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News
Archive - Article 29
"Who Are You People, Operation Compassion?"
1/18/02
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West Virginia
Flood Relief
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"Who are you people, Operation Compassion?" was a question
asked by a representative of the state of West Virginia during the
flood relief of July 2001. The representative who arrived on the
scene to coordinate relief efforts for the victims was astounded
to see that Operation Compassion and the Appalachia Dream Center
staff had already mobilized and organized a massive relief effort.
 On
July 8, 2001, torrential rains saturated the mountains of West Virginia.
As the rains continued throughout the night, creeks and rivers overflowed
into the valleys and hollers of the rural countryside. Houses, mobile
homes, cars and trucks were tossed like children's toys. Trees and
bushes that covered the hillsides were swept away like kindling,
leaving massive destruction in its wake. No one could adequately
describe the scope of this disaster. Scores of families had nothing
left. No cars, houses or personal belongings. Everything was lost!
 By
early on July 9th, Pastor Mike Hartwell of the Vunderville Church
of God and Coordinator of Appalachia Dream Center for Operation
Compassion, began mobilizing efforts to bring relief to the suffering
people of West Virginia. Pastor Hartwell partnered with six West
Virginia Churches of God - Princeton, Vunderville, Logan, Northfork
and MacArthur - and utilized the resources of Operation Compassion.
David Lorency, International Director of Operation Compassion and
his staff began shipping semi-trucks loaded with cleaning supplies,
bottled water, mattresses, clothes, food and blankets.
 For
the next four weeks, Operation Compassion and the Appalachia Dream
Center delivered sixteen semi-trucks, housed numerous teams from
Men/Women of Action and over two hundred volunteers. One Men/Women
of Action team remodeled one of the damaged fellowship halls and
replaced their heating and air conditioning system. Over five thousand
families and thirteen Churches of God and parsonages, damaged in
the flooding, were supplied emergency relief.
 Along
with Pastor Hartwell and David Lorency, David M. Griffis, Administrative
Bishop for the West Virginia Churches of God was instrumental in
the relief process. Before the floodwaters could recede, Bishop
Griffis mobilized a committee of ministers to survey the damage
and immediately allocated and released emergency funds. Feed the
Children also responded to the disaster by providing the cleaning
supplies. Donors from all over the country started sending in funds
to support the relief effort. However, there was one anonymous donor
that provided funds to cover the difference between the insurance
coverage and the actual loss so that every Church of God and parsonage
was restored to pre-flood condition.
 Six
months later, some of the worst flooding in the history of West
Virginia is mostly a memory. In reflecting upon this disaster, Pastor
Hartwell said, "The flooding and subsequent relief effort was
a breath-taking and life-changing experience. I'll never be the
same!" David Lorency remarked, "Never, in the history
of the Church of God, has the church responded so completely."
The question posed by the state representative, "Who are you
people, Operation Compassion?" was not answered in words but
in deeds, the deeds of every man, woman, child, church and pastor
that responded to the call for help.
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