April 27, 2011, began quietly as most spring days do. But by about 6 a.m. it became apparent that this would be no ordinary day.
In fact, as more hours ticked by, the worse the situation grew.
More than 60 tornadoes traversed Alabama that day.
More than 40 of the state’s 67 counties suffered damage, if not complete devastation.
The storms’ ravages claimed more than 240 lives in Alabama.
Thousands upon thousands were left homeless and broken in spirit.
The day became the deadliest 24-hour period for tornadoes since March 18, 1925, when 747 people were killed by tornadoes.
By the end of the day Alabama had earned the top rank on the National Climatic Data Center’s lists for number of tornadoes in 2011, for tornado activity January through May and for tornado activity in April alone.
In the Alabama Baptist’s Associational District 11 portion of the state 36 people died, according to news reports.
Though the experience of April 2011 was heartbreaking, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley said it did accomplish one thing — it prepared the state for this hurricane season, which opened June 1.
“We learned a lot. Nothing prepares you like real life,” Bentley said in a June 2 article on al.com.
Bessemer Association
In Bessemer Baptist Association, “we did have massive damage,” said Rick Cato, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove.
He said approximately 800 homes were damaged or destroyed in Pleasant Grove, while another 200 to 300 were affected in Concord.
One church in the association, Concord Highland Baptist Church, Concord, was destroyed.
“We had needs of every description,” Cato said of the area encompassed by Bessemer Association.
Forty families of Bethel Baptist lost their homes, he said. That equated to one-quarter to one-third of the families in the church.
The church worked to make certain these families had temporary housing, financial relief and basic needs and offered other assistance such as debris removal and cleanup.
To aid others affected by the storms, Bethel’s gymnasium was open around the clock for 17 days. Cato estimated volunteers served 35,000 meals. During those days, the people in need were given food, necessities and 45 tons of ice.
“We had a shower trailer [from the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM)]” for use by Bessemer Association, Cato said. Two laundry trailers were also provided by First Baptist Church, Satsuma, and the SBOM.
The churches of the association worked together to minister in Concord, Edgewater and McDonald’s Chapel. Some — such as Canaan Baptist Church, Bessemer; Grace Life Baptist Church, Bessemer; and Tannehill Valley Baptist Church, McCalla — provided workers to help in Bethel’s gym. Others — such as Bessemer Association’s disaster relief team and volunteers from churches — provided manpower in the communities and housed volunteers. North Highlands Baptist Church, Hueytown, was one such church. Cottage Hill Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove, also offered clothing and basic supplies to individuals in need.
Churches also donated money, food, diesel fuel and necessities.
As long as two months after the storms, Bessemer Association was still seeing scores of volunteers coming to the area. Cato estimates 5,000 to 6,000 volunteers worked through Bethel.
“The outpouring was just incredible,” he said.
Cato noted that the churches of Bessemer Association pulled together and worked diligently even though they did not have a permanent director of missions (DOM) to lead them at that time.
Rebuilding has begun, which has brought other volunteers to Pleasant Grove.
“It was unreal how many people [have] come,” Cato said.
Volunteers have come from the Birmingham metro area, as well as Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio and Arizona, among other places.
Already 130 to 140 homes have been rebuilt in Pleasant Grove and many others have been repaired, Cato said.
He also said Bethel participated in five or six of the reconstruction projects. In addition, the church is working with several nonprofit groups that are assisting in the rebuilding phase.
Even now, Concord Highland Baptist is being reconstructed.
“Pleasant Grove has still got a ways to go,” Cato said, referring to reconstruction and follow-up counseling.
Through this disaster, Cato said he believes the people in need have come to understand that much of the response — in the form of money, supplies and volunteers — has come from Christians. This has generated opportunities for people to realize their need for Jesus Christ in their lives. In fact, Cato said his church has witnessed two baptisms of people who were aided after the storms.
Birmingham Association
Lives were lost April 27, 2011, when Pleasant Grove and Pratt City suffered significant tornado damage.
Fultondale and Cahaba Heights also felt the storms’ wrath, said Mike McLemore, executive director for Birmingham Baptist Association.
McLemore said First Baptist Church, Fultondale, and First Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove, also took blows in the storms.
Birmingham Association’s disaster relief volunteers dispatched quickly, he said, setting up its feeding unit at Fair Park to provide meals for those affected by the storms and for the many helpers.
