North Carolina pastor details ‘slow and painful’ healing from Helene

January 6, 2025

The pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in rural western North Carolina says that residents of the storm-ravaged area continue to struggle, months after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

The Christian Post reports that Pastor Todd Royal has been using the painful aftermath of the storm, which tore through the region in late September, to minister to those who are hurting.

Royal’s church is located in Buncombe County which took a direct hit from the storm which wiped entire communities off the map.

Royal said that roughly 100 homes were lost in the community of Fairview which is the same area where 11 members of the same family perished in a mudslide that followed the flooding.

Royal told the Christian Post, “We’re ministering to people who lost everything,” and that, “people are hurting immensely from the devastation and loss.”

The pastor added, “So in terms of the healing process, it’s going to take years for many people. And of course, there’s where the church steps up to try to be a source of love and pointing people to the Lord, because in Him we know that they’ll find what they need.”

Royal characterized the tragedy as a special opportunity for him and his fellow Christians to minister to their neighbors who were harmed by the storm.

Fairview Baptist Church is the second oldest church in Buncombe County and was founded in 1806.

Photo: top, Credit: Courtesy of Restoration Church of Wytheville