Disaster Relief & Recovery

If you are interested in potentially joining a team, fill out the form below or email or text us your name, cell and email address to: info@gracetoday.net or 843-830-2464 #disasterrelief

Team 1: 10/7-10/10, Team leaders Darien G. & Ken D. through NC Baptist Disaster Relief

Team 2: 10/6-10/9 Team leaders, Chris & Amy K. thru Samaritan’s Purse

Team 3: 10/30-11/3 Team leaders, Chris & Amy thru Christ in Action

Team 4: TBD

Team 5: TBD

Samaritan’s Purse - We served with them in October. Create an account to be ready to roll.

Christ in Action - Planning to serve with them in October/November.

SC Baptist Disaster Relief - Awaiting their direction; send in your name, cell and email address to us to be ready. This will likely be chain saw work and dragging limbs. We will go with a team from Summerville Baptist Church.

NC Baptist Disaster Relief - We served with them in October; send in your name, cell and email address to us to be ready.

DriveNC.org — Shows the many roads in NC that are impassible at this time.

Can’t go? Pray and Give.

10.11.24

Family of Grace,

I want to briefly share with you how my week has gone since Monday, when Ken and I left for western NC to help bring relief to those trying to recover from Hurricane Helene’s devastation.

We drove up Monday, got settled, and went out to our first site Tuesday morning. We helped a resident clean out her basement from where water had come in. We had a great team of about 8 people from all over.

After lunch, we headed to our next site which had a large tree down and a basement that had been flooded about 5 feet deep. A big job.

It was about this time that I started to feel numbness in my right jaw, cheek and tongue. My speech slowed a little too which I thought it was odd.

We happened to have a trained medical missionary on our team who I went to pretty. I told him I felt strange. After asking me a few questions, he directed Ken to get me to the ER ASAP.

The rest of the day was tests and being admitted into Pardee Hospital as Wana drove Anita up from Summerville to be with me. I was discharged the next afternoon with meds and orders to see my primary care doctor.

I was diagnosed with having a TIA (some call this a mini-stroke) meaning that I had temporary stroke-like symptoms. My symptoms were very mild and only lasted an hour. But they indicate serious issues in my arteries.

All that to say, I am and have been feeling good and normal, other than those few symptoms I experienced Tuesday.

I share this to let you know that we need your prayers. But also that we’re doing well. We have been well-taken care of by our family and church elders.

We let this information out gradually because we both needed prayer and privacy as we navigated an uncertain future. My prayer is that you will appreciate the tension we tried to manage of letting you know while limiting how many knew before we were prepared to answer questions.

You are free to share this with others for the purpose of prayer, though we ask you to keep it off of social media.

My prayer is that we continue to move forward with our missional mandate still in place: to love God and people by making disciples who make disciples.

Lord willing, Anita and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Grateful for his mercy and family of Grace,

Darien

10.10.24

Pictures from the field here.

10.02.24

To truly help, you need to go where assistance is needed. We are forming teams from Grace to do just that.

First, tell your work supervisor that you want to contribute. A typical trip lasts 3 days on-site, plus travel time. Expect to stay for at least 2 nights. Some trips may be only a day long, while others, especially to the Asheville area, may take longer.

Start packing as if for a camping trip. Even though some places provide food and supplies, you might need to sleep on a church floor or a simple cot. Bring linens, a sleeping bag, toiletries, work clothes, sturdy shoes, gloves, and extra food and water, as supplies vary by location.

Be ready to adjust your schedule, as not all trips will be over the weekend.

10.01.24

Our pastors/elders are working hard to connect with US disaster relief groups we can partner with to help with the recover efforts in North and South Carolina. Stay connected here to learn how you can help.

What you can do right now?

Pray

• Pray for those directly impacted by the devastating affects of Hurricane Helene.

• Pray for the first responders, medical workers, governmental leaders, and disaster relief workers and volunteers as they respond as effectively as possible.

• Pray for local church leaders as they mobilize their church families to be part of the solution in Jesus’ name.

• Pray for us and others outside of harms way for how best to help.

• Pray that funds will flow in to help as well.

Give

• Every agency depends on the generosity of others to fund those working on the ground.

• If your local church is involved, give there as well. Give through GCF now

Go

• We will add links above so you’ll know what your options are as far as giving and going.

• The groups that we’re talking to right now include:

  • Samaritan’s Purse

  • SC Baptist Disaster Relief

  • NC Baptist Disaster Relief

  • Christ in Action

9.28.24

ON BEHALF OF OUR PASTORS/ELDERS, I want to update you on our worship plans for tomorrow.

Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc all over SC this week. Even locally, some are still without power and are dealing with the aftermath. Our prayers go out to them as we stand ready to be the answer to some of those prayers. More to come on that.

In the meantime, we gather tomorrow for worship as is our normal, healthy rhythm.

If there is power, we will run with our normal activities. Note: it is a 5th Sunday. Check your email, app and schedule to double-check what your responsibilities are.

But as of 4:26 pm, there is no power at the building.

If there is still no power in the morning, here’s the plan:

Using a generator, we will rig up minimal lighting and several large fans near open doors to worship in the big room.

Music will be acoustic as we will not attempt to use the sound system. Sit closer to the stage so we can hear each other sing.

We will not attempt any children, preschool or nursery classes as the rooms will be dark and hot.

If we livestream, it will be using an iPhone so it will be of a much lesser quality than what we’re used to.  Still, amazing that we can still do that.

Other than that, we’ll stick to our worship schedule, remaining flexible every step of the way.

You may wonder, “Why are we still meeting if there’s no power?” I’m glad you asked.

In fact, it will be hot and humid as the sun rises in the morning. Expect the room to reach the mid-80’s by the end of the service, unless the fans make a real difference.

It will be dark. We will bring in some portable lights (run off a generator) but it will be almost movie theater dark, other than some light on the stage. We encourage you to bring your camping lanterns and flashlights when you come.

So, why meet when it’s going to be so uncomfortable and inconvenient?

Because He is worthy of our worship, no matter what.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a SACRIFICE of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬ (Emphasis added)

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV

‬‬

Many other churches will likely meet tomorrow that don’t have power. Especially in the upstate. Some will even meet without a roof.

Around the world, Christians will meet without AC, chairs, or even legal permission. Some will even sneak into an abandoned house in the middle of the woods at 2 am to be able to worship freely.

So we will meet, though inconvenient and uncomfortable, and join them in worship-filled with worshipful solidarity for the glory of God and the good of our church family.

We may show up and everything is good to go. That will be great.

But I kind of hope we don’t have power. I hope that we’ll come ready and willing to offer up to God, “A sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess His name.”

What a lesson for our kids to learn in the midst of this self-absorbed generation. What a lesson for me too.

Lord willing, see you tomorrow. Come flexible and ready to worship!

Grace & peace,

Pastor Darien