Church of God Partnerships on Display During Disaster Relief
Cleveland, TN—On Easter Sunday night a series of devastating tornadoes swept through North Georgia and southeast Tennessee leaving a trail of death and destruction. Cleveland, Tennessee was not spared the late-night twisters, as 26 homes were destroyed and an equal number badly damaged. Miraculously, the city was spared any deaths.
By Cameron Fisher
The next morning authorities were assessing damages and potential relief needs. In the midst of preparation for relief was Men and Women of Action and Operation Compassion, two independent agencies with roots in the Church of God that have stellar reputations globally in disaster relief situations.
By Tuesday morning, after state and local officials had swept the disaster zone, MWOA was running a Command Center where affected residents could acquire food, blankets, cleaning supplies, tarps, and other critical items. The initial items to outfit the command center came from Operation Compassion, stocking the center until local donations began pouring in.
Also deploying that day were six members of God’s Pit Crew of Danville, Va., another partner agency with the Church of God. GPC Director Randy Johnson and MWOA Director Phil Thompson were in contact within hours of the disaster and agreed on a response plan. GPC arrived with a semi-truck stocked with chainsaws, skip loaders, and other equipment to hit the ground running on Tuesday morning.
Phil Thompson, center, assists a crew from International Offices in unloading disaster relief supplies (click photo to enlarge)
By Wednesday, word had spread further of the need for volunteers, donations, and funds to assist with recovery. At the main Cleveland warehouse of MWOA, a truck from the International Offices arrived with three members of the Operations Team who assisted in unloading pallets of bottled water and other supplies that had been previously donated by Operation Compassion. Before the end of the day, those pallets of water, along with surplus items donated at the Command Center, had made their way in an MWOA trailer to The Crossing Church of God in Chattanooga, where the church had plans to distribute the items to affected residents less than one mile from the church.
On Wednesday morning, David Ray, director of Church of God Publications, walked over to the MWOA warehouse, where he presented a $1,000 check for disaster relief to Thompson. Ray also offered any of the parking areas of the Publishing House for staging or parking of equipment. The warehouse is located behind Pathway Press, on property recently sold to MWOA for future expansion.
Phil Thompson, right, accepts a check from Director of Church of God Publications David Ray (click photo to enlarge)
In a further partnership between MWOA and GPC, a mobile unit was set up adjacent to the Command Center where displaced residents, as well as volunteers working around the clock, were welcomed to shower in a six-stall shower trailer. GPC had donated the trailer to MWOA and by Thursday morning the unit was operational through a free connection to a fire hydrant made possible by Cleveland Utilities.
Among Church of God leaders stepping in was Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks, an ordained bishop and member of the Department of Communications. Brooks, a former state representative, utilized his myriad of connections with state and local officials to cut red tape and mitigate potential delays in relief. He was contacted mid-week by state and federal level government leaders who desired to tour the devastation. On Thursday, April 16, a delegation included U.S. Congressman Chuck Fleishmann and State of Tennessee Commissioner Hodgen Mainda of the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. Also in the group was General Overseer Tim Hill and Mayor Brooks. The group toured the epicenter of the tornado.
Among the heaviest damaged structures was an independent church, which at one time was the Crowder Chapel sponsored by the North Cleveland Church of God. While touring the church, Pastor Hicks described the story of the storm, as some members sought shelter in the basement of the damaged structure. He recounted that the former Crowder Chapel had been used as a storm shelter in this community for many years.
General Overseer Tim Hill, left, joins Mayor Kevin Brooks accompany state and federal officials to the disaster site (click photo to enlarge)
General Overseer Hill inquired about the extensive damage and asked if the church had insurance to cover the damage. Pastor Hicks regretfully stated that the church insurance policy was not active, and thus not insured. Dr. Hill then asked the entire delegation, including state and federal officials, if he could lead the group in a word of prayer. After the prayer, a spontaneous moment of giving began with Hill and Congressman Fleischmann giving gifts immediately to Pastor Hicks.
“This is truly the ‘City with Spirit’ at work in this community,” Mayor Brooks stated. “Spontaneous giving to help immediate needs is occurring here at this church, and all across the devastated community of East Cleveland. I am thankful for our Church and for our city, working together to help those in need.”
–Cameron Fisher is Coordinator of Communications for the Church of God.
