The Church’s Response to Crisis in Newport, Tennessee

The morning of Friday, September 27th unfolded like many others in Appalachia.  As the region braced for the remnants of Hurricane Helene to pass over the area, residents in the rural communities anticipated a storm with high winds and potential power outages lasting a few hours.  However, they were unprepared for a once-in-a-thousand years event: record amounts of rain being dumped on the region, which caused creeks and rivers to swell and several dams to breach.  By early evening, parts of Interstate 40 were washed out, entire towns were underwater or washed away, and people were escaping the floodwaters by climbing to their rooftops.

As the floodwaters continued to rise that Friday afternoon, residents in some areas of Newport and Cocke County received urgent evacuation notices with little to no time to prepare. The pastors and leadership team of the Newport church began reaching out to members of their congregation.  Fortunately, their homes were spared, and none experienced loss of life.  However, Pastor Greg Vassar and his family were soon called into action.  Several neighbors were unable to evacuate their homes in time and found themselves stranded on their roof—six individuals, including a small child.  Pastor Greg was part of rescue efforts that brought those stranded people, along with others, to safety.  Later that evening, he and his family opened their home to displaced neighbors until the floodwaters began to recede the next day.  Throughout the region, there are many stories of ordinary people performing extraordinary acts of kindness.

By Saturday morning, it was clear that Newport, Tennessee, and many other communities had suffered extensive damage.  While the church property and members’ homes remained safe, thousands were without power and everyone was without clean water, with no clear timeline for restoration.  As the days ahead promised many challenges, it became apparent that the immediate need was clean water.  Sisters Maya Wright and Delicia McGill (members of Newport church) launched a campaign to collect cash donations for bottled water.  Within a few short hours, the Assembly’s East Tennessee churches organized a clean water drive to benefit our Newport church family and the surrounding community.  This initial effort provided 5,000 bottles of water, 500 gallons of water, and over 300 sports drinks, all collected, delivered, and unloaded at the Newport church campus in a single day.  The Newport church campus quickly became a hub for recovery. Soon, others, individuals and organizations, began reaching out to Pastor Greg and his team regarding supply deliveries.  Beyond the first clean water drive, the outpouring of love, prayers, monetary donations, and supplies from our Assembly churches was overwhelming.  As water was restored and clean-up efforts began, the community’s needs evolved.  Those needs were relayed to donors, and supply deliveries continued.

Pastor Greg’s team ensured the church family was provided for and promptly opened the church doors for supply distribution to the community.  This supply distribution took on a pivotal role in the relief efforts for Cocke County.  In the early days of recovery, the immediate supply of clean water helped alleviate some of the community’s most pressing needs.  Immediately after the storm, the Newport church staff and members were available on-site almost daily—receiving donations and distributing supplies to those in need.  Through the generosity of Assembly churches, along with other organizations and individuals, hundreds of families have been served through The Church of God of the Union Assembly at Newport.  However, these acts of kindness extend far beyond material assistance.  Through it all, the Newport congregation has continued to shine its light and is determined to remember its mission.  As Pastor Greg says, “We’re privileged and honored to provide humanitarian aid to Newport, but our number one purpose continues to be the saving of the soul.”

The Newport church continues to accept monetary donations and other essential supplies.  Please reach out to the Newport Relief Coordinator, Jesse Ashby (deacon), or Pastor Greg Vassar for a list of needed supplies or to schedule a delivery.