• Stephanie Chastain

The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock: A Community Rebuilds After Hurricane Helene

Barnardsville, NC - The rock walls of Dillingham Presbyterian Church stand picturesque against the backdrop of the mountains and rivers of remote Buncombe County, North Carolina. In the heart of a community devastated by the flooding and landslides brought by Hurricane Helene, the church remains, a testament to the enduring strength of this rural area.

In 1934, the church’s pastor sought a way to build a new structure for his growing congregation, despite limited funds. He found inspiration in a magazine article about cost-effective church construction and decided to use local resources to minimize expenses. Partnering with an architect who specialized in Medieval Scottish architecture, they drew up plans. The entire church community came together, collecting rocks from nearby creeks and cutting down native American Chestnut trees. Stone by stone, board by board, they helped build their new church home with their own hands.

Ninety years later, the church still stands. While floods swelled the creeks that once provided its stones and landslides destroyed the forests that supplied its beams, the church remained unshaken by Hurricane Helene’s relentless rains.

While the community around Dillingham Presbyterian Church was devastated, with roads washed away and houses displaced by hundreds of yards from their foundations, the church remained a symbol of hope. As the floodwaters receded, the community emerged to rebuild—just as they had built their church decades ago. Neighbors hiked food up into the mountains to those stranded. One church member, who owns a construction company specializing in disaster recovery, reached out to his team for help, only to hear them reply, "We're already on our way!"

The Salvation Army began mobile feeding in the area a week after the storm, and canteen crews quickly witnessed the resilience of this small community. “We are very appreciative of The Salvation Army,” says Pastor Richard Hicks, the current pastor of Dillingham Presbyterian Church. “People ride down from the mountains on their four-wheelers, grab enough food for their whole family, and deliver meals to others in need.”

The strength of this small rural community is a living testament to the power of building on a solid foundation. Like the church that still stands, their community endures. As the rains came down and the floods came up, the foundation of their faith and unity held firm.

Matthew 7:24-27:

"Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock."