Where is your Zion?
Isaiah 61:3 “As for those who grieve over Zion, God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness. People will call them magnificent, like great towering trees standing for what is right. They stand to the glory of the Eternal who planted them.”
God had a different mission for the RealLife men’s retreat this fall. In the aftermath and devastation from Hurricane Helene in late September, a mountain weekend in western North Carolina was inconceivable. Instead, thirty-five men journeyed to Asheville, not to sit and listen to a speaker in a warm conference center with their Bibles and coffee, but to offer hope and joy to hurricane victims through clearing their yards and streets. The work site was Botany Woods, a tightly knit community, now mud and debris on the banks of the swollen Swannanoa River. These laborers toiled and served the grieved and homeless. In the words of Isaiah, StoneBridge men were sent to give them a beautiful crown instead of ashes, to anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow.
From the utter chaos and ruin left in Helene’s wake, God is bringing glory to himself through the softening of hard hearts, new friendships, and the connections of his people. This weekend for our men was not a one time service project to check off a list, but the genesis of new relationships in Botany Woods with lost souls desperate for basic needs, but more so in need of Jesus. One of these new friendships lies between Jack Faircloth and Tommy Moss of Driftwood Court, but first, the backdrop needs to be laid.
Daniel Ellingburg had been reaching out to Steve Jessen, the PCA’s disaster relief coordinator, and they were discussing the best option for a work site for the RealLife men and were having some difficulties with placement. A last minute call came to Jessen from a PCA elder, Steven Todd at Arden Presbyterian, a homeowner on Driftwood Court in Botany Woods. He asked for the men to come to his home, as there was more than enough work to be done on this ravaged street.
Our men caravaned to Asheville before dawn on Saturday, November 1, with no conception of what lay before them, but they had equipment and a heart to serve. At 8:45, they gathered on Driftwood Court around Jessen and Todd, and they shared necessary background information about Botany Woods. The majority of families on this street were unchurched, and were not interested in hearing about him.
One very amazing connection is worth mentioning; The local elder, Todd, didn’t live on the street permanently, as he had inherited the home from his parents, who moved to Driftwood in the 1980s. His parents had been invited to church through Elliot Barron, father to Philip Barron, a past elder and supported partner of StoneBridge. Certainly, the body of Christ is connected!
Jack Faircloth, along with the other men, began working in groups to clear thirty foot high piles of debris from selected yards. Jack was at the back of his truck putting gas in his chainsaw when Tommy Moss wandered up and started explaining how he had lost everything. His property was not on their assigned list. Jack asked him, “Did you really lose everything? Do you have hope?” He replied that he still had his wife, and that was the most important thing. Jack continued conversing with him, offering encouragement and sharing his faith in God. As evidenced in the conversation, Tommy had no faith. Jack boldly asked, “If we clear your lot, would you promise to go to church?” He gave no answer, but Jack promised to still clear his lot, which was the landing spot for the remnants of his neighbor’s house.
Jack’s son, Andrew, works construction in Charlotte and has access to heavy equipment, and with this in mind, Jack presumptuously asked Tommy to leave his contact information on the seat of his truck and he would see if Andrew and his crew would provide some free labor for the job.
Tommy followed through, Jack called his son, and Andrew was able to secure the approval for this job at cost. The amount was much more than Jack anticipated, but then realized it involved getting burn permits, meals, and lodging for a crew, among many other expenses. For the work to begin, Jack petitioned FEMA and Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Senator, for help but never could get through. Andrew’s crew leader went to Asheville on his own time and was able to get a burn permit quickly! He met the Mosses and spoke with the local fire department as well. The Faircloths are currently asking for donations from friends, as well as from our disaster relief fund. A beautiful relationship has formed between Jack and Tommy. They chat almost daily, and the Faircloths will be visiting Tommy and his wife, Mary, on a regular basis, meeting them in their need and showing Christ’s love to them.
Speaking of Mary, early in the disaster relief efforts, she went to Grassy Branch Baptist Church for some donated supplies. While there, an on site tractor trailer backed into her car, which was already deemed totaled from the storm, though still drivable. She reasoned that even though it was totaled, she could buy it back, that it was just a car. The pastor came out and was so moved by her kindness in the matter, that he asked her to come to church that Sunday and allow them to collect a love offering for the Mosses and let them share their Helene experience. They followed through and attended, though showed no interest in returning at the time.
The Mosses may not have a desire for church, but Grassy Branch continues to reach out to Mary and Tommy to offer assistance, and Jack continues to gently encourage them to go back and visit. Last weekend, he and Christie drove to Asheville to treat them to dinner at Longhorn Steak House, a favorite of theirs. Jack detects a slow change of heart in Tommy, who now seems more excited to attend Grassy Branch. Though he lives on a street and befriends neighbors in alternate lifestyles who are hostile to the Gospel, he is softening to the idea of church and is overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the efforts to help him and Mary. Tommy has agreed for Jack to travel back to Asheville and take him to church.
National news has gotten wind of the Moss Family, featuring them in news clips. Outlets have highlighted their tragedy of losing their son to a rare blood disorder and losing all scraps of his memory in the hurricane. Miraculously, a detective was able to recover some snapshots of him buried in the mud near their home. Tommy was happy about this, but in getting this news, he was more concerned about a missing neighbor, saying “the photos don’t matter, I’m more interested in the life of my neighbor.”
Tommy humbly commented to Jack that he didn’t know why they were getting so much attention, that there were so many others in need. He is aware now that People Magazine wants to do an article about them. Jack affirmed Tommy in how much he valued his family above things and that God was putting his life back together so that he could help the next person.
God had every piece in place for the StoneBridge RealLife men on this exhausting day of work. On Driftwood Court, they were placed in the demolished wake of a hurricane to restore, to love, and care for the hopeless, downtrodden, and lost souls in need of a Savior.
Asheville was their Zion for the day, and these men would say, “God has sent me to give them a beautiful crown in exchange for ashes, To anoint them with gladness instead of sorrow, to wrap them in victory, joy, and praise instead of depression and sadness”
We, StoneBridge, have the honor of serving God’s people in so many capacities, allowing the Holy Spirit to move in their hearts, loving them in their circumstances, and walking in obedience to his commands. Where is your Zion? Consider Jack’s story and boldly step out in faith.
