It is a wonderful thing to have your life all mapped out. Of that I was convinced as a young thirty-ish woman, wife, and mom. For a number of years we had worked for and established a wonderful, stable, solid lifestyle. We were raising our three young children in a stable home, my husband, Scott, had a great job in a growing family business, and we were flourishing in a great established church which my parents and my sisters’ families all attended. We were growing as Christians, and our children were being raised in a prospering and solid community of believers. I was so thankful to God for the stability in our family life and in our faith. All was settled and resolved in our lives. We were putting down roots, and we were thankful. Other people could come and go, but we were going to be part of the local community and church for the rest of our lives. We had healthy kids, and we had everything figured out. It was great.

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Seth Norris is the pastor at Perkinsville Church and Fire Chief for the Deep Gap Fire Department. Through these roles he has had a unique opportunity to watch the church’s and community response Hurricane Helene. In this interview with Ben he shares the role of the Church in disaster and what makes them stand out in disaster efforts.

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Wesley Smith, Missions Director for the Three Forks Baptist Association, discusses the response he has seen in our community and churches from Hurricane Helene in this interview. He shares how despite many challenges, there has been a strong unity among churches to serve each other and the community. He has been encouraged by the Lord's provision and faithfulness through this time of disaster and destruction. 

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My father moved us to Pennsylvia when I was in pre-K, and I grew up in PA. We never went to church as a family. My mother was saved, and, while my father was a good man, he was not saved until he was 84 years old. Because Mom didn’t drive, she and us kids went to church on church vans. Dad would take us to church sometimes but would sit in the car. At 15, I was saved. I was excited when I was first saved, but, in the years following my salvation, I was in and out of church. Our aunts and uncles lived here and we would visit for a few days every couple of years. I always wanted to live in North Carolina, so after I graduated from high school, I moved down here. It was the 60s, and I couldn’t get a job. Because I came from up North, everyone thought I was going to start a union. I just wanted a job. Finally, Shadowline sewing factory in Boone hired me. Four girls and I shared an apartment and expenses. We had a lot of fun.

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Neither of my parents were believers when I was born. Mom was saved first and Dad soon followed suit. Mom witnessed with her words. When Dad was saved, he clearly became a new man. Their loving witness led me to accept Jesus when I was seven years old. Our new family in Christ began to love and serve Him daily. It was our heart’s desire to do what He would have us do. The Lord allowed me to attend Tennessee Temple University where I graduated with a degree in Bible and speech. But even greater than getting through such a fine Christian school was the fact that I met my wife there. I could fill five pages talking about my wife, Debbie. She is the godliest person I know. Nobody has a clue what having a wife like Debbie means when it comes to being in ministry. Plus, she is smokin’ hot!

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God has had His hand on my life all my life. I grew up in Bedford, New York, and was the eldest of seven children. Christ was always the center of our home.

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My father and mother were young and living in Lenoir, NC when I was born. My mother went into labor while my father was driving her to the hospital. So, I had an unorthodox birth, because I was born in the backseat of my grandmother's car on the way to the hospital at a stoplight. I jokingly say that I have red hair because the red light beamed on my head when I was born.

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I grew up in Maryland and went to a catholic school and mass every Sunday with my family. I knew about God and believed He existed but thought it was more about following a bunch of rules rather than a personal relationship with the Lord. It wasn’t until I was in high school that I started to see the difference between just believing and fully surrendering. I thought for a long time that following Jesus was legalistic but turns out that following Jesus brings fullness of joy!

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When Cline Church began planting Christmas trees through his Beaver Creek High School Future Farmers of America (FFA) program in Fleetwood during the 1970s, he never imagined that one day his farm would be growing the White House Christmas tree. But God had plans for Cline beyond what he could see.

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I am so excited about the stories you are about to read!!! Every one of them accentuates how each person followed Jesus into finding his or her calling and gifting to join with the rest od the Body of Cchrist in spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God to a warld that so desperately needs it!

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My father, when I was born in Mecklenburg County, named me “Mellott” after a French friend of his. My name is different, and I’ve lived a different kind of life than most folks.

After dropping out of school at a young age, I went north to Philly (Philadelphia, PA) to live with some relatives. I was there for six years but found my way back to Charlotte when my father became sick. After he passed away in 1959, I stayed in Charlotte to help my mother who had taken sick while I was in Philly.

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People have always said that the preacher’s kids were the meanest but my brother, Tim, and I knew better.

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I grew up in Greenville, S.C. where my father was Director of Planning and Construction at Furman University. From the Furman campus where I spent my summers working on building and grounds, the mountains of the Blue Ridge were clearly visible. I always looked forward to being in the mountains where I could hunt, fish and hike.

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In my life, three of the greatest lessons I’ve learned about God are that He saves, He promotes, and He heals.

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In December, 2001, I was diagnosed with terminal (inoperable) lymphoma. Numerous x-rays and a PetScan revealed that my entire upper body was inundated with cancer. After much prayer, God intervened, and after the final biopsy, the doctor came out of the operating room in a flabbergasted state saying, “I can’t believe it. It’s not cancer. I guess the tests can be wrong. I just don’t understand.” We praise the Lord daily for this miracle.

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Our story has an unusual beginning. We started in a beauty shop.

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My wife, Cheri, and I have just celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary, and we now have a wonderful family. But, it was not always this way.

After being married a couple of years, we decided to start a family. We tried for many years to have children, but with no results. We went to doctors in Winston-Salem and had all kinds of tests run. We did everything medically that we could to have a baby. During that time, Cheri had six miscarriages and one tubal pregnancy.

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When I became a wife in 1973, I never imagined that my husband and I would find ourselves involved in prison ministry in the years that lay ahead.

In the early 80’s, Avery County had a small prison, which held less than 100 men. My husband, Terry, a member of the Gideons, would visit the prison to hand out Bibles. During that era, it was common for prisons, with less than 100 men, to not have a state chaplain provided. A group of Christians, including Terry and I, began High Country Prison Ministry. The non-profit was able to hire a community-funded part-time chaplain.

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