Our family has spent considerable time in the Smoky Mountains. My wife and I honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, almost six decades ago. For years, our family vacationed in the region. I’ve taken golf trips to Waynesville and Maggie Valley in North Carolina and have often spoken at The Cove in Asheville. I know the area and some of the people who live there fairly well.
News of the recent havoc from Hurricane Helene was heartbreaking for me to hear. Who would have ever guessed that the most devastation and death from a storm that initially hit the Gulf Coast would take place in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee? But when as much as 20 inches of rain fell in just a few days, it was more than the winding creeks and canyon rivers could hold. Mudslides and flash floods created a sudden disaster, leaving over 200 dead and hundreds with little left except the clothes on their backs. This weekend, many good families are mourning the loss of life and property. We grieve with them.
But here’s some encouragement: In times of crisis, Christians are the first and best responders.
Two days after the disaster, a buddy texted me: “I asked a friend who runs a disaster relief mission in Appalachia if the rumors about the lack of help from our government/FEMA to those affected in Tennessee and North Carolina were true. His reply? ‘It doesn’t matter. The churches are already there on the ground.’ Powerful!”
I was greatly heartened by that text. While the government has offered to give $750 to families directly impacted, the First Christian Church in Mountain City, Tennessee, is already feeding 800 people a day and providing food for dozens who desperately need it. And that’s just one church among many responding with thousands of dollars to assist those hurting the most.
As is often the case, it’s difficult for those displaced to find a hotel room because FEMA officials are occupying the hotels. Ronnie Hensen, a member of First Christian in Mountain City, reported that 30 people are now living and sleeping in their church building. Thousands of cases of water and basic supplies are pouring in from church people around the country. Government assistance gets the most press, but time and time again, it’s the church of Jesus Christ that meets needs the quickest and most efficiently.
My son Rusty echoed those sentiments two years ago when his community, Port Charlotte, Florida, received a direct hit from Hurricane Ian. The first people there? IDES—International Disaster Emergency Service, which, according to their website, “exists to meet the physical and spiritual needs of suffering people throughout the world in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Rusty said that while government assistance was slow and bureaucratic, IDES was there the next day! They were much more helpful and efficient. They sent a new volunteer crew to Port Charlotte every week and stayed with them for over a year, helping people clean up debris, replace roofs, and rebuild homes—all while promoting the local church. IDES was the first to arrive and the last to leave. Christian people, many of them retired construction workers, volunteered their various skills and equipment to give a helping hand to those in need.
The Bible says, “… there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:25-27). When a church leader has a moral failure, the body of Christ gets more than its share of negative press. But this is an occasion to rejoice and take rightful pride in the body of Christ genuinely caring for those who hurt.
If the Lord lays it on your heart to assist those in the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, I suggest you donate to IDES, the most trustworthy and efficient relief agency I know. IDES is a Christian-based disaster response team and is currently on the ground responding to Hurricane Helene. At this moment, they are setting up a base in Elizabethton, Tennessee, with the First Christian Church.
Here’s the basic information from the IDES website:
“Volunteer efforts in Tennessee will begin Monday, October 7th. Volunteers are needed to help with the initial cleanup, tarping roofs, and responding to other emergency needs. If you are interested in volunteering with these efforts in FL or TN, click the button below. You can also email volunteer@ides.org for any questions.
“As with every disaster, financial support will help us with our response. You can donate at the button below. Also, please continue to pray for all those affected and the first responders. 100% of your donation will help us with our Hurricane Response. If you wish to write a check, they can be made out to IDES with Hurricane Response in the memo line and sent to IDES 355 Park 32 West Drive, Noblesville, IN 46062.”
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).
