NEWPORT — East Tennessee Baptist Association leaders are still at work in Cocke County helping residents recover from Hurricane Helene which devastated much of the county in September of 2024.
The help goes beyond meeting the physical needs, said Mike Hensley, director of missions for the association. It includes meeting mental needs and sharing the love of Jesus Christ, he added.
The association is actively involved with the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and Appalachia Service Project in helping people return to their homes nearly 17 months after the hurricane left its damage.
Hensley, however, is discovering that not everyone wants to return to those homes. “We are seeing people who are dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” Hensley said. “There were actually people who did not want to return to their homes once they were flooded.”
Hensley observed that some residents sold their property and moved to other places. He added that some residents have had trouble coping with the loss of special keepsakes and photos that cannot be replaced.
“We’ve tried to be very sensitive to that and to be good listeners,” he said. “In a time like this, the ministry of presence is important,” the DOM stressed.
When they are unable to help residents cope, Hensley refers them to a professional Christian counselor.
“We are trying to help people realize that restoration is possible. We keep pointing them to Jesus. God is working in Cocke County.”
Hensley said the association is continuing to work with other organizations in building new homes. “We have helped about 70 families, four churches and one ministry (Bread Basket Ministry) which was formerly housed in Riverview Baptist Church in Newport and had to be relocated,” he said.
Hensley expressed appreciation to the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board and all the churches, both locally and across the nation, who have traveled to Cocke County to help residents recover from the flooding.
“We’ve had help from Michigan to Louisiana and from North Carolina to Texas,” Hensley said.
Local residents have taken notice of who responded to their needs. “We have found people willing to listen to the gospel,” he said. “They are very appreciative of what the churches have done. “God has done a great work here through His people and His churches. He really has.” B&R
