BAYFIELD, Colo. (BP) — As southwestern Colorado began to flood a week ago, Vallecito Church Pastor Clark Cothern caught sight of something he terms “both humorous and scary” in television footage of the swollen San Juan River and Vallecito Creek.

“We saw a video of a hot tub floating down the now raging Vallecito Creek-turned-river. I said to Joy, my wife, ‘That’s Ada’s hot tub,’” Cothern told Baptist Press as the area recovers. Vallecito Church member Ada del Motte’s late husband of 64 years, Donald, had built the hot tub when he constructed their cabin and deck 25 years ago.

“Back then there was still a lot of creekbank between the hot tub and creek water. Even though the riverbank appeared sturdy, with lots of heavy boulders adding stability to its bank, this flood event was so powerful that boulders were washed downstream like pebbles,” Cothern said. “Ada lost her deck and the hot tub, but gratefully her cabin wasn’t washed away. That footage of the now famous hot tub has become the face of the flood.”

Vallecito Church, less than a mile from the major flooding, has agreed to serve as a staging area for Colorado Baptist Disaster Relief (CBDR) if the need arises, CBDR Director Dennis Belz told Baptist Press.

“When floods happen, it is difficult to know how much damage actually occurred until you get to and in the property,” Belz said Oct. 20. “This morning I received a call from that area that said that the damage was not as severe as they expected. So with all the volunteers from different organizations, they think (CBDR) teams may not be needed.”

But local officials may utilize CBDR to review recovery work.

“I have been asked to consider sending another team to follow up on the jobs to make sure they were done properly and meet the health standards of the cleanup as not all groups do the detailed cleanup and removal as SBDR (Southern Baptist Disaster Relief) teams do,” Belz said. “We like to make sure that any settling water is removed and remove any drywall and insulation that has gotten wet. We pressure wash and then spray the Shock Wave to kill the mold spores. There is a concern for the health of those we minister to as we bring help, hope and healing to these communities.”

Vallecito Church operates a food bank and is also one of two sites for water distribution, as many homes are without potable water after well systems sustained damage.

Cothern sees a blessing in the tragedy but doesn’t make light of the flooding from the river that rose 12.8 feet above flood stage after rainfall as much as 10 inches. Vallecito Church prayed in September, he said, for God to show them additional ways to share God’s love and the gospel with the community.

“We certainly wouldn’t say that God sent the flood, but since He works all things for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes, we are seeing firsthand how God is mobilizing the body of Christ to serve others during this time of crisis,” Cothern said. “From the very beginning of the flood our congregation, with a variety of spiritual gifts and experiences, began looking for ways to roll up their sleeves and help others.”

With Samaritan’s Purse joining CBDR in recovery efforts, Cothern said his church “knew that God was up to something evangelistic. Every person who receives practical help will also receive the gospel.”

Floodwater damaged 100 homes, based on estimates received as recently as Oct. 18. Local authorities deliberately and in cooperation with property owners demolished two homes perched dangerously on the riverbank to prevent them from breaking loose and causing damage down river.

Vallecito Church member Rick McCune, whose cabin sits next to one of the demolished homes, was able to retain his property, Cothern said, although the demolition has left the cabin without electricity since Oct. 11.

“He lived in a small cabin on the same property as a larger, original home that had to be demolished,” Cothern said. “The bank had eroded under a portion of the larger house, leaving it hanging dangerously over the edge of the fast-flowing water. If it had fallen into the floodwater, it would have been washed downstream and could have done significant damage to the only bridge leading into the flood zone.”

The CBDR flood response would immediately follow volunteers’ response to a massive fire that destroyed the Caribou Village shopping center in Nederland, where CBDR set up its laundry unit and remains today, Belz said.

No lives have been reported lost in the flooding when the area received about a fourth of its annual rainfall, weather forecasters said, in two rounds of deluge Oct. 9-15. Some of Vallecito Church’s 189 members were among more than 350 area residents who were forced to evacuate, but were allowed to return within days.

“Many of our church family members opened their homes to those who needed immediate housing,” Cothern said. “It became clear in just a few hours that the entire community had begun helping neighbors, and our church was part of that whole mix of people.”

Cothern hopes the outreach will make known Christ’s name and His saving grace.

“Visibility has been a real gift. We’re grateful that people in our area can see our church more clearly — not the physical structure that houses the church, but the people who make up the church,” Cothern said. “We’re praying that many in our community will see Jesus much more tangibly, and that they’ll become open to the good news of the hope Jesus offers everyone who will accept it.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)