Local church raises money to help people through disasters

JACKSON, Tenn. — A local church is fundraising in a different way.

“We’re cooking stew and selling it to help support the activities of our team,” said Doc Turner, the director of the Disaster Relief Team at Calvary Baptist Church.

All the money raised will go to pay for their disaster relief mission trips.

“When we get a call out, we need to be able to go, and we don’t want anybody to feel like they can’t go because they might not be able to afford it. So we pay for the gas and the food on the trips, then the church, the support church, takes care of us while we’re there,” he said.

While they are at the disaster site, they clear brush, cut up trees and even build homes.

“So what we were able to do is remove the trees and open up her home so that she was able to get back to her life,” Turner said. “We have team members that have been trained in different disciplines, and we also have equipment set up for flood, for tornado recovery, for fire recovery.”

And, they don’t charge a dime. “A contractor was going to charge her $80,000 to clear her lot so she could rebuild. They did it for free,” Sandy Wood said. She is a team volunteer, and her husband has been on several trips. “It’s a wonderful way to spread the gospel by actions,” she said.

They say the church backs them 100 percent. “The whole purpose is first to tell people of God’s love, and then to help them physically many times before they feel God’s love,” Wood said.

The team works with the Southern Baptist Convention and partners with other area churches. They say they plan on raising several thousand dollars through the stew fundraiser and will do it again.