When people displaced by tornadoes gather what is left of their possessions and begin to rebuild, where do they keep their salvaged belongings?
Westmont Baptist Church, Birmingham, partnered with Pathfinder Mission, a ministry associated with Gateway Baptist Church, Montgomery, to provide the answer to that question: sheds.
Teams from Bethsalem Baptist Church, Billingsley, and Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church gathered with Westmont Baptist volunteers July 16 to assemble 18 of these storage units from prefabricated parts prepared by volunteers at Pathfinder’s headquarters in Eclectic.
Then they delivered them to homeowners in the Pleasant Grove area. That day, only eight or nine homes were scheduled to receive sheds. However, as they delivered them, they encountered others in need.
To qualify, homeowners had to be registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and have proof that they lived on the property before the April 27 tornado.
Many receiving the storage units didn’t believe they were free until volunteers drove away without leaving a bill. The act of kindness opened doors to share the gospel and give Bibles to several unchurched families and individuals.
Brad Eubank, pastor of Bethsalem Baptist, said the experience moved some of the volunteers from his church to tears as they recounted stories from their day. He said ministering to people who had been through so much was an emotional experience for them.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right spot for a church to fit in to minister. … It’s great to find a place to serve in a unique way,” Eubank said.
The unique ministry began in 2005, when Pathfinder began to assist in disaster relief on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina. Volunteers met a woman who had her property cleared and her belongings recovered but needed a place to store them.
The April 27 tornadoes revived a need for the sheds, and the effort evolved into a collaboration of countless individuals.
Charley Elgin, co-founder of Pathfinder, had connections with Westmont and Bethsalem, which had members eager to meet any needs possible. Westmont has worked toward disaster recovery alongside churches such as Pleasant Grove Presbyterian since the tornadoes hit.
Monetary donations from across the country linked more and more people to the ministry. Each shed costs about $300.
While builders were obviously key players in getting the sheds prepared, cooks from Westmont prepared and served meals to them.
“This was a joint effort. Really and truly, I don’t know how many people were involved. This has been a corporate effort of Christians in the Kingdom to put this together,” said C.B. Scott, pastor of Westmont.
For more information, visit www.pathfindermission.org/AlabamaShedsFromGod.html.
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