Little did anyone truly know that the pulse points of vicinage could be touched and found in the most restorative ways by what was and still is being demonstrated by churches.
Crisis (especially to the level of “biblical devastation” witnessed and experienced here in Western North Carolina) has a unique way of proving the fortitude of a people.
When the dust settled and the waters began to recede and things shifted from rescue to recovery immediate needs became blatantly obvious. Many lost everything. A call went out for help. And that call was answered first by those closest then by those from miles away and then by those States away and the donations began to pour in. First by the car loads, then by the trailer loads, then by the truck loads.
It’s one thing to load up cases of water and cans of food and paper products and diapers and formula. It’s a whole other thing to receive, store and distribute these to those in need. And in any kind of efficient, get-it-in-the-hands-of-the-people kind of way.
Churches already had the buildings and the resources and the people (seemingly on call and ready to help) to be the “base camps” for donations to be received and distributed right into the heart of the communities that needed them the most.
It just kind of happened. Like this “system” was already in place and waiting to be called up out of a “ready reserve” of people as a reinforcement for shattered communities.
And at no point did I witness or experience any kind of congregational positioning. It didn’t matter what religious affiliation to which any of these churches were previously aligned. Because everyone suddenly found themselves surrounded by and affected by the same common denominator. Everyone suddenly became human first and foremost with the exact same basic needs like water and food and shelter.
It was nothing short of magical to watch unfold!
And now, in each community and town and city in Western North Carolina there are dozens and dozens of churches still actively involved as distribution points for the tons and tons of supplies that have been sent here by your communities...many of your towns being hundreds of miles away. And in some cases some of your churches served as receiving points for your donations which were then transported here to the churches in our communities.
I think it’s important for those who donated to this very worthy cause to know first hand that, in my experience, no one was turned away. Rather...when you walked into one of these distribution sites you were met with smiling faces that said, please take what you need. No questions asked.
I could go on and on about what a soul-fulfilling, needs meeting, heart-felt exchange that the giving and receiving segment and that essentially Helene brought to our doorsteps. Literally.
Unquestionably this disaster has pushed us back towards one another again. In ways I don’t think we ever imagined could be possible. Let’s not forget what living from this common denominator feels like.
I want to offer my gratitude to those who turned towards this and leaned in.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart! To the churches, to the pastors, to the congregants, to the complete strangers that volunteered at these churches, to the women, to the men, to the young, to the elderly, to the human...who found their humanness. Thank you!
#WNCstrong
Photo Credit: blog.campingworld.com
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