A conduit for flood relief: Calvary Baptist Church has distributed almost $250K – Midland Daily News

Calvary Baptist Church has distributed almost $250,000in donations

By Dan Chalk, Midland Daily News

Calvary Baptist Church members have volunteered many hours in the flood relief effort since May, and the church has generated and distributed $250,000 in donations for flood survivors. (Photo provided/David Warren)

Calvary Baptist Church members have volunteered many hours in the flood relief effort since May, and the church has generated and distributed $250,000 in donations for flood survivors. (Photo provided/David

Calvary Baptist Church members have volunteered many hours in the flood relief effort since May, and the church has generated and distributed $250,000 in donations for flood survivors. (Photo provided/David Warren)

Calvary Baptist Church members have volunteered many hours in the flood relief effort since May, and the church has generated and distributed $250,000 in donations for flood survivors. (Photo provided/David

A conduit for flood relief: Calvary Baptist Church has distributed almost $250K

The devastating flooding after the mid-Michigan dam failures in May literally came to the doorstep of Calvary Baptist Church, which has since mobilized volunteers and generated a quarter of a million dollars in donations for flood survivors in the surrounding area.

"The water came up to our doorstep," said Pastor David Warren, who is also the secondary principal at Calvary Baptist Academy.

The church members instinctively reached out to help the 25 or so families in their own congregation whose homes had been flooded, and then began to address the overwhelming needs of the community at large.

"When the flood first happened, our church got involved very quickly in our community," Warren explained. "We organized (work) teams to go and help people clean out their homes.

"Our parking lot was used as a staging area," he continued. "We had multiple teams that would go into a home, disinfect it, and deliver fans and dehumidifiers. It was an overwhelming task more work than we could ever do (as one church). Many other churches were doing the same thing."

That's where groups like Samaritan's Purse became invaluable. The Christian humanitarian aid organization sent volunteers and resources to Midland County for a six-week period in the summer, and they operated out of the Calvary Baptist Church parking lot.

With the help of Midland Chemical Company, which is owned by Warren's father, Samaritan's Purse worked on close to 400 Midland County homes to eliminate any mold buildup as a result of the flooding.

"The volunteers with Samaritan's Purse saved (homeowners) thousands of dollars," said Pastor Mark Dickerson, another Calvary Baptist member who has been active in flood relief efforts. "On average, they saved people probably $8,000 per home, and some homes much more than that. Their goal, when they walked out of a house, was that it was contractor-ready."

One of the next steps was the installation of new drywall, and Dickerson said the group Disaster Relief at Work (DRAW) partnered with seven churches in Midland to deliver thousands of sheets of drywall to Midland and Gladwin counties.

"That was a huge blessing," Dickerson said.

Calvary Baptist Church was able to get discounts on some building supplies for flooded homes.

"God provided a lot of support coming into our church, so we tried to just turn around and pour it right back into the community," Dickerson said.

Meanwhile, churches, businesses and individuals throughout the country were seeking to help flood survivors monetarily, and Calvary Baptist Church established a fund to channel that generosity to where it was needed.

"We posted it through our church Facebook page. never expecting (the fund) to grow to 250,000 dollars," Warren said. "It's been a huge blessing to see people from literally all over the country organizations and churches that wanted to be part of the giving."

Almost all of the $250,000 has been distributed to between 400 and 500 flood survivors who applied to the church for help, Warren said, and what remains continues to be distributed.

The fund, which has no overhead costs, is still accepting donations. It is at cbcmidland.org under the "giving" link.

Collecting refreshments for health care workers

Calvary Baptist Church is also currently collecting nonperishable, prepackaged snack foods and bottled water to be delivered to front-line health care workers to encourage them during the difficulty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Donations of such items can be dropped off at the church office at 6100 Perrine Road through early next week.

"This can be a reminder that we're out here supporting (the health care workers) even if we can't be there (at the hospital) in person," Warren said.

"Being a hospital, they prefer healthier snacks, but I'm sure that whatever is brought, they'll appreciate it," he said lightheartedly.

"The message is, 'We're behind you, we support you, we haven't forgotten you, we're praying for you," Warren added. "This is a small gesture to a (health care) community that's working extra hard right now on our behalf."

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A conduit for flood relief: Calvary Baptist Church has distributed almost $250K - Midland Daily News