Baptists on Mission

eeting was recently held at the new Baptists on Mission Rebuild Center in Spruce Pine to thank volunteers and others who helped with the Tropical Storm Helene recovery efforts and to dedicate the building, which supporters hope will continue its recovery mission for as long as needed.

The building, formerly the Deyton Elementary School, was purchased in November 2024 for more than $775,000 and can accommodate up to 200 volunteers, said Richard Brunson, director of Baptists on Mission.

The facility provides separate male and female bedrooms with bunk beds and bathrooms with showers. It also includes a laundry room, first aid room, kitchen, and dining hall.   

Baptists on Mission, which was founded in 1977 under the name North Carolina Baptist Men, is a Christian organization affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. Its purpose is to glorify God by involving churches and Christians in meeting human needs in Jesus’ name.

The organization engages in various ministries, including disaster response, medical/dental services, and mission camps. Their vision is for every Christian to see themselves as a missionary, sharing Christ’s love through their actions.

“Baptists on Mission has been doing this national relief for more than 40 years,” Brunson said. “Right after Helene hit, we had large feeding units and hubs. There were 16 different recovery sites in Western North Carolina ... and almost 500,000 hot meals were provided.”

During the recovery period, volunteers came from Alaska, Puerto Rico, Kenya, and all over the United States.

“People have come to labor, they’ve come to worship, and they’ve come to show us that God has not forgotten us,” said Linda Pitman, the rebuild center’s site coordinator.

BOM has set up rebuild centers in Boone, Burnsville, Flat Rock, Black Mountain/Swannanoa, and Spruce Pine, and each unit relies on volunteers.

“We need the community to buy into what is going on here with their volunteering and financial support,” State Rebuild Coordinator Richard Weeks explained. “That’s the way these places can thrive and continue to help this community for years and years to come.”

It took three to four months for BOM to complete 5,000 recovery projects that included serving food, providing showers, chainsaws, and other necessities during Tropical Storm Helene; however, restoring homes eventually became a priority.

Since the immediate needs have been met, Brunson said that they are now “focused on housing, almost exclusively.”

Funding for BOM’s projects comes primarily from churches, individual donations, organizations like The Golden Leaf Foundation, the State Employees Credit Union, and grants, which include a $3 million grant from the State to buy building materials. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, however, has not been one of its direct funding sources, Brunson said.

Stephanie McCellen, a teacher at Mitchell High School, lives in Avery County with her husband Shane, the special affairs captain at the Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution, and their daughter, Alli, 17. After the storm, the inside of their home was under about 8 feet of water and had to be completely gutted.

By the second week in October, a BOM group from Martin County, which is located in northeast North Carolina, about 100 miles from the Outer Banks, showed up at their house to do the initial “haul out,” Stephanie said.

They removed everything wet and then reinstalled the studs, insulation, flooring, sheetrock, baseboards, and crown molding, sprayed for mold, and replaced their wood-burning stove with a split system, which provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

“They were amazing. They were always in communication with the homeowner and made sure that the homeowner was very involved in all of the decision-making,” Stephanie stated.

While Stephanie was impressed with the skill level of the workers, she was even more impressed with how they supported them emotionally during the clean-out.

She is especially grateful for team leader Randy Mobley who was always there to offer support and a kind word.

“He would come over every once in a while and ask — ‘You okay?’ He knew that this was hard on us and people like that, I will never forget,” she added.

It took a little over nine months to complete the restoration, and Stephanie and her family appreciate all that BOM has done. “I’m truly grateful for the impact Baptist Mission has had on my family,” she said.

Sharon Decker, who is the Senior Advisor to Josh Stein on Long Term Recovery for WNC, spoke about the importance of collaboration.

“The work of this first year has happened because of public entities like the government, schools, and other public institutions in your community,” Decker affirmed. “Non-profits like Baptist on Mission, Samaritans Purse, other non-profits in your community, housing authorities, all those organizations are working together. That’s what it takes to recover.”

BOM has had a long relationship with Mitchell County and appreciates the willingness of those living here to help out in times of need.

“We feel so blessed and honored to be in Mitchell County,” Brunson emphasized. And they value “all of the volunteers that come out of Mitchell County, who are part of Baptists on Mission and have been for many years. People like Dale Duncan, Robert Stroup, and Eddie and Martha Williams.”

And Stephanie emphasized that the BOM Rebuild Center in Spruce Pine is “tangible evidence to the community that people are not going to be forgotten. If you had damage from Helene to your home, these people are here for the long haul, and that, along with the building materials they brought, also brings a lot of hope.”

For more information and to tour the center, Spruce Pine Rebuild will be hosting an open house at the former Deyton Elementary School, 308 Harris St., Spruce Pine, on Oct. 15, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Hot dogs will be served. All community residents are invited.

For help with their damaged homes, residents can stop by the Center to speak with someone about their needs. A driver’s license is required. Some of the work they provide includes replacing/repairing roofs, sheet rocking, spraying insulation, flooring, and other repairs. The center does not repair rentals, businesses, or second homes.