W. Va Case Study

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1. Can you describe the impact the flooding had in W.Va.? Entire communities destroyed? The flooding in W.Va. was horrific. White Sulphur Springs, which is where I was serving and where the Greenbrier Golf Course is located, was a community which was severely shaken up by the recent flooding. While White Sulphur Springs may have been in one of the better locations in terms of economy, thanks to the Greenbrier, it was also one of the locations hit the hardest. The organization of Pastors and other leaders we were working with (West Virginia Voluntary Organization of Active Disasters or W. Va. VOAD) were assessing damages within these areas. What were we doing was going from home to home, business to business to help assess the damages and needs of various individuals. We were making sure they were in contact with FEMA to apply for funding, checking to see what help they would need (Lime, equipment to clean out basements or surrounding their …show more content…
We live in a society which wants to focus on “me” unless I need a group to reach “my goal.” Yet we are reminded, through Jesus’s ministry that is it takes a community of faith to not only build but especially rebuild. Jesus had 12+ disciples and those disciples not only supported each other but would eventually support the communities they would become a part of in sharing the love of Christ. I was seeing that same community of hope and love taking shape in the midst of White Sulphur being rebuilt. One of those hopes which I kept hearing was how the community was helping each other get through this. Neighbors were checking on each other and wanted to know if there was anything they could do, even when they were in worse shape. To me, it showed the power found in community. I see that same power within our congregations when we surround our members and our communities with the same love, hope, and support because we care for each other like