ROAN MOUNTAIN, Tenn. — Two weeks after Roan Park Baptist Church spent $20,000 from its savings to pave its parking lot, Hurricane Helene’s floodwaters washed it all away.

The small congregation of about 15 members now faces a different future — one funded by a $400,000 grant from Samaritan’s Purse that will help rebuild not just the parking lot, but the entire ministry.

“We’re hoping to rebuild the church and then rebuild the congregation,” said Jerry Moore, a deacon coordinating repair efforts at the church.

The September 2024 flooding left at least a foot of standing water in the church’s sanctuary, Sunday school building and fellowship hall.

Located at the corner of two creeks, the church also lost its bridge and will need extensive retaining wall work.

Insurance covered less than $3,000 of the damage, the Baptist and Reflector reported at the time.

For Tony Williamson, church relations manager for Samaritan’s Purse, Roan Park Baptist’s story exemplifies why church restoration matters so deeply to communities recovering from disaster. Samaritan’s Purse is a Christian international relief organization.

“The local church really is a pillar for hope in the community,” Williamson said. “The community can find hope in the fact that the church’s doors are open, and they see that restoration happens.”

Roan Park’s grant application stood out precisely because of the ironic timing of the parking lot renovations being completed just weeks before Helene struck.

“When you consider the resources that had to come together, the faith that was needed to raise the funds, it’s easy to understand how you can lose hope after something like that,” Williamson said.

“That’s a heartbreaking thing to see happen, and to know that we have the resources to be able to support them and see that restored to maybe be better than it was before — honestly, it’s a no-brainer at that point.”

Church members, assisted by disaster relief teams and volunteers, began tearing out carpet and damaged walls immediately after the flood. The Sunday school building suffered the worst damage, requiring removal of all paneled walls.

Within two weeks, the congregation had cleaned the fellowship hall enough to resume worship services there.

Today, Moore estimates the main church building is 99.9% repaired, the fellowship hall is 95% complete and the Sunday school building is about 90% finished.

Most of the work has been completed by Mennonite volunteers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky and Virginia, along with the Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief team. The church also received appliances and flooring through God’s Warehouse, a ministry of the Nolachucky Baptist Association.

The Samaritan’s Purse grant works like a construction loan that doesn’t need to be repaid. The church can request funds in phases — $30,000 for initial grading work, for example — and Samaritan’s Purse transfers money to their account. For larger expenses exceeding $50,000, the organization pays contractors directly on the church’s behalf.

The grant will fund construction of a new bridge — the church currently uses a temporary one — along with retaining walls and parking lot reconstruction.

Roan Park is one of 59 churches that Samaritan’s Purse is supporting with similar grants across the hurricane-affected region. The organization is actively seeking more churches that need assistance, expanding its search to include Georgia and Florida congregations damaged by Helene.

Despite losing their pastor a few weeks ago, the Roan Park congregation remains committed to rebuilding.

“It’s mainly because we believe 100% in what the Bible says,” Moore said.

The total recovery effort will likely cost around $1 million, far beyond what the small congregation could manage alone.

“When this first happened, I looked at other members and I said, there’s no way we can recover from this,” Moore said. “There’s no way a small congregation could do that without the help of God.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Baptist and Reflector.)