“Every team we had was dispatched,” McLemore said of the association’s disaster relief volunteers.
Birmingham Association worked with SBOM, Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency, Red Cross and Salvation Army to feed and shelter people and to provide necessities.
“We had multitudes of churches and other agencies that helped provide water and supplies” to people in need, McLemore said.
Several association churches — such as Central Park Baptist Church, Birmingham — offered their facilities to lodge volunteers. Others — such as Westmont Baptist Church, Birmingham, and First Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove — served meals to volunteers.
The shower unit from St. Clair Baptist Association was made available. Other disaster relief assistance arrived from various locations in Alabama, such as Mobile and Montgomery. McLemore said volunteers came from nine states, some as far away as Utah.
The Mormons assisted with cleanup and donated supplies.
For three to four months, there was a “constant flow” of volunteers into the area, McLemore recalled.
To help Federal Emergency Management Agency families get resettled, the group Restoring Hope was formed. McLemore described it as a collaboration of the faith community to address not only spiritual needs, but also any material needs that still exist.
The group’s work is continuing even after a year.
McLemore said teams from South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma, as well as from Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, have given their time to rebuild in the association.
So far, 250 to 300 homes have been reconstructed, he estimated. While Birmingham Association has been involved in all the projects, it has actually helped to build 10 homes.
McLemore said Metro Changers, the association’s housing rehabilitation ministry, has participated in repairing and rebuilding homes.
More missions teams are scheduled to work in the association this summer to construct houses and repair churches.
Eight churches in Birmingham Association have partnered with churches of other denominations to help rebuild or repair their structures, McLemore said. This includes The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham; Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham; Huffman Baptist Church, Birmingham; Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills; Vestavia Hills Baptist Church; Hunter Street Baptist Church, Hoover; Shades Crest Baptist Church, Hoover; and Ridgecrest Baptist Church, Trussville.
In general, McLemore said Birmingham Association churches have attended to needs in the communities as they have become aware of them.
As Christians have ministered through the crisis, some individuals on the receiving end of the compassion have realized their need for forgiveness and have asked Jesus Christ to be their Savior, McLemore said.
Even though progress has been made in getting lives back to normal, Birmingham Association still needs funds for assisting people and individuals to volunteer for Restoring Hope.
Birmingham Association had even more destruction in January 2012, when a tornado ripped through Center Point, Deerfoot, Clay and Clayridge. McLemore said more than 100 homes were affected in that storm.
Once again the disaster relief volunteers were dispatched. In addition, First Baptist Church, Center Point; Hilldale Baptist Church, Center Point; Clearview Baptist Church, Pinson; NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville; Deerfoot Baptist Church, Trussville; Clayridge Baptist Church, Clay; and Chalkville First Baptist Church, Birmingham, offered shelter, food and additional support.
Mud Creek Association
As soon as the storms subsided, Mud Creek Baptist Association volunteers drove through affected areas to deliver food and find out the needs of individuals, said Ken Maddox, DOM for Mud Creek Baptist Association.
The efforts of Mud Creek Association focused mainly on its neighbors — Pleasant Grove and Concord. Maddox said both Pleasant Grove and Concord are situated a few miles from the association office.
One Mud Creek Association church also served in the Brookwood area.
Mud Creek Association lent a hand by setting up a tent in Concord to provide food and resources.
Combining their efforts, Mud Creek Association assisted Birmingham Association in food preparation and distribution, Maddox said.
Madison Baptist Association joined the relief efforts by providing a temporary shower unit in the area.
Mud Creek Association is made up of 21 mostly smaller-membership churches. Only three of them have full-time pastors. Nonetheless, Maddox said every church served those in need.
“I think all of our churches engaged in some way,” he said. “I can’t think of a single church that wasn’t involved.”
Some churches met specific needs that came to their attention, while others volunteered, donated supplies and gave money.
Members of Big Creek Baptist Church, Adger, went to First, Pleasant Grove, to give workers there a break in preparing meals, Maddox said. Crossroad Baptist Church, Hueytown, aided storm survivors in Pratt City by preparing and providing food.
Then in January 2012 people of the association rose to action again after a tornado struck in Smithville. Maddox said many supplies were offered and volunteers responded to help in that area.
Smithville Baptist Church, Bessemer, became the hub for relief efforts. Volunteers descended upon the church quickly. Thanks to their efforts, that area looked significantly better within two weeks, Maddox noted.
