On Sabbath, June 8, Jefferson City mayor Carrie Tergin stopped by the 2019 Iowa-Missouri Camp Meeting in Centralia, Missouri, to express her thanks for recent disaster relief efforts Adventists have undertaken in and around the city.

“On behalf of Jefferson City, we appreciate each and every one of you,” she said. “We will rebuild. We will be stronger.”

Joining her were Jody Dickhaut, the Iowa-Missouri Conference’s Adventist Community Services Disaster Response (ACS DR) coordinator for Missouri, and Jeremy Redman, pastor of Capital West Christian Church in Jefferson City. CWCC donated space to the city to warehouse disaster relief supplies and serve as the distribution center for community members to receive supplies and resources.

Tornadoes tore through the Jefferson City community on May 22, impacting 729 homes — 161 were destroyed while an additional 235 sustained major damage. Thankfully, no lives were lost.

In addition to the tornado, the area has also been heavily impacted by flooding. ACS DR volunteers, along with other federal, state, and local agencies, opened resource centers for affected residents in the days following the events.

Approximately $8,000 was collected during camp meeting that will be used for disaster relief efforts in the Jefferson City area and other parts of Iowa and Missouri that have been impacted by disasters. The youth department at camp meeting also assembled 250 flood buckets that will be distributed to impacted residents in these areas.

“We’re so grateful for those who have volunteered around our conference,” said Robert Wagley, executive secretary. He also thanked Tergin and Redman for the opportunity to serve together in the Jefferson City community.

Watch the disaster update and remarks from Mayor Tergin below.

— Randy Harmdierks is communication director for the Iowa-Missouri Conference; the original article appeared on the Iowa-Mission Conference website on June 20, 2019.