By: Don Hawkins

Helping people in need comes with the territory for Pastor Mark Raaker, leader of the Coburn United Methodist Church in Zanesville. When heavy rains caused flooding throughout the area the church opened its doors as an emergency evacuation center that shut down after meeting the needs of the Zanesville community. Weeks later, however, the church would open its doors again, this time for residents of Perry County left without homes after the August flooding.

“Whether you’re a member of this congregation, a member of the immediate community or one of God’s people, we’re called to treat people with love and to care for them,” Mark said when discussing how the church had become the new sheltering location for people still in the Perry County shelter weeks after the storms came through. “I made a couple phone calls to the leadership team, sent out an email to everyone and the church agreed to open its doors to those folks to let them come up here and shelter here until they could start getting back up on their feet.”

Recovery had proven difficult in Perry County. With a lack of available housing in the county there were around 30 residents still in the shelter when a move was necessitated. “They’ve been super gracious for being able to stay here, we’ve gotten an opportunity to meet most of them and just hear their stories and talk to them and share that we’re glad that they’re here,” Mark continued.

Beyond the sheltering, Mark and the church also welcome the American Red Cross every two months for blood drives, held in the same area where the shelter set up. Coincidentally, there was a blood drive held in that room days before the shelter move happened. “We’ve got that relationship already,” Mark said of the church’s connection to the Red Cross, “when the water started to roll in and we opened the evacuation center it turned into a good tabletop exercise for the shelter to come.”

As Coburn opened its doors to the folks of Perry County, Mark is hoping the Zanesville community will open its arms to some folks looking to settle in after a stressful month.  “I think it’s an awesome opportunity for Zanesville to embrace folks who are in a difficult time,” Mark said. 

“The church is here for people,” Mark concluded. “that when I was hungry, you fed me when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink… , that kind of inculcates how we're supposed to treat people, even when they're strangers, you know, Jesus loved on people, and so we're called to be the same way.”

You can get more information on Coburn United Methodist Church at this link.

If you want to sign up to be a volunteer like the ones working in the shelter helping those in need you can visit RedCross.org/Volunteer.