Serving The Relief Efforts In Tennessee, USA

An update from Zach Varnell, Pastor at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville, Tennessee…

I’m sure many of you saw the devastation in Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina in late September after Hurricane Helene hit the mountains.  

In our area, hurricanes are not generally considered cause for concern or something to prepare for, but after 11 inches of rain in the weeks leading up to Helene’s landfall and an additional 10 inches of rain once the hurricane hit, some rivers rose as much as 30 feet above their banks. To make matters worse, the terrain of these mountains and watersheds exacerbated the speed and volume of water flow, wreaking terrible destruction. For the people living in these communities, there was simply no way to have been prepared. 

As we began to comprehend the extent of the damage in the immediate aftermath of the storm, we, like so many others in the area, were eager to play a part and serve in whatever way we could.

As a church, we have funds set aside for situations such as this, to care for our community. Hurricane Helene, however, was an unprecedented undertaking. When we emailed the church and communicated our desire to serve, thousands of dollars poured in. Dozens of people volunteered to go shopping for supplies, filling our church office with water, canned goods, diapers, formula, medication, fuel, clothing, and so much more.

Our first trip was to Unicoi County High School in Erwin, Tennessee. This is the same town where many of you may have seen the images of helicopters evacuating people from the roof of their flooded hospital. When we arrived at the high school, we were overwhelmed to see hundreds of volunteers gathered, working nonstop to organize and distribute vital supplies to surrounding areas. There was even an Army helicopter who would land at the high school for supplies and then air lift them to harder to reach areas.

Initially, we thought that this would be our only trip because we had exhausted our funds. But in God’s kindness, more money came in, including funds from Sovereign Grace Churches, and we were able to resupply and go back the very next day, this time to Bakersville, North Carolina.

We had heard through connections that Bakersville was an area in need and hadn’t received much help. Part of the difficulty early on was learning where to go, who could handle the supplies that were coming in, and what exactly they needed. Despite the confusion, God provided local contacts in this hard-hit area through members of our church.

Along with other things, we delivered 11 generators that day. We didn’t even have time to unload at the local church, which had been set up as an emergency aid station. The people were so excited to receive these supplies that they were unloaded directly from our truck, into the vehicles of the people waiting, and went straight to their homes.

Since that day, even more supplies have come in and more trips have been made. We were able to help a neighborhood near Asheville that had mostly been cut off due to road conditions. A local Knoxville farmer gave us three trailer loads of hay to take to a man who had lost his farm but not his cattle. We also learned of a pastor who lost everything, including his home and vehicles, and were able to give him and his wife a check to help them rebuild. All of this has been the grace and providence of God. I believe we’ve been able to help in a small way, and it has encouraged our local church.

The need in these areas is hard to grasp, and relief efforts remain a massive task. But what has so clearly stood out in all of this is the Church – God’s people transformed by God’s grace and eager to demonstrate God’s love. One person told us explicitly that all the help they had received had been from churches. There have been many individuals and volunteers for sure, but the body of Christ has been impossible to miss. People are going to churches for help, and churches are leading the way in bringing hope and the gospel to those in need. What a joy to be a part! All glory to Christ.