Nearly everything inside the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Edgecombe County was destroyed by 4 feet of flood water. When it came time to clean up, there was no shortage of helping hands.
"We just accomplished a great deal because of the help," says church member Gail Jackson. "We couldn't have done it ourselves."
That help came in the form of money and members from the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh. The effort is part of a new initiative calledChurch2Church.
The goal of the project is to get damaged churches, synagogues and mosques open and holding services as soon as possible.
"Some of the great things we learned from the folks here was their sense of hope and their realization that is a building, but it's not the church. The people who gather together are the church," says Rev. Bob Sawyer of the Church of the Good Shepherd.
Tipper Gore came to view the Church2Church initiative's first big success. She says it all comes down to neighbors helping neighbors.
"The government can never, ever, replace love, the warm embrace, somebody helping to clean the water and the mud from a church sanctuary," says Gore.
One of the few items to survive the flooding was a 34-year-old bible found dry and intact on the pulpit.
If you are interested in joining the Church2Church initiative call(888) 595-1459.
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