Although six months have passed since tornadoes ravaged Alabama, many survivors are still in the process of recovery.
Restoring Hope intends to be around as long as that recovery takes. “This is a marathon,” said Rick Ousley, head of communications for the program.
Restoring Hope is not an organization per se; rather it is an organizing structure that matches churches with tornado survivors. The goal is to enable churches in the Greater Birmingham area to meet needs in the communities around them.
The program started with Birmingham Baptist Association (BBA). After BBA sent its first responders into the tornado-ravaged areas, it found that it lacked a system for organizing long-term relief work for the survivors, Executive Director Mike McLemore said.
As he considered how the association could do the needed work, McLemore decided to “think beyond Southern Baptist circles.”
“We sent out a letter of invitation to the leaders of all the faith communities we knew to attend an informational meeting at Shades Mountain Baptist Church (in Vestavia Hills) about how to conduct long-term work,” he said. “About 200 people came from all communities, all denominations.”
Restoring Hope was born from that June meeting. McLemore and others assembled a steering committee that meets weekly to discuss new cases and decide how to distribute funds and resources.
Methodist, Presbyterian and various Baptist and nondenominational churches are helping 70–80 families currently signed up for Restoring Hope assistance.
“Although the bricks and mortar and nails matter, the greater need is a Kingdom need, a spiritual need,” said Saint Green, chairman of the steering committee and minister of children & family development for Grace Life Baptist Church, McCalla. “We wanted … to make this about life restoration.”
In addition to rebuilding teams, the program has spiritual care teams that volunteers can join. These teams are trained to counsel survivors, pray with them and evangelize non-Christians. The teams also coordinate with churches in the survivors’ areas so that the churches can take over leading the people spiritually. And Restoring Hope is hungry for more people to be involved. The program’s website requests skilled and unskilled construction workers, move-in teams, meal providers, volunteers to manage donations and teams to clean houses and neighborhoods.
“We’ve had over 150 churches or organizations indicate interest in being part of the work of Restoring Hope,” Green said. Twelve churches have fully committed to the program. Green expects that more will join as word about Restoring Hope spreads.
For more information, visit www.restoringhopegbc.org or call 205-447-4009.
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