Rolling Fork UMC Celebrates Recovery on Anniversary of Tornadoes

4/18/2024

By: Matthew Johnson, Connectional Ministries and Communications Assistant

Rev. Linda Fox and the Rolling Fork UMC congregation take a photo on the church steps.

On Palm Sunday, congregants of Rolling Fork United Methodist Church celebrated the recovery of the church and the community one-year after tornadoes left a trail of major destruction in the area. The Mississippi Delta congregation and Mississippi Conference Disaster Response took an active role in restoring the community after the tragedy. Now celebration is in order as signs of restoration spread across the community.

NOMAD volunteer replaces the final ceiling tile in the restored Rolling Fork UMC family life center.

One year ago, the congregation at Rolling Fork United Methodist Church had service on the steps of the church because of damage to the church structure. This year they are inside celebrating as the final repairs to their family life center are being completed. Rev. Linda Fox is new to the area and became pastor of Rolling Fork UMC January 1. She made sure the theme of Palm Sunday service would highlight how far the church and town have come since the tornadoes.

“I made the theme of service look where we’ve come instead of at the tragedy,” said Fox. “The people of the Delta are very resilient, and I can see that this church and town are coming back better than ever. I’m glad the Lord led me up here to be a part of it.”

Another aspect of the celebration was the hopeful signs of recovery in the city of Rolling Fork and across the Mississippi Delta. After receiving clearance from officials, after the tornadoes, Mississippi Disaster Response United Methodist Committee on Relief, UMCOR, volunteer teams helped clear debris and tarp houses. Now, Mississippi Disaster Response is helping rebuild homes for disaster survivors. Rolling Fork UMC allowed their church to be used as a headquarters for Mississippi Disaster Response volunteers and social workers so that aid could get to survivors quickly.

Mississippi Conference disaster volunteer coordinator, Chris Adams, right.

“They allowed us to use their fellowship hall as a resting place for the recovery teams and housed our case managers,” said Chris Adams, Mississippi Conference disaster volunteer coordinator. “We are grateful that Rolling Fork UMC opened their church to us so that we can accomplish our main goal of recovering the community.”

One year after devastating tornadoes, Rolling Fork UMC and its community is indeed recovering. Mississippi Disaster Response is reporting that 16 new construction projects are underway that will put people in new homes. While the recovery process will continue for some time, Palm Sunday was a time for Rolling Fork UMC to celebrate how God was with them before, during and after the storm. Click here to find more information on being a disaster response volunteer or contact Chris Adams at cadams@mississippi-umc.org.