By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
Jason Womack has issued a challenge to area churches – instead of holding normally scheduled activities on Wednesday, join him and his congregation at Goldonna Baptist Church as they become the church to those affected by recent record flooding.
Like so many other churches in the state, Goldonna has altered business as usual for a little while to minister to its members and others from the community affected by flooding throughout Louisiana. Instead of holding its usual Sunday night service, Goldonna members traveled to flooded areas and passed out food items, bottled water and other essential items.
“Our plan for Wednesday is to team up with any area churches and individuals who desire to be the Church and deliver more food, water and other items,” Womack said. “The office of Homeland Security delivered two pallets of M.R.E.s and bottled water for this area. Anyone wanting to be the Church with us is welcome.”
More than two feet of rain has fallen in some areas of the state, leading to flooded homes, impassable roadways and even four deaths. Various organizations such as Samaritan’s Purse and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief both in Louisiana and outside the state have come to help clean up and minister in impacted areas.
First Baptist Church in Haughton is one of five incident command centers for disaster relief efforts set up across the state, focusing on Bossier and Webster parishes. Assessment teams are going door-to-door of those home affected by the flooding and mud out crews were expected to begin work today, according to Gevan Spinney, pastor of First Baptist Haughton.
The church is offering 20-minute training sessions for anyone interested in helping with clean-up efforts, every day at 7 a.m. and noon through Saturday inside its Family Life Center. Training also is scheduled for Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Temple Baptist Church in Ruston.
Members of his church have ventured into the community since the flooding, filling sandbags and helping move furniture from inside homes.
Spinney, who also serves as Louisiana Baptist Convention president, said the way the community has come together through the situation is inspiring.
“What is amazing is people are coming from all different states to help us,” Spinney said. “This is an opportunity for us to share the love of Jesus. While this is a horrible thing, it gives us a chance as the Church to share Jesus in a practical loving way.”
Not far from First Baptist Haughton, Koran Baptist Church, since last Friday, has been steadily tearing out carpet from inside flooded homes to get residents back into their houses throughout rural areas of that community, according to Lane Moore, Director of Missions for the Northwest Baptist Association.
“We’re pressing forward and glad the sun is shining,” Moore said. “Right now mobilization of churches is key as we prepare to respond.”
Another church in the association, Bellaire Baptist Church in Bossier City, is serving as a base of operations for Samaritan’s Purse, which has sent in teams to help with clean-up efforts.
Samaritan’s Purse has tractor-trailers stocked with heavy-duty tarps, generators and other tools and some volunteers have begun working, according to a press release from the organization.
“Please join me in praying especially for all those who have lost so much to the flood waters and for our teams who will be there working to help over the next few weeks,” Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham said via his Facebook page on March 13.
Members of Bonita Road Baptist Church in Bastrop help a fellow church member clean up her damaged home, following flooding in Morehouse Parish.
Leaonda Palmer, director of Eastwood Child Care Center, located at Eastwood Baptist Church in Haughton, said a family in their center lost most of their possessions due to the flood. The daycare and church were able to collect uniforms, money, furniture, gift cards, shoes and other essential items for the family.
Palmer said every year the child care center and church hold a shoe drive in February, collecting 224 pairs of shoes. They had planned on taking the shoes to the Hub ministry in Shreveport but instead donated the shoes to area schools, as well as allowing families to come pick some up at the child care center.
“It was really good timing,” Palmer said. “We decided it was the right thing to do. Those who have received the shoes have been so appreciative and shared their stories. As a child care center, we stress this is a ministry and this is a way to show God’s love to the community.”
Further east, members of Mangham Baptist Church have filled 1,200 sandbags and helped evacuate and feed individuals. The church temporarily served as an evacuation staging center on Sunday and could serve in that same capacity again if needed.
Pastor Rick Aultman said the entire community, including churches from other denominations, have joined Mangham Baptist Church to serve those in need.
“I reminded our church last Sunday that when we are the hands and feet of Jesus, we are becoming the church,” he said. “Our entire community has embraced this opportunity to help others. We’re ready if called on again.”
Flooded homes, churches
Several associations reported damage to pastors’ homes.
Barry Joyner, director of missions for Concord-Union Baptist Association, said two pastors in his association had water come into their homes.
Jeff May, pastor of Culbertson Baptist Church in Farmerville, had several feet of water in his Bastrop home and is staying with his family at this time. Rubin Weaver, pastor of Anitoch Baptist Church in Farmerville, also had several feet of water in his home in the town and is staying in the church parsonage.
At Washington Baptist Association, the parsonage at Enon Baptist Church where Pastor Chris Wheeler along with the home of Pastor Chad Jenkins of Monroe Baptist Church, Bogalusa, both received heavy damage from the flooding.
Darryl Woolery, the pastor of Tammany Hills Baptist Church in Covington and the blue hat of a feeding unit in Northshore Baptist Association, had water damage to his home but is not displaced. However, because of the high water surrounding his home, he is unable to get out at the moment.
A number of churches also received water inside their facilities.
One Life Church in Prairieville is currently flooded. Located along the Amite River, the church hopes to start cleaning inside its building on Wednesday. The church is planning on worshiping Sunday under an oak tree in a dry area on the campus.
“We want to link up arm in arm with our extended family at other churches and love our community well,” said a post on the church’s Facebook page. “We think this should be of utmost importance as we move forward. Our communities need to know we care about them. Only when we have done this well, will we move to our next step.”
Bracing for disaster
While certain areas of the state began flooding last week, no churches in Carey Baptist Association have received water inside their facilities. However, Carey Baptist Association Director of Missions Bruce Baker believes some could flood as early as Wednesday as the Sabine River is steadily rising.
First Baptist Church in Starks and Crossroads Church in Vinton are both staging areas for disaster relief operations, but could each receive floodwaters. Current projections are one to three feet inside Crossroads Church and Baker believes First Baptist Starks may also receive water inside its building as well.
“It’s a little surreal standing in the building at Crossroads knowing it could have two feet of water in it by tomorrow night,” said Baker. “There’s not a thing you can do. You can’t hold back the water. It’s a long, slow wait.”
A shower unit from Texas Baptist Men are stationed at First Baptist Church in Starks.
But he also applauds how the community has come together during this crisis. As long as Crossroads Church stays dry, it continues to host several area churches who are feeding first responders, national guardsmen and various law enforcement personnel.
Those churches include Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles, Maplewood First Baptist Church, First Baptist Church in Lake Charles, First Baptist Church in Carlyss, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Lake Charles and Houston River Baptist Church in Sulphur.
“When we talk about doing ministry cooperatively, this is about as good example as you can get,” Baker said.
To give to Disaster Reliefs operations, go to the Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief website.
