As you well know, yesterday our county was hit by storms that impacted many people from our community, as well as people in our church. My own barn and home were damaged in the storm.
Probably the most striking sign of the severity of the weather was in the damage done to Mintonye Elementary School and Southwestern Middle School. Estimates say it will take 6-12 months to repair them so they can be used again.
In the wake of this difficulty, Dr. Scott Hanback, Superintendent of Tippecanoe School Corporation, reached out to First Assembly Community Ministries to see if we would be open to allowing the schools to use our building. After consultation with his team and with our church board, we have decided to collaborate with them.
This will mean that more than 500 pre-K-6 students will be welcomed into our church during the next 6-12 months on school days. Such an effort will require patience, focus, determination and flexibility on the part of our staff, ministries, volunteers and congregation.
In the coming days, TSC will be delivering materials, furnishings, and equipment to prepare for the transition.
I believe this is a path that God has opened for us. We have been praying for a few years now around our mission stated in our Strategic Ministry Plan, to create a community where waves of people are transformed by the love of God, and God is sending us waves of people to serve.
This is our chance to serve and give of ourselves and of the resources God has blessed us with to help our community in a concrete way and to display the rich grace of God that has come to us in Jesus Christ.
Here are two ways you can help now in the aftermath of the storms:
- If you’re interested in volunteering in helping with the transition in the coming days and weeks, please feel free to send an email by clicking here.
- If you’d like to give funds to help those who are connected to First Assembly and are experiencing hardship because of loss of property from the storms, click here and make sure to designate your gift as “Storm Benevolence”.