined effort.
Scott said of the cooperation, “That’s what we are supposed to do. To me it’s just business as usual. You minister wherever you are needed. It doesn’t matter who they are or where they are. If they need something and you have it, you must share it with them.”
At press time, Johnny Cantrell of the Lawrence County Emergency Management Agency said the water contamination was cleared the first week of July and residents are able to drink the water again.
“Lots of organizations and individuals donated water and they worked together at donation sites,” Cantrell said. “They should be commended.”
Share with others: