Assistant Vice President of Christian Life and Director of Campus Ministries James Hanson and a group of students spent three days aiding disaster relief efforts for the Saluda Baptist Association in Henderson County, North Carolina. “Before we even got an official response organized, the student BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries) leaders here on campus were walking out door-to-door to help,” Rev. Hanson said. “In some ways, I felt like I was scrambling and organizing things that were already happening organically. Our student leaders were ready and willing to help.”
Rev. Hanson specifically remembers a local couple—German immigrants who’d moved to the Anderson area. After BCM students cleaned up their yard, the elderly couple welcomed them into their home and shared bread and drinks. “We weren’t professionals, but we wanted to do what we could to help.”
And help they did. Keep in mind, these were among just a handful of students who chose to stay on campus without electricity, reliable Internet or even the ability to wash their own clothing. So, in the days and weeks following the storm, members of the AU community sent letters and emails to campus leaders expressing their gratitude.
“For a good number of our students, their first response to the disaster was to look outward. When they did, they saw a lot of need,” Rev. Hanson said. “They were not afraid to get dirty, but instead dug in to do very selfless work.”
That was also the experience of a group of dozens of students and members of AU faculty and staff who left Upstate South Carolina and ventured into the heart of the disaster: Western North Carolina. Among the hardest hit areas, communities such as Chimney Rock, Hendersonville and Asheville faced not just inconveniences, but damage to their very way of life.
“It was such a blessing to serve with these students in the midst of such devastation. Upon completing the work and before leaving each home, we were privileged to pray with the residents and share the love of Christ with them,” Dr. Jessup said.
Dr. Jessup led a team of approximately 10 students on a disaster relief mission trip to Hendersonville, North Carolina over fall break, partnering with North Carolina Baptists on Mission.
“This mission trip was an amazing opportunity to see the Body of Christ come together as our team from AU served alongside people who had travelled from as far away as New Jersey as well as people who call Hendersonville home,” he said.
For her part, Woodford put together a team of students, faculty and staff and, partnering with Samaritan’s Purse, helped with the cleanup of devastated neighborhoods in the Asheville area.
Even weeks after the storm, Woodford said her email inbox was full of messages from students wanting to help. “I was so encouraged by the eagerness of our students to serve,” she said. “It was my job to be a bridge-builder and be intentional about plugging them in. I didn’t have to encourage them to serve; they did it out of internal desire. And, of course, that’s Christ in them. They were already in this posture of ‘we want to use our time, talent and treasure to give to those in need.’ It was pure joy to witness.”