(EDITOR’S NOTE – Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer. “Was it just a couple of people that wanted to stir up trouble … or is it something that could be happening on a broader scale later? There’s a lot of opinions, a lot of personal feelings about it. “I think people are trying to still figure out why somebody would do something like that, or what were they thinking,” Beam said. Many are trying to figure out why the attack occurred. That’s just not going to change how we love people here.” We live in a crazy, stupid world sometimes and people make bad choices. “There’s a frustration part of it,” Rowland said. Perpetrators shot equipment at two substations, heavily damaging the power grid. Local authorities have described the attack on the power grid as targeted, but a motive has not been determined. “The situations may change, but the response and the message are the same.” “We do what we do because we want people to be served and hear the gospel,” Beam said. While the situation in Moore County is different, the reason for serving is not, Beam said. Baptists are related to natural disasters. Most of the responses that Beam helps coordinate for N.C. Baptists will continue to serve in the county “as long as we’re needed.” 6, the company reported, projecting to restore power to all customers by Dec. Just lots of people coming in just looking where a quiet place where they can get a little peace.”Ībout 73 percent of Duke Energy customers in Moore County were still without power Dec. “We’ve had good conversations with some of our neighbors. “God was gracious to bring power back on to allow us to be able to minister to our greater community,” he said. For each of the 36,000 customer addresses still without power, Duke Energy estimates two and a half residents are served. The church is on the edge of a community where power has been restored. There are half a dozen folks in our fellowship hall right now, who are using our fellowship hall for their office and getting some work done.” “We’ve had a steady stream of folks last night and all day today who’ve come in. If you need to come in and charge a phone, use our Wi-Fi, grab a hotdog, you’re welcome here,’” Rowland said. “Last night we cooked 300 or 400 hotdogs and just put it out on social media. Pinehurst is delivering meals to elderly members of the community who aren’t able to pick up food from distribution points. “They’re ready for their electricity to come back on, but they seem to be helping each other out.” “Right now, people seem to be in good spirits, the best they can,” Beam said. Hundreds are utilizing the services at both locations, Beam said, with many also accessing a warming station at Pinehurst. “And some congregations at least put the information out to their people to say, here’s where we’re going to worship today.” “Those few churches in Moore County that had electricity and even those on some bordering counties, I know that they invited those congregations to come worship with them,” Beam said. Twenty-four hours ago we put all this together. “We’ve just got some extension cords and power strips coming off of the generator that’s running the shower/laundry unit, that people can charge their phones as well. “First Baptist Aberdeen has no electricity,” Beam said. Public schools and many businesses are closed. Most of the 30 or so churches in the Sandhills Baptist Association serving Moore County are without electricity, but many set up generators and offered free hotdogs and hamburgers after the outage, Beam said. 7, for distribution at three pickup locations in cooperation with the American Red Cross, Beam said. 6, and plan to prepare 3,000 more on Wednesday, Dec. North Carolina Baptist volunteers prepared 3,000 hot meals on Tuesday, Dec. 7 at First Baptist Church of Southern Pines. “It’s been a steady stream of people all day at both locations,” Beam told the Biblical Recorder.īeam said additional shower and laundry units will begin operating on Dec. A second relief center is operating from First Baptist Church of Aberdeen, despite the lack of electricity there. The church, where power was restored Sunday night, is hosting one of two Baptist State Convention of North Carolina Disaster Relief stations with feeding, shower and laundry units, said Tom Beam, disaster relief coordinator with N.C. “We had a great morning of fellowship with doughnuts and coffee and sausage biscuits. They’re going to family’s, borrowing generators to get refrigerators running.” About 150 attended the Sunday worship, he said, compared to an average attendance of 300. As many as 75 percent of First Pinehurst’s membership remained without electricity Dec.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |