Kentucky Volunteers Rebuild Flooded Church in Days

When floodwaters poured down Water Street in McKee, Kentucky on June 27, Pastor Ron Maharrey could only watch as eight inches of mud and water filled his church basement. But what came next shows the best of what communities can do when disaster strikes.

Within days, disaster relief volunteers from the Kentucky Baptist Convention arrived at McKee Baptist Church ready to work. They've been moving across Kentucky since last weekend's deadly flooding, helping communities in Madison, Meade, and Clinton Counties get back on their feet.

The basement damage was extensive. The kitchen appliances were destroyed, and rooms used for Sunday school classes and small groups were covered in mud and debris. Pastor Maharrey knew the steps to take because the church had flooded before, but never this badly.

On Monday morning, the volunteers got to work. They hauled out everything salvageable, stripped wet trim and paneling, and prepared to remove damaged drywall. The process includes power washing and complete sanitization before the church can even think about rebuilding.

"We often say this is the hardest work you'll ever love, but we do it because the Lord has called us to do it," said Ron Crow, disaster relief director at the Kentucky Baptist Convention. His team expects the cleanup to take a couple of days before reconstruction can begin.

Tommy Floyd, a missions strategist with the Lake Cumberland Baptist Association, put it simply. "We're here for the long haul. Whatever it takes to get it finished and help McKee Baptist Church."

The Ripple Effect

This story isn't just about one church getting help. The Kentucky Baptist Convention volunteers have been showing up across the state wherever flooding hit hardest, turning what could be weeks of overwhelming cleanup into manageable days of community rebuilding.

Their work means McKee Baptist Church might only be without their basement space for a couple of weeks instead of months. That's weeks when Sunday school classes can resume, when small groups can gather again, and when the kitchen can serve the community.

Floyd sees it as living out faith in action: helping your neighbor when they need it most. For communities still reeling from natural disasters, that kind of support becomes the foundation for everything that comes next.

The church will rebuild, stronger than before.