Gardner-Webb Team Answers Call to Help Neighbors in Western North Carolina

Group of Six Works to Rebuild Home for Family That Lost Everything in Hurricane Helene

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Over the years, the Gardner-Webb Office of Christian Life and Service has led student mission teams to serve around the world and other parts of the United States. This year, some of the greatest needs were close to home, just over an hour from campus.

Because of the tremendous work to be done in Western North Carolina, two groups from Gardner-Webb traveled there over spring break to help people rebuilding after Hurricane Helene left its path of destruction in September 2024. Dr. Nicole Waters, dean of the College of Health Sciences and interim provost; and Dr. Candice Rome, professor of nursing, started making plans to go as soon as they saw reports from the aftermath. “After the storm, Dr. Rome and I felt a strong desire to support relief efforts in Western North Carolina—an area we both love and wanted to actively help in its recovery,” Waters emphasized.

Amid the devastation, students and team leaders sought to bring hope and healing. They received so much more for their time and effort, gathering blessings and inspiration from people who were grounded in their faith and determined to persevere.

As an example of the resilient spirt of the people, Dr. Josh Parrott, vice president and university chaplain for Christian Life and Service, shared a story of a husband, 89, and his wife, 81. “The water was 9- to 12-feet high and covered their house,” he related. “When the swift water rescue team got there, the husband was on top of an armoire and his wife was on top of another piece of furniture and the water was up to their necks, so they busted out a little window. Every day the elderly couple was at that site working with the Baptists on Mission. At lunchtime, the group would huddle up with the elderly couple and pray with them. The couple would lead in prayer and in the singing of the Doxology. To stand in that circle with that elderly couple and see them display that level of faith—and even the man whose house we worked on was joyful and trusting Jesus—to see that level of faith through a complete loss—I mean it’s just things I’ve never seen before and to think it’s an hour away; it’s apocalyptic in areas.”

He continued, “The most pressing need now is for volunteers. Houses and lives continue to be rebuilt, and our Tarheel brothers and sisters are going to need the sustained effort of volunteers. Our University has an opportunity to step into these spaces and display love for God and for neighbor (Mark 12:30-31) over the next 5-10 years.”

Parrott joined the team led by Waters and Rome with Chloe Downs, Corinna Pittenger, of Roanoke, Va., and Waters’ son, Ethan. The second 10-member team, led by Associate Minister to the University for Student Ministries Neal Payne, worked with Samaritan’s Purse in Waynesville and Fletcher, N.C.

First Baptist Church in Swannanoa, N.C., was home base for the smaller team. They witnessed widespread destruction, lingering debris, displaced families and realized the immense recovery efforts that will be required for years to come to an area so close to the university community and their personal homes.

The Baptists on Mission have been coordinating relief efforts from that site since October 2024. “Spending the week at First Baptist Swannanoa was a truly humbling experience,” Waters stated. “This church has served as a steadfast presence for the community, opening its doors the very Sunday after the storm and welcoming Baptists on Mission Disaster Relief teams without hesitation. Their ongoing daily sacrifices to host and support these teams reflect a powerful example of Christlike service, offering inspiration to all.”

The four-story church can house between 50-70 volunteers, providing overnight accommodations by allowing the use of their classroom spaces for sleeping and fellowship hall/gym for meals. The Baptists on Mission stationed portable showers near the church for use.

The volunteers were divided into 10 teams, and the Gardner-Webb team was assigned to a home in Marion, N.C., for the week. Waters noted, “It was really heartwarming for us to participate, meet the homeowner, hear their story, and what God is doing in their life.”

She continued, “Marion still has many homes needing repair. There is also environmental devastation still present with debris in trees and bodies of water. A local train track remains unusable due to the land beneath the track being washed away. Businesses and homes on the river experienced significate destruction and many remain waiting repair or demolition. The Baptists on Mission have committed to be in that area for approximately the next 10 years.”

The homeowner they served had lost all the contents in his approximately 1,400 square-foot home, due to flooding from 3 feet of water. During Helene, he was away on business travel and no occupants were there. However, the surrounding homes endured significant flooding and the remaining residents were rescued by a swift water rescue team.

Previous teams had cleaned out the house and worked on replacing new flooring, drywall, basic appliances, doors, etc. to allow the family to return soon. The Gardner-Webb team continued working to get the house ready for move-in.  Pittenger, a double major in communication studies with film emphasis and English, said she learned how to use a nail gun, and they taught her how to install doors. “However, the most important part of the trip was hearing all the stories about those who had been affected, and how God had helped them through Baptists on Mission, the organization we were working with,” she asserted. “It was crazy to see how much damage there still is in the area and how many people are still massively affected. Help is still needed.”

When the last group of volunteers completes a home, the homeowner will receive a Bible that has been signed by every team member who has been there to work on the home from the beginning stages of restoration.

The Gardner-Webb team members had little experience in home repair, but Waters’ son has some expertise in that area. “We looked at him on Monday and said, you are the boss,” she related. “You need to tell us what we are doing. We were able to do flooring. Josh (Parrott) was able to participate in that. We did frames, doors, and windows. Probably in the next three weeks, the homeowner will get his keys to the home.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.