It’s been a year since Columbia was devastated with a historic flood. It isn’t that we weren’t warned that the rain was coming, it’s that no one who lived in famously hot Columbia could imagine what that amount of rainfall could do to homes, businesses, and lives.
Just last week I took Waylon to our vet whose offices were completely flooded. I asked our vet if they were excited to be moving back into their old offices and she told me that after months of renovation, they had to give up their old offices. They were deemed uninhabitable even with the repair work that had been done. I’ve talked to families who have spent the last year recovering and restoring home who have now decided they want to try to sell the house, but don’t know what to expect since they know it will be listed as a flood prone house.
I didn’t know it at the time, but my involvement as a pastor in the midst of disaster relief has changed the way I view ministry and changed my call to ministry. The outpouring of support and help from congregations all over the state and indeed the southeast was soul filling and overwhelming. I won’t forget the number of clergy colleagues who contacted me to ask how they could help and the number of friends and family who offered support. It’s the closest I have seen to the kingdom of God being here on earth.
But there was something else that happened. As I did some of the drop offs and deliveries to the nonprofits who requested help, I heard time and time again, “I wish it were always like this,” “Too bad this won’t last,” “If only we had had this two months ago.”
These response opened my ears and my eyes to the ongoing need those who are helping the homeless, those in the midst of crisis, and those who are ostracized every day. Hearing their stories, changed my story. I wanted to partner with those nonprofits and ministries who were doing the hard work of developing and maintaining relationships. I wanted to offer not one time help, but ongoing help to my neighbors in need. ministrieslab is helping us do just that.
Two of our partners, The Cooperative Ministry and Resurrections have requested the following items for distribution to those who are in need this winter.
- women, men, and children’s gently used coats
- women, men, and children’s gently used shoes
- Blankets
- Winter coats
- Winter clothes of all types (shirts/pants) Regarding clothing: 96 % of the need on our site is for men’s sizes L-4XL with emphasis on XL and XXL
- Tennis shoes men
If you would like to help partner with great people who are helping those who are in need day in and day out with these items, please let me know!