By REBEKAH RAY

rlr017@latech.edu

 

Rolling Hills Ministry, founded 20 years ago, was envisioned to be a ministry that operated in state parks in North Louisiana, providing day camps for kids and non-denominational worship services. Then a tornado hit Louisiana in the ‘90s.

Rolling Hills Director David Abernathy said that was the turning point when the ministry started to develop into what it is today.

“We realized there were not enough disaster relief volunteers, so we asked if Rolling Hills could become the Louisiana Baptists’ coordinating agency for disaster relief,” Abernathy said. “We found our own equipment, in the late 1990s. It was a small kitchen. It could feed about two to three thousand meals a day.”

Today, Rolling Hills Ministry, located four miles north of Interstate 20 at 3487 U.S. Highway 33 in Ruston, owns a much larger unit that has upped the ministry’s feeding capacity from 3,000 to 25,000 meals a day.

Disaster relief programs are now separated into regional and state-level programs. Rolling Hills no longer coordinates the entire state’s relief efforts for Louisiana Baptists, but they are the largest regional center for disaster relief in the state.

At the moment, Abernathy is working in and around Springfield, Mo. Abernathy said he was called in by the national director of the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board as part of NAMB’s Incident Command Team to help establish a command center for disaster relief efforts.

Abernathy said volunteers have been pouring into the Missouri and Oklahoma area from all over the United States to help bring relief in the areas that were hit the hardest by the severe ice storms that occurred at the beginning part of last week.

“Right now we’re working in about six or seven cities in Missouri,” Abernathy said. “Of course, we’re covering more area than that, but we’re situated in those cities.”

Volunteers are already set up feeding meals and working with chainsaws to free cars and homes of trees that broke and fell under the weight of the ice.

“We also have trailers that are actually shower units,” Abernathy said.

States, associations or different parts of associations own these units that are hooked up to water on-site, Abernathy said.

“In fact, we’re fixing to put one down not far from [Springfield],” Abernathy said. “If everything goes well we’re going to pull it into a car wash, hook it up to the water, and the townspeople will have a place to come and take a shower.”

Abernathy said the trailer is divided into men’s and women’s showers and one trailer can hold eight to ten showers. 

“The larger shower units may also include a washer and dryer aboard, to allow people to wash clothes,” Abernathy said.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Rolling Hills was involved mainly in food preparation, with their feeding unit.

“We prepared 226,000 meals on that unit,” Abernathy said. “All of this is done by volunteers.”

Rolling Hills has a list of disaster relief volunteers, about 500 to 700 people over the age of 18 who have been trained in Rolling Hills’ different methods of disaster relief.

Chris Albritton, a senior forestry major, works at Rolling Hills. He said Temple Baptist Church will host training sessions for people who would like to be on the Rolling Hills list of certified relief volunteers, April 28.

“You can come to that and sign up to train for feeding units, chainsaw units, and other sections,” Albritton said.  

He also said those who attend the conference will receive instruction for about five hours.

Albritton said at the end of that meeting, participants will sign some papers, and after a few weeks those who signed up will receive a small packet of information that certifies the volunteer for disaster relief.

“We keep a file of those names here at Rolling Hills, too, so that we know who to call when the time comes,” Albritton said.

He and Abernathy both encourage Tech students to come out and volunteer time at Rolling Hills.

“We can put you to work doing just about anything,” Albritton said.

Often student volunteers are put to work in the thrift store sorting clothes, placing items out for sale or loading supplies into vehicles, Albritton said.

Abernathy said students should realize they are welcome not only to come and volunteer at Rolling Hills, but to come out and shop at the thrift store as well.

“The thrift store out here is not just for the needy,” Abernathy said. “We have bargain-shoppers in here all the time, even the occasional antique hunter will browse the what-nots and knick-knacks walls.”

Stephanie Collins, a sophomore family and child studies major, said, “I love going to Rolling Hills to shop. I actually found a red dress there last year that I wore to the BCM formal. It’s my favorite dress ever.”

Collins encouraged students to make the trip out to Rolling Hills, to volunteer, or just to shop.

She said, “It’s just neat. You should definitely check it out.”

All items on sale at the thrift store have been donated, and all sale amounts go to the disaster relief fund at Rolling Hills.