Gospel Tabernacle keeps Selma grounded: Selma church serves as command center, helps hundreds in need after tornado using BBCF grant

Gospel Tabernacle Church has been at the forefront of storm relief efforts in Selma since just after the clouds dissipated from the EF-2 tornado on Jan. 12. 

And they have been able to help hundreds in Selma thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Black Belt Community Foundation.

Pastor John Grayson says the grant has funded hands-on tornado recovery efforts such as housing, home repairs and community-wide food distributions.

Since right after the storm hit, Gospel Tabernacle on Summerfield Road has used its building as an Emergency Storm Relief Center and a “Hope Hot Line” for individuals to call in for help of any kind. The church also has served as a command center for SBA and FEMA officials to talk in person with those in need.

The Church Storm Relief Center has provided 74 hotel stays for displaced people. They’ve given out personal supplies such as toiletries, tissue, bottled water and nonperishable food items to 62 walkins and donated clothes to 23 families. 

Nine homes have received furniture and household appliances, and materials such as sheetrock and plywood have been supplied for 11 families. So far, 14 homes with minor damages have been repaired, and three families that were displaced after their homes were destroyed have been given a place to stay.

The church has provided 1,300 hot meals to storm victims, and through Son Light Food Center more than 4,000 boxes of groceries have been distributed. The church has also provided travel assistance to four individuals and helped two families relocate out of town. Eleven families have received financial assistance, and 36 families have received help with paying utilities.

“When it comes to helping each other, Selma is known for extending a helping hand, and that’s what we are doing,” Grayson said. 

He thanked the Black Belt Community Foundation for their partnership, which is making all of this possible. 

BBCF raised more than $1 million in tornado relief funds and have given out grants to five nonprofits including Gospel Tabernacle Church to make a difference on the ground helping fill storm damage needs.

BBCF CEO Felecia Lucky says they are committed to aggressively continuing fundraising efforts to be able to help more organizations in their work of storm recovery and rebuilding.

To help as many families as possible, Grayson said they are targeting homes that can be repaired with $1,000 or $2,000 worth of repairs. 

"If that small amount is keeping people or families out of their house because it either rains in the house or there is a problem of mold or mildew,” Grayson said he sends his contractors out to do the repair so the people can move back into their home. 

“We can’t build a house from the ground up, but we can help a lot of people that have small repairs get back in their homes,” Grayson said.

For Gospel Tabernacle Church, Grayson said the only expense is materials because his contractors are doing the work for free. “The contractors told me, ‘Pastor, if you buy the materials and have it on site so we don’t have to run all over town to get it, we’ll do the labor.’ And that’s what they’ve done,” Grayson said. 

The main contractor working for Grayson is Dante Allen, owner of Allen Construction. He’s also using Jesse Johnson with Johnson Painting. 

Grayson said Allen “is a phenomenal young man. I want everyone to support him.” And he added Johnson is painting the houses inside and out “absolutely free.” Some other workers are also giving their time but want to remain anonymous, according to Grayson.

Many people displaced from their homes are staying in area hotels, which Grayson said they are helping pay for with the BBCF grant funds. 

“We are doing hotel/rent assistance,” Grayson said. “We’re helping those people with food, too. We also have a temporarily shelter on Broad Street – The Gathering Place – where some people are staying.” 

But hotels and shelters are temporary solutions, and it makes more sense to repair homes than continuing to pay hotel bills, Grayson said. 

Since Jan. 12, Gospel Tabernacle Emergency Storm Relief Center has provided space for SBA and University of Alabama students to help storm victims fill out insurance claims. Representatives from SBA and FEMA are going into the communities in their church bus to help storm victims fill out forms. The church is open every day for those in need from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers and paid staff are there to serve.

People who need assistance can still apply to Gospel Tabernacle Church to see if they qualify. The first step is to call Pastor Grayson at 334-505-9063 or the church at 334-872-0888. 

“They screen the folks,” Grayson said. “People have to have applied with FEMA and have their FEMA number. We’ll help anybody to a certain extent, but we are really trying to find people with no insurance or who are under insured.” 

Grayson said these folks may not have known where to go for help. 

“These are unmet needs,” Grayson said. “People who may have been overlooked or fallen through the cracks.”

Grayson said, “The tornado was a tragedy here in Selma. Thank God there was no loss of life. There are a lot of people displaced out of their homes right now. But Selma is strong. When trouble and problems come in our city, that’s when Selmians come together.”

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