Photos submitted.
Editor’s note: After two EF4 tornadoes left a wake of destruction the night of March 14, in addition to the Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (ABDR) teams that deployed (see article here), local residents pitched in. The Rocky Bayou Association ABDR chainsaw/flood recovery team has completed about half of the more than 40 chainsaw, tarping, and debris cleanup jobs that assessors discovered in Izard and Sharp counties. The following article by Pastor Jeff Hawkins chronicles how he led his church to love their neighbors during a time of need.
My name is Jeff Hawkins. I have served as pastor of Franklin Baptist Church for the past seven years.
There is a song by the Christian group Casting Crowns that has greatly convicted and challenged me as a pastor. The song is about the church being the body of Christ. It says “…if we are the body, why aren’t His arms reaching? Why aren’t His hands healing? Why aren’t His words teaching? And if we are the body, why aren’t His feet going? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?” That “way” is a person! Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the way. Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
The Franklin area was recently hit hard by an F-4 tornado. While there were serious injuries to some people, it could have been much worse if we had had a greater population. In light of the damage of the tornado there was an urgent need to get help to these people.
The great preacher Bailey Smith said, “I’m afraid that many churches in our nation are simply country clubs with steeples on top.” I don’t want our church to be that way. According to Ephesians 4:11-13, it is one of my main responsibilities as pastor to get the members doing the work of ministry. This past month, with the damage of the tornado we felt that if we have ever needed to be the body of Christ in our community that now was the time.
The needs in our area were pretty substantial. We decided to focus on what we thought we could handle and adopt a few families in one specific area. I’m so grateful to say that our church rose to the challenge to help. Almost all of our regular adult attendees got involved in either debris clean-up, preparing food, distributing meals, collecting supplies, or getting other resources to these families as needed.
The families we have ministered to have been so appreciative and kind. We have made several friends in this process, and we hope that not only have we helped them with their physical needs but that we have encouraged them spiritually. Whether these families ever come to our church or not, we felt called by God to help them. There is no way to explain the joy and strength that God has given us as we try to make a clear and practical difference in our community. I’m sure this will spur us on to do even more.
The thing that brought me the most joy is to see about 12 of our teenagers at different times help with debris clean-up. These youth worked just as hard as the adults. They never complained, they worked steadily. One afternoon I had to tell them we had to go back to the church and it was hard for me to get them to stop working. Even one of our teens cut short his spring break because he wanted to come back and help do more debris clean-up with the other youth.
I know a lot of Christians around our community, state and even nation are praying for these tornado victims in our state. It is God who mobilizes His body to be His hands and His feet. I learned a long time ago to say as Isaiah did “Here am I, send me”. I’m so grateful that our wonderful church family responded, “Here we are, send us.”