Hurricane Sandy - Osbornville Baptist Responds

Osbornville Baptist Church was significantly involved in helping people to recover their lives after the horrendous Sandy hurricane. It was a strenuous experience for everybody, but we pulled together. Our first involvement as a church was with the Brick Presbyterian Church (also located on Drum Pt Road). Every evening for two full weeks, we served meals to hungry and traumatized people who had lost part, or all, of their homes. The home-cooked meals were delicious, and a real boost for them.

Second, the people of OBC began to collect vast amounts of food, clothing, blankets, toiletries, and other supplies. Our Fellowship Hall was packed almost to the ceiling. People from the community visited us in droves on a daily basis. (The clothes which were left over have since been sent to the Ocean County Hunger Relief Warehouse and Thrift Story in Toms River.)

OBC also extended its hospitality program into the neighborhood. Each day, volunteer-couriers took covered plates of hot, home cooked meals to needy people in their homes.

We also began to serve community people a hot lunch in our Fellowship Hall; in fact, a limited number of people are still gathering at OBC for lunch.

One other item. OBC sponsored a benefit concert of Blue Grass Country Music. Three separate teams of musicians donated their services to the cause. One team came from as far as New York City to perform. The large amount of money raised was given to Sandy-programs for needy people.

Of course many people were responsible for the super effort described above. Some workers came from OBC; some workers came from the Brick community; and some workers came from out-of-state. Yesterday, three ladies from the ABC church in Bethlehem, Penna were sorting clothes in our Fellowship Hall. Also, Rev. Brent Miller and other members of the Baptist Church in Phoenixville paid a second over-night visit yesterday to help people in our community to get their homes back into shape. They were housed in the OBC parsonage.

Shared by Rev. Jim King