Local churches rally to help Flint water crisis

The Rev. Jace Cox saw a special on the news about a parent and child who were unable to bathe in the city water in Flint, Mich.

Having three small boys himself, one of whom he had just bathed, the sadness of this example struck him, and he was determined to help the people of Flint.

“All lives matter, but when you think about little babies, you have to do something,” he said.

Working from the Liberty Praise Center in Sanford, where he is pastor, he reached out to his friend, the Rev. Rodney Coleman of First Baptist Church in Chapel Hill, to collaborate in sending clean water to Flint.

A friend of Coleman’s had told him about the deteriorating conditions in Flint, and when Cox contacted him about a partnership to donate water he was interested.

“It’s really unifying people,” Coleman said.

“It’s bringing people together.”

So far, First Baptist Church has raised 165 cases of bottled water from more than 30 drop-off sites in the area. People have also donated money in lieu of physical bottles of water to the cause, which has been used to purchase water.

“Less than $70 will buy over 800 bottles,” Cox said.

Ken Davis, a member of First Baptist Church who has worked on the project, said he is surprised yet pleased by the amount of donations they have received.

“We only challenged 20 people (in the congregation) at first, and then it spread,” Davis said.

The donation event will continue until Valentine’s Day, by which time they hope to have received more than 200 to 250 cases of bottled water. They hope other churches in the area will help them raise awareness by reaching out to their members.

“Think of the duplicity. If this is what we’ve raised so far, imagine what we can do,” Davis said, pointing to the cases of water.

But Coleman also stressed that donating water is only a temporary solution, and he’s concerned about what will happen to the people of Flint when the story begins to fade from the public eye.

He said they understand that the infrastructure will have to be repaired in order to improve the crisis and expressed that contamination can happen anywhere.

“There are 15 wells that are contaminated on a street that I can walk to in Sanford,” Cox said.

Still, the donators are hopeful.

They hope to fill a tractor-trailer with the water they receive, and will travel to Flint after the fundraiser ends to distribute the water.

“This is real ministry,” Cox said.

“It’s not about egos but about the work at hand.”

Davis said all kinds of water are needed, from bottles to gallons, and also mentioned a need for sanitary wipes for hand-washing and bathing small children in order to conserve water.

First Baptist Church is accepting in-person donations of water at their location at 106 N. Roberson St. throughout their operational hours, Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. They also encourage people to call to make appointments if these hours are not convenient at (919) 942-2552, or to donate through the Liberty Praise Center on Givelify.com.

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