Flood Relief Updates

After recent flooding, the water has not quite been fully restored at South Greene HS, so services there are canceled for Sun, Oct 6. It looks likely that we will be back to a normal schedule next Sun, Oct 13, as water is almost restored and both Asheville Hwy and Jones Bridge Rd bridges are fully operational!

However, 67% of our campuses are still open for you to join us tomorrow, Sun, Oct 6, at 9a and 10:30a! Both Afton and Greeneville campuses running (mostly) like normal (except that you’ll need to bring your own coffee or water.)

So… For tomorrow, Sun, Oct 6:
No services at SGR campus.
Services at both GVL and AFT only, at 9a and 10:30a.
Bring your own coffee.

See ya tomorrow!

—Scott

Thu, Oct 3
Work crews and donation items needed as relief efforts continue at Longview Ranch. Join the Longview crew at 9:30a or contact Tyson to help out at a house in the city limits.
If you are unable to be "boots on the ground," there are some specific needs the team has requested. If you are able to donate these items, let us know. You can bring them to the Greeneville Campus.

If you are unable to be "boots on the ground," there are some specific needs the team has requested. If you are able to donate these items, let us know. You can bring them to the Greeneville Campus. 

• Fuel for tractor/chainsaws
• Heavy Duty Equipment (bulldozers, skid, steers, excavators)
• N95 masks
• Crowbars (or anything that can be used to tear houses apart) and 
• Lots and lots of heavy duty trash bags
• Lowe's Gift Cards to purchase the items

Wed, Oct 2

We’ve been hearing of so many wonderful ways our people are jumping in to help: donating water, supplies, money, and time, picking up, delivering, and distributing water and supplies, including “ag” water for animals, using their podcast to be a hub of communication and information, providing fabulous drone footage to numerous new outlets, and certainly not to be forgotten, we know of ~100 different FCCers who mucked through mud and debris to help clean up, which also meant for some fruitful gospel conversations and opportunities to pray with those hurting from the flooding! Well done, y’all!

For the past 4 days, we in the Church Office have been contacted by several churches, organizations, and individuals offering donations and relief help! So, in addition to the great work so many FCCers are already doing to be good neighbors, we have been functioning as a go-between for quite a bit of relief supplies and workers.

Crossroads Christian Church, Gray, TN delivered a truckload of supplies (toilet paper, paper towels, paper products, and cleaning supplies) that we were able to give to South Greene High School to help in their donation efforts—enough for over 100 people!

Operation Blessing, Virginia Beach, Virginia delivered an entire semi-truckload of water that was distributed in South Greene—1,200 cases!

New Song Fellowship (a newer church plant in Rogersville, TN) delivered 80 cases of water, and plan to bring us a pallet of water or donations for the next 4 weeks for us to help distribute.

Christ Fellowship, Kingsport, TN and Crossroads Christian Church, Gray, TN sent volunteers to help with relief efforts.

It has been amazing to see the body of Christ pulling together from all over East Tennessee and Virginia to help. We are so thankful to each of you for showing the love of Christ to Greene County!

Mon, Sep 30 – Plans for This Week’s Programming

re:gen & re|engage
Both re:gen and re|engage are canceled this week, due to no water.

Pillar Moderated Plans
This week, instead of our usual Tuesday night gathering, we will be shifting our focus to community service. We’ll meet at Longview Ranch at 9:30a for anyone available to assist in disaster relief efforts. Please refer to the Longview information below for more details on what to bring and how you can help. A van will leave from Church Tuesday at 8:45a if anyone needs transportation. Contact David Bowlin by Tuesday, 8a, so he knows how many are coming on the van.

180 Moderated Plan
Our regular Wednesday night meeting will be replaced with a disaster relief service opportunity. Join us at Longview Ranch at 9:30 a.m. to lend a hand where needed most. Check the Longview information below for more specific details on how you can contribute. A van will leave from the Greeneville Campus Wednesday at 8:45a if anyone needs transportation. Contact Travis Chapman by Wednesday, 8a, so he knows how many are coming on the van.

Work Crews This Week at Longview Ranch – Starting Mon, Sep 30, Longview will be coordinating volunteers work crews at 9:30a to help with disaster relief projects. Volunteers will need to bring their own drinking water, lunch, and snacks. Also be prepared to get very muddy. There is a pond for “cleaning off mud,” but no running water to clean off the mud, capiche? If able, please bring 5 gallon buckets and shovels. Also, if you are able to operate your own chainsaw (safely and without acting like a Middle School boy who might easily endanger yourself and others), please bring it with all needed fuel, oil, and accessories. Each day they will assess the needs for the next day and then announce if the work will continue the next day, might change somehow, be at another location, etc. For more information you may call or text 601-668-0563.

Automotive Repairs for Flood Victims, Law Enforcement, First Responders, etc
Fender’s Garage will be available in the evenings to help ANYONE with URGENT car needs to keep their cars rolling through this challenging time. They will prioritize flood victims, law enforcement, first responders, linemen, etc. They will try to provide service for those affected at little to no cost, as much as they can. However, anyone with an urgent issue can still reach out. They can't take on large repairs, but if they can't repair it easily, they will try to find a safe temporary fix to get you by until things calm down.

