Made By History: The Role Of The Church Part 2

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- As Black History Month comes to a close, we conclude our Made By History series where we started, the church.

After Saturday’s destructive tornado in Columbus, there were church groups on the ground within hours to help those affected.

One of them is Missionary Union Baptist Church, a historic African-American church near one of the hard-hit communities.

“The church is a place of resource,” said pastor Tony Montgomery. “Yes, we can pray for people, but when you talk about meeting needs, it should be meeting the spiritual and the physical needs for people. It’s not just about giving them a scripture. It’s about giving them some food, providing shelter.”

Many people find hope in the church, and it’s that hope that many residents are now clinging to after having their homes and other belongings damaged after an EF-3 tornado made landfall.

Instead of serving people from the pulpit on Sunday, Montgomery and his church were out in the community serving those who were effected by the twister.

“We did have a brief worship service on Sunday morning, but my cook was cooking the whole time and servers were getting things ready, so at 12 o’clock noon we were ready to feed,” the pastor said.

Missionary Union Baptist Church has fed close to a thousand people this week alone.

The longtime pastor said in dark times like these, the church serves as a beacon of light, rallying the community together, and encouraging everyone to keep their faith in the midst of the storm.

“For us it’s to make sure that this community is made whole again,” Montgomery expressed. “Yes, this community may not have the resources of some other communities, but they are people, they’re God’s people. We want to make sure that the city, FEMA, MEMA, the governor, they do with they are suppose to do.”

All week long, other churches and pastors have also answered the call to service by giving back to a community that’s lost so much.

Showing that not even a destructive tornado, or demolished homes, or a damaged community can stop them from continuing to do the Lord’s work.

“This is our community,” said Pastor Willie McCord, whose church, Church of Christ, has also assisted those impacted by the storm. “We serve here. We work here. We worship here. We wanted to do it for this community to let them know we’re not just somebody who invites them to church, but somebody who serves them when they have needs.”

“They’re not victims, they are survivors, but if we don’t do what we’re supposed to do, we’ll make them victims, and that’s the problem,” Montgomery explained. “The church’s position in this is to do the work of God but to be the voice if we have to of people who are hurting.”

Pastor Montgomery said his church will continue to serve meals and keep their boots on the ground assisting everyone who’s been impacted by the storm.