Another Outbreak of Tornadoes in Alabama, Another Opportunity to Serve

As many of you have by now seen, my home state of Alabama suffered another devastating outbreak of tornadoes early yesterday morning. We had similar weather here in the Nashville area but thankfully no major damage.

Unfortunately some communities of Alabama are once again picking up the pieces.

The small community of Clay, Ala., is mourning the loss of 16-year old Christina Nicole Heichelbech, a high-school student at Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School. She was thrown from her home in a subdivision which was left in rubble by the storms.

Just down the road, Ken and Kim Horton were trapped in their basement waiting on help to arrive, their house caved in above them. They made it out alive and unharmed thanks to a friend from church who heard about the damage to the subdivision and rushed to their aid.

These are just two of the stories that will be told about this out-of-character wintertime storm. There will be hundreds more. Hundreds of Alabamans have no home today. Hundreds more are temporarily displaced.

But there is help and hope on the ground in Clay, Ala., and the neighboring communities of Center Point, Trussville, Pinson, and Springville. Along with the Alabama State Board of Missions Disaster Relief team, local churches are already mobilizing members and taking donations of water, food, socks, and toiletries.

I'm thankful for local congregations in the area like CrossPoint, Deerfoot Baptist, NorthPark Baptist, Clearbranch United Methodist, Clay Ridge Baptist, FBC Trussville, First UMC Trussville, and others that are serving both their members and neighbors, offering hope of both a home in the future and a home for the future.

Please join me in praying for these churches, their communities, and those impacted by these storms. To help with disaster relief, please contact the Alabama State Board of Missions Disaster Relief Team.