Please call and leave a voicemail, text, email, or send a Facebook message any time to confirm availability for that evening. They will respond as they can, so please be patient. They are doing disaster relief during the day. They will adjust as needed, depending on the need. If there is enough need, they will open the shop earlier in the day to try to accommodate. Again, priority will be given to urgent needs, especially those of flood victims, law enforcement, first responders, linemen, etc. Unfortunately, due to the number of folks who would try to take advantage of this, proof of address or professional ID will be required to receive any free or discounted work. Thanks for your understanding.

It would be appreciated if anyone could contribute financially towards these discounted/free repairs. If you have mechanic skills, we would appreciate the help.

303 S Main St, Greeneville, TN, United States, Tennessee
423-657-9704
customerservice@fendersgarage.com

Sewing Blankets for Displaced Victims
If you can sew and would like to contribute in this way, contact Janice Graf. 

Sun, Sep 29 – Our (Emerging) Response & How You Can Help

1 Peter 4:19 says, Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. This morning, in my little “devotional sermonette” on 1 Peter 4:19, I said something like this:


In keeping with how city and county officials have explicitly asked for help in the short term, we are going to love and serve our neighbors. Now, are there other ways that we can help? Maybe in our minds, as if giving money, providing water or food, or offering one’s home if needed is somehow different because it’s less personal or done through the church’s officially sanctioned program. I get it, we as a church have a responsibility to facilitate community help—and we do and have been already in this situation—but I say all this because everything any of us does to help counts as Kingdom work! So please know that all the aforementioned “many dozens” of ways that FCCers are already helping count as ‘the church’s response.’ (Btw, this isn’t  a cop out. It’s just good theology.)

That being said, there are already a few things emerging that “we” as a church have done, some of which you can help with.

• Financial – Help contribute financially. We already know of one FCCer’s house that has been destroyed and there are a number of other such situations where people will need some financial help. We’ve already had a few folks ask about giving through the church, so we’ve set up a fund here that we will be using, for now, to bless and support people in need, for food, water, clothing, temporary housing, and cleaning up debris and damage, and eventually, maybe for bigger and more long-term needs like helping to fix and restore houses, cars, etc. Here’s the link: fccgreene/floodhelp.
• Campus-Specific – Our CPs, especially Bob Radank, South Greene Campus Pastor, have been in contact with city and school officials, and so far, we are helping distribute FEMA/TEMA water arriving today (and sorry, but we probably don’t need more help with this now), but they’ve told us to be at-the-ready for a couple emerging opportunities, so… we will be at-the-ready.
• Housing – We know of at least a couple FCCers’ houses that are available if needed as well as a camp, i.e., Longview Ranch (LVR) can help with temporary housing. So let us know if you know of someone needing shelter (and food. We’ll make sure to help fund that part, too, at an FCCer’s house and/or LVR.)
• Work Crews This Week at Longview Ranch – Starting Mon, Sep 30, Longview will be coordinating volunteers work crews at 9:30a to help with disaster relief projects. Volunteers will need to bring their own drinking water, lunch, and snacks. Also be prepared to get very muddy. There is a pond for “cleaning off mud,” but no running water to clean off the mud, capiche? If able, please bring 5 gallon buckets and shovels. Also, if you are able to operate your own chainsaw (safely and without acting like a Middle School boy who might easily endanger yourself and others), please bring it with all needed fuel, oil, and accessories. Each day they will assess the needs for the next day and then announce if the work will continue the next day, might change somehow, be at another location, etc. For more information you may call or text 601-668-0563.
• Items Needed Today – Here are a number of items that are being collected TODAY at Trinity UMC (across from the McD’s on Tusculum Blvd going into town from the East.)
  • bottled water
  • prepackaged snacks
  • clorox wipes
  • diapers
  • hygiene items
  • batteries
  • pet food

There are a few other emerging ways we may be helping, but this is enough for now, and we’ll letcha know more as we can. For now, just keep praying and loving your neighbor!

—Scott

Saturday, September 28

Church Family,

Because of current circumstances related to flooding, bridges being out, and the need to conserve water, we will only be gathering tomorrow for one, all-church, 45-minute Prayer Service at 10:30a at the Greeneville campus. Here’s what you need to know:

• 10:30a, Greeneville campus only, 45-min Prayer Service (singing, devotional sermonette, prayer). This means no services at either our Afton or South Greene campuses.
• Staff will take care of everything. Volunteers have the day off.
• No communion.
• No nursery or Kids Min.
• No coffee.
• However, yes, we will have gallon jugs of water in the restrooms if nature calls, and the service will be livestreamed.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Let’s unite in prayer for our county, asking God for patience, strength, and peace. We look forward to seeing you there!

More info coming as we know it re how we are already helping, how you can help, how to donate, etc.

Scott Wakefield, Lead Pastor