Southern Baptists from North Carolina came to the aid of a Kentucky church that was washed away by flood waters last Saturday.

The remnants of Million Church, a small independent Baptist church in rural Madison County, were demolished and removed this week, but the spirit of the congregation remained strong as Pastor Jessie Lainhart continued to explore future options for meeting space and other church activities.

“It's pretty devastating,” Lainhart said Tuesday. “Like I said the other day, we lost a building, we didn't lose a church.”

A group of church members from Brushy Fork Baptist Church, a Southern Baptist affiliate in North Carolina, arrived Tuesday in the area and began retrieving lost items from the church and homes in the area. A pew with the nameplate of late Pastor Wallace Richardson was located and given to Lainhart on Tuesday.

Brushy Fork Pastor Johnmark Brown and five others, including Brent Syder and his son Eli, have been helping communities recover from natural disasters since their church and community were affected during Hurricane Helene in 2024.

“The biggest thing (we tell people) is to not be overwhelmed, because you're going to be overwhelmed,” Brown said. “You're going to get a lot of help, and then we want to come and pray with people. Praying with people is the main thing, and if we get a chance to share the Gospel of Christ, we’re going to do that.”

The structure that once stood along Tates Creek Road, held a lot of memories since the former country store was converted into a church. Family members of the church founders were still attending.

“It had a lot of sentimental value,” Lainhart said. “It kind of hurts them just where they had so much growing up in here and everything. It was devastating, but here's the way I see it — the Lord's in control.”

In the midst of the tragedy, Lainhart recalled the experiences Job endured in the Old Testament. 

“I think about Job,” he said. “I think about everything he went through, but you know, the Lord blessed him. And you know what? We lost, we lost a church building, but we're gaining a place to worship. We're still going to worship the Lord.

“I’ve told them (the congregation), we’ve got to praise him in the bad times. I mean, we don't know why good people go through difficult things, but that's not for me to answer, but the Lord knows what's coming down the road.”

Lainhart said he’s grateful for the outpouring of support he’s received.

“There's been so many phone calls, messages, texts — I mean, they're reaching out to me and the (church) secretary,” Lainhart said. “There are just some good people in this world. A lot of people say that this isn’t a Christian nation anymore, but I beg to differ. People still care for one another. A lot of people think that they don't, but they do. They've reached out in any way possible to help.”

And that included a group of Southern Baptists from Brush Fork, North Carolina.

Photo of the Christian flag at the foundation of what was Million Church in Madison County by Keith Taylor - Kentucky Today