Being in a disaster is “a numbing time” for those directly affected, Maddox said. However, through the efforts of volunteers expressing love in that difficult time, people came to ask Jesus Christ to be their Savior.
North Jefferson Association
The path of the storms mainly ran south and north of North Jefferson Baptist Association, said DOM Steve Loggins.
“We did not as an association sustain the damage” of some others, he said.
Just the same, two of its churches suffered harm. North Highland Baptist Church, Warrior, was damaged by straight-line winds, while Black Creek Baptist Church, Birmingham, took a blow from an afternoon tornado system.
North Jefferson Association was primarily involved in cleanup and recovery.
“Our churches mobilized to help,” Loggins said.
Gardendale First Baptist Church and First Baptist Church, Mount Olive, became collection and distribution centers. Many other churches addressed needs within their communities and in other locations.
“Everybody pitched in,” Loggins said.
Even though North Highland Baptist was damaged, the members served meals at a Federal Emergency Management Agency site in Warrior for weeks.
High Point Community Church, Empire, transported supplies from the North Jefferson Association office to Walker County.
Baptist associations joined forces to multiply results. North Jefferson Association sent a generator to Sulphur Springs Baptist Association to use in efforts there, while Baldwin Baptist Association and teams from other states came into North Jefferson Association to offer further assistance.
Loggins helped in Fultondale as well as in Bessemer Association. He was previously on staff at Concord Highland Baptist in Bessemer Association.
Upon seeing the destruction in that area, Loggins said he almost had a sense of “survivor’s guilt.”
In September, North Jefferson Association will continue its assistance by going on a missions trip to Phil Campbell to help with rebuilding efforts there.
“We found out how ill-prepared we were for disaster,” Loggins said after the April 2011 storms. “We were better prepared when the tornadoes hit in January this year.”
During the January storm, the association’s Clay Baptist Church was damaged.
Loggins said North Jefferson Association has focused on preparation for a future disaster, one that volunteers hope will never come.
Shelby Association
On the morning of April 27, 2011, tornadoes went through the northern part of Shelby County. Fortunately the damage “was limited in its scope,” said Hugh Richardson, DOM for Shelby Baptist Association.
The association’s disaster relief team responded when it learned of the damage that had occurred.
Most of the association’s efforts, however, were concentrated elsewhere. Numerous churches — both small and large — responded in Tuscaloosa, Rainsville, Hackleburg, Pleasant Grove and Pratt City.
“The churches were self-deploying,” Richardson explained. “They were self-motivating.”
They sent out teams of volunteers, took food into damaged areas and collected necessities, among other things.
Some disaster relief volunteers were deployed to locations by the SBOM during that time.
Shelby Association received money from donations and forwarded it to the SBOM, Richardson said.
Richardson himself spent five days as a chaplain in Tuscaloosa. Some staff members also served in Rainsville, Fultondale, Pratt City and other places.
As for the mission of helping areas to rebuild, Richardson said the churches primarily have responded and the association gave assistance where needed. Richardson has acted as a liaison to connect volunteers and businesses with areas of need and channeled resources when they became available.
This summer a team of 30 Shelby Baptist Builders for Christ will work on reconstructing Mountain View Baptist Church, Phil Campbell, in Franklin Baptist Association. Teams from North Shelby Baptist Church, Birmingham, and Meadow Brook Baptist Church, Birmingham, also will aid in the reconstruction.
While Shelby Association has more than 300 trained disaster relief volunteers, there continues to be a desire among association members to be trained and ready for the next crisis.
As a result, First Baptist Church, Alabaster, and Liberty Baptist Church, Chelsea, have hosted training sessions. At these sessions, Sid Nichols, DOM of Calhoun Baptist Association, which experienced much devastation on April 27, 2011, spoke to Shelby pastors about lessons he has learned.
St. Clair Association
St. Clair Baptist Association endured a double wave of storms on April 27, 2011.
That morning, straight-line winds swept through parts of the county, damaging hundreds of structures in Moody and Pell City.
Ben Chandler, DOM for St. Clair Association, said First Baptist Church, Moody, and First Baptist Church, Pell City, were damaged in that system.
“Then the tornado touched down in the late afternoon and destroyed 12 miles of property in Shoal Creek Valley,” Chandler said. Thirteen people were killed and countless houses were destroyed.
