Like many congregations affected by Hurricane Helene and its remnants, First Baptist Church of Erwin, Tenn., emerged from the storm determined to do whatever it could to help its battered community.
But even as they jumped headlong into fundraising and relief efforts for the small, rural town located about 70 miles north of Asheville, N.C., the congregation also had to grieve one of its own killed in the flash flooding that devastated portions of six states including East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Bertha Mendoza
Grandmother and church member Bertha Mendoza was one of 11 Impact Plastics plant employees swept away by the surging Nolichucky River the morning of Sept. 27 but was not one of the five later rescued.
“They have suffered a tremendous loss in that family and in that congregation,” said Rick Bennett, field coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Tennessee.
Mendoza, 56, was the mother of Guillermo Mendoza, the minister to students at First Baptist, which is affiliated with CBF. “The community and the church have a significant Hispanic population, so the loss of Mrs. Mendoza has been very painful for everyone there,” Bennett said.
Hurricane Helene killed at least 220 as it raged northward from Florida through Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Asheville and the surrounding region were especially hard-hit, with flooding wiping some smaller communities off the map.
First Baptist Church of Asheville announced on Facebook a week later it would offer Sunday worship Oct. 6, but warned restrooms would be closed because running water remained unavailable: “The closest portable toilets are located across the street at the Buncombe County Family Justice Center.”
But that didn’t keep the congregation from hosting a Convoy of Hope humanitarian aid operation in its parking lot. “We also have charging stations and limited items in the Atrium. Today, Friday, October 4, will also be offering a free hot meal at noon from the Sanctuary parking lot.”
Nearby Mars Hill Baptist Church invited members to participate in muck-out work in downtown Marshall, another hard-hit community in Western North Carolina. “Bring muck boots and a shovel. If you have muck boots that someone else could use, drop those off at 9 a.m.,” the announcement said.
Meanwhile, American Baptist Home Mission Societies announced plans to coordinate its assistance efforts with FEMA, the Red Cross and local agencies and other agencies. North Carolina Baptists on Mission and CBF Disaster Response also are engaged in post-Helene recovery work.
But Erwin has drawn national attention due to destruction and the factory worker deaths that triggered a state investigation into how long the company required employees to remain at work once flooding already had begun.
The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed they are looking into the factors that led to Mendoza and her fellow workers vulnerable to the surging waters.
Rick Bennett
NBC News reported Mendoza made numerous calls to family members as the river began to rise, at first to warn against venturing into the storm. “Then she called my dad and the rest of the time was with my dad, and she, ‘I love you’ and ‘Please tell my children I love them’ and those were her last words,” Guillermo Mendoza said.
There has been plenty of loss to go around in and near Erwin, Bennett added. “First Baptist is in a great situation — high and dry — but our associate chair of deacons completely lost her home. It was close to the river. Another member of the church — another of their incredible lay people — lost their second home on the river.”
Sections of nearby Interstates 26 and 40 also were demolished in the storm, he added. “There’s just a lot of devastation in the community. Everything I saw looked pretty much apocalyptic.”
In other states pummeled by Helene, churches are looking to expand the help they are providing locally and to harder-hit communities elsewhere.
Jennifer McClung Rygg
“Our area was affected by heavy winds which brought down many trees and power lines, leaving almost everyone without power and many roads impassable,” said Jennifer McClung Rygg, pastor of First Baptist Church in Pendleton, S.C.
“A week later, most roads are drivable and many have power restored but some are still waiting. In the meantime, churches and other organizations have rallied to offer resources to our community to begin to collect donations for Western North Carolina.”
And in the Big Bend area of Florida where Helene made landfall Sept. 26, CBF disaster officials are finalizing arrangements to use Friendship Chapel Church of God as a hub for future recovery operations.
“In the heart of the community, this small church overflows with warmth and hospitality, where everyone is welcomed during this time of disaster. Individuals, businesses and organizations are coming together and generously donating essential items to help relieve the devastation,” said Tammy Snyder, coordinator of CBF Florida and Caribbean Islands.
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