Update: March 26, 2012

FBC Henryville is transitioning from being the central volunteer headquarters for the disaster relief efforts. Together with other local churches in our association we are working as a part of the effort to bring the gospel, relief, and rebuilding to our area and to the lives impacted by the tornado of March 2nd.

Our local association Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association (SEIBA) led by Ken Albert is taking over the coordination of volunteer teams and supplies to our town and the surrounding communities hurt by the devastation.  If anyone would like to volunteer or would like more information about scheduling a group to come and work, please contact Ken Albert at the new mobilization center at 812-948-8777.

A Word From Toby:

March 12, 2012

The last ten days have been the most trying, pressing, and yet hopeful time for me as pastor of First Baptist Church Henryville. I love my town. I love my church, and I have been crushed by the devastation, loss, and grief that has fallen on so many families when the powerful F-4 tornado slammed through our town on March 2^nd. The damage and destruction have been unimaginable. I have stood and cried with members of my church family who have lost everything. I have listened to countless stories recalling the terror and shock of that Friday afternoon. There have been dark clouds over Henryville, and for so many it seems like those storms haven’t gone away.

Yet these days have also been full of hope. I have seen the community unite together with a commitment to give, share, work, and rebuild everything that the storm tore down. I have seen my church and so many other churches living out the compassionate heart and triumphant message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the midst of the darkness and in the midst of despair the power of God to change lives is clear. The gospel is everything. The gospel is far more powerful than a tornado-filled storm system. That is the anchor of our hope.

We are continuing to engage in efforts to serve, love, and provide for our town and community for the glory of Jesus Christ. As I think back on these last few days there are untold numbers of people that I need to thank. To name names would only leave out so many who have sacrificed, given, taken off work, and put in long hours and tiring days to help in the initial recovery phase. To all of you who have prayed, given, called, and come through our doors and out into our streets I want you to know what a huge blessing you have been to me in my own life and what a tremendous work you have done serving the people of Henryville. I truly cannot thank you enough.

I do want to thank a few groups and organizations especially (and in no particular order). The administration, faculty, and students of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary have gone above and beyond to provide everything we could possibly need. From day one they have poured their love and support into our church and town. The Indiana Baptist Disaster Relief and the North American Mission Board brought and coordinated teams of volunteers to help with the initial days of relief. The Southeastern Indiana Baptist Association led by executive director Ken Albert have worked tirelessly to provide aid not only for my church and town but for the numerous churches and their communities that were impacted by the path of the storm. Numerous restaurants have donated food to provide for the storm victims and the volunteers. Again and again, we have been reinforced and encouraged by people who have given of themselves to help others and to glorify God. I am just one pastor of just one church, but I can never say enough good things or express my gratitude fully.

In the name of Christ,

Toby Jenkins,

Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Henryville

____________________________________________________________________________

Quick update: Here are the specific needs we currently have:

* Tools of any kind
* Mouthwash
* Sugar
* Cotton Balls
* Q-TIps
* Salt & Pepper
* Flour

FRIDAY March 9, 2012:

Join us this afternoon for a special service of hope on the one-week anniversary of the tornado disaster. This service will be held on Friday at 4:30 pm and will include a message from Dr. Russell Moore and other very special guests.

Right now we are in need of monetary donations to begin pumping into the relief  work and long term volunteers to schedule work in the weeks and months to come. If you would like to continue to support the relief efforts, or if you would like to see how you can volunteer to work, please see the contact information at the bottom of this page.

-Cade__________________________________________________

Psalm 46:1 tells us “God is our refuge and our strength, an very present help in trouble.” Our community has been devestated by the tornado, still we turn to God for refuge and strength.

A message from Pastor Toby,

We appreciate everyone’s help up to this point and the resources have been a huge blessing.  We are in the process of scheduling teams who want to come to the Henryville area and serve through FBC Henryville.  Right now the next two weekends are looking good for volunteers, but after that our schedule is open.  So if you are wanting to come out to help serve our community please consider either of the last two weekends in the month, or both weekends.  We are needing teams to sort and organizing at the church, go out into the community to help with clean up, taking supplies from the church to individuals within the community, and sharing the gospel to a hurting community.  We are also looking to partner with teams who can come out more than one time.  This process is going to be an on-going process for quite a while and we will be needing folks for the next several months. Thank you for your prayers, supplies, and support.

-Toby_________________________________________________

MONDAY (March 5th) UPDATES:

We had crews working until 3am to sort and organize supplies in order to begin meeting the needs of those in our community. Throughout the morning and afternoon we had dozens of people from the church serving in various areas of the relief efforts as well as out in the community. Our goal continues to be to meet people’s physical needs and tell them of the hope we have in Jesus to meet our ultimate need. The Lord is faithful.

To that end, here are some more updates and FAQs:

Can FBC Henryville still provide for community needs? YES. We have large supplies of the following:

Various physial needs: water, canned foods, soaps & toiletry items, clothes (of all sizes), toilet paper, cleaning supplies, baby food, dog food, snacks and more.

We will do our best to help you find temporary housing and relief in any way we can.

Can volunteers still help serve? YES, We are seeking volunteers for various projects! Please call us 502-551-5157  (or 812-294-1431) to find out more about what you or your church can do to be a part of the recovery. You can also email us at fbchenryvilleaid@gmail.com give you name- phone number, number of workers, when you can come, and we will get back to you. THANKS

Can we donate directly? YES, We Certainly Need Financial Donation: Checks can be made to FBC Henryville and delivered to the church building or mailed to:

Southern Seminary (attn: Events Office) 2825 Lexington Road , Louisville, Ky 40280. (We are using this offsite location as a temorary secure/convenient location.)      All donations will go entirely to relief efforts.

If you can provide hot and easy meals ready for church and volunteer wokers (please call ahead 502-551-5157 to help us coordinate time meals)

Prayer Request

Email or call us with your prayer request: 502-551-5157  | fbchenryvilleaid@gmail.com

Please pray God will use FBC Henryville to be a gospel witness and that God will use this to bear spiritual fruit in our community.

**Currently, we no longer need these donations: clothes **