Bethany Missionary Baptist Church, Ashville, and Greensport Baptist Church, Ashville, both sustained heavy damage during that time.
The day’s storm systems left Piney Grove Baptist Church, Ashville, and Oak Grove #2 Baptist Church, Ragland, with injuries as well.
Some of the association’s disaster relief volunteers worked in Moody. Others toiled through the night in Shoal Creek Valley, clearing a path for medical evacuation.
“Many of us were without power or phone and did not know the seriousness of the situation in Shoal Creek until midmorning of [April] 28,” Chandler explained.
Chandler said help arrived fairly quickly from across the state, including from Coosa River Baptist Association.
A command center was established on the property of Bethany Missionary Baptist, while neighboring Greensport Baptist served as a Federal Emergency Management Agency site.
Ashville Middle School and First Baptist Church, Ashville, offered food, shelter and supplies. The SBOM provided funding for feeding volunteers with other donations coming from companies and individuals.
A massive cleaning effort ensued, clearing the way for homes to be rebuilt. Teams from across the nation joined in construction.
St. Clair Association hosted teams from Pinson, Clay, Opelika, South Carolina and Indiana, among other places, Chandler said.
The association has a partnership with Orchard Hills Baptist Church, Novi, Mich., which sent a team to Alabama to assist its partner church during this difficult time.
In addition, Chandler said the association received $70,000–$80,000 in monetary donations from multiple sources.
“That doesn’t count the clothes, blankets, gasoline, etc.” that were given, Chandler said. “We tried to use that money to fill in the gaps for people.”
Extreme Ministries teamed with St. Clair Association to rebuild some homes in the valley and to repair others, Chandler said. The association also worked with Greensport to build a house.
The circumstances that brought the outpouring from so many sources was indeed saddening. However, Chandler said he was struck by the compassion, “the resilience of people and willingness to help others in a crisis” that he witnessed.
“[There was a] unity in the community, a spirit of cooperation as never seen before throughout the county,” he said. “[There was] a greater understanding of the needs of the county [and] a greater love for each other.”
The main thrust of assistance began to wind down in November 2011. However, Chandler said there are still areas of need that are being addressed by local churches.
Sulphur Springs Association
Several communities within the parameters of Sulphur Springs Baptist Association were affected by the April 2011 tornadoes, according to Andy Frazier, who was DOM for Sulphur Springs Association until January 2012. Two lives were lost and many homes were damaged.
Harmony Baptist Church, Empire, received damage from the tornadoes.
The first weekend after the storms, volunteers from Sulphur Springs Association turned out in great number.
Chris Wilson, chairman of the association’s missions committee and pastor of New Temple Baptist Church, Dora, said there almost were not enough places to send all the helpers.
Churches in Sulphur Springs Association — 22 of the 24 churches have bivocational pastors — distributed meals in Argo, Sipsey and Bremen before other relief agencies arrived.
“The first boots on the ground were churches in our association,” Frazier said. “All of the churches in our association were quick to respond to needs.”
Sulphur Springs Association mainly focused its assistance and recovery efforts in the Argo/Sipsey area and Bremen, said Frazier, who now serves as lead pastor of Crosstown Community Church, Sumiton.
Pisgah Baptist Church, Jasper, became a relief station, spearheading efforts in the Argo/Sipsey area. Bobby Sanders, Pisgah Baptist youth director, said members were cutting trees, getting people to safety and putting tarps on roofs, among other things. The Saturday after the storms, more than 200 volunteers came to Sipsey to work.
And out of the church came Restore Sipsey Co-op, a nonprofit entity formed to construct homes for people. It was called a cooperative because it involved different denominations — Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist and Lutheran.
Philadelphia Baptist Church, Jasper, in Walker Baptist Association; New Canaan Baptist Church, Empire, in Sulphur Springs Association; and Abundant Life Church of God, Piney Woods, were among the groups that assisted in providing food for the community.
New Temple Baptist and Bethel Baptist Church, Dora, also served as drop-off points. Many churches in the association offered assistance in this effort.
Shelby Association came to the aid of Sulphur Springs Association, as did a group from Florida, Wilson said.
The sanctuary of Antioch Baptist Church, Bremen, was significantly damaged. Sulphur Springs Association provided assistance through funds and volunteers to help rebuild it, Frazier added.
Share with others: