When it’s hurricane season, seaside towns and cities know how to protect their properties and buildings from wind and rain.
The morning after the storm in Christmount
The same can’t be said for inland communities, which is why Hurricanes Helene and Milton were so damaging when they made landfall last year.
“Our churches that are in areas that have been historically hit by hurricanes have done such a good job of preparation,” says Building and Capital Services Advisor Jim Michel, “we have found that after these events, we’re not having to do nearly as much work rebuilding.”
This work comes in the form of Disciples Church Extension Fund (DCEF)’s Building Disaster Response Service. Following a natural disaster, we partner with Week of Compassion to assist church leaders by assessing any immediate challenges, securing damaged facilities, navigating the worlds of insurance claim and construction next steps, and more – at no cost to them or their congregations.
Indeed, Jim only found himself providing this service to one congregation, Bay Point Christian Church in St. Petersburg, FL, that was in an expected hurricane pathway. By far, the bulk of his work was partnering with communities of faith located far from the Atlantic, such as Central Christian Church in Augusta, GA and Christmount in Black Mountain, NC. The damage done to Christmount in particular, including the loss of power, roads, and bridges, was felt far and wide, as the camp serves as the national conference center for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
Christmount gets to work rebuilding
Jim even recruited the help of Senior Director of Services Rev. Richard Williams, who secured an emergency loan to fix water and sewer systems.
Today, both Christmount and Central Christian Church are operational, but with climate change exacerbating natural disasters, DCEF is ready to help any Disciples faith communities that need our ministry’s support in the future.
Has your place of worship been affected by a tornado, hurricane, flood, earthquake, fire, or other natural disaster? If so, then please fill out our Building Disaster Response Service request form to contact our experienced team.