Por Jennifer Colosimo
In 2024, disaster struck in the form of Hurricane Helene. After knocking around the east coast in true hurricane fashion, Helene continued on, barreling through unsuspecting communities well inland, leaving utter devastation in her wake. Like many mountain towns, in Asheville, N.C., the community reeled from total loss around every corner. It was bleak; and in many places, it is still bleak. 
Maintaining hope has enabled them to trudge on, and the people of First Baptist Church (FBC) Asheville are a big part of that. They’re still at work today, building on a missional outreach that existed before the storm, amped up when it was needed and has continued growing in the ways they serve their community since.
That charge is what earned FBC Asheville CBF’s Mission Excellence Award in 2025, an award given to congregations that exemplify CBF’s mission distinctives—cultivating beloved community, bearing witness to Jesus Christ and seeking transformational development—and could inspire other congregations to pursue such mission efforts by their example.
“Our church was honored to receive the CBF Mission Excellence Award,” said FBC’s Coordinating Pastor Casey Callahan. “It helped us feel affirmed and acknowledged—not merely for what we did, but for who we are and how we traversed such a disorienting time together.”
Because they were already a mission-minded church providing free food, clothing and supplies to the community in need, they were able to launch a Free Market on day two of the post-Helene period.
“It was instinctive for us to relocate all of our supplies of food, drink and essential items, placing them in the center of our main welcome space,” Callahan said. “This began organically, and each day more people arrived—some with items to share, others with time to offer and all with a need to receive things. We needed community, as a loss of cell phone towers and internet access disconnected us with the wider world. We also needed water (so much water), and food and news about where we could help and who needed it the most.”
For 21 days, the doors remained open for anyone to come in and get what they needed, share what they could spare and just be together. When space got tight, they expanded to the gym. When things got hectic, volunteers reorganized rations and supplies. They never stopped.
People came from other churches to join their effort. Amenities like a shower trailer, portable toilets, laundry stations and more were loaned. Calls to offer help came from 118 churches, spanning 33 states. Volunteer hours clocked in at more than 3,400. It was about saying yes—to whatever connection was available, to trusting signs from God and to giving as much as they could.
“All of these many good things required significant organization, volunteerism and coordination,” Callahan said. “It was improvisational ministry, and it was possible only through the mysterious and relentless work of the Holy Spirit.”
“I am proud of our church’s inclination and instinct to help our community by sharing everything we had,” Callahan said. “We leaned into this with a faith that propelled us forward with service and compassion and, miraculously, we never ran out. The needs of our community shifted as our post-Helene world came back into focus with more infrastructure and restored systems. But we ended this improvisational mission with more awareness of our own identity and of God’s relentless work in the world.”
Today, they’re still open on Thursdays with access to food, clothes and a hot meal. They’ve launched partnerships, including a mental health counselor to chat with visitors and continual donations from local businesses like Mercy Chefs and Trader Joe’s. In partnership with CBF Disaster Response and Baptists on Mission, they’ve become a host site for volunteer groups looking to help with disaster relief repair work and construction, allowing them to expand their hospitality ministry and connect with other congregations and groups as they serve together.
“Our mountain region has become adjusted to the lingering effects from Helene. The landscape is one of the most striking visual reminders of the storm: the houses that are no longer present, the centers of life and community that are missing close to the river, and the unfinished repair work to so many existing structures and homes,” Callahan said.
“There are also unseen effects which are widely shared with our residents: looming trepidation on the eve of any minor or major weather event, trauma that is still being processed (adults and children), memories of extreme vulnerability and an awakened sense of community. As a downtown church, we have shifted some of the ways we serve our community in a post-Helene world, and these shifts are rejuvenating to our own spirits and to our neighbors and partners.”
One of those shifts was the establishment of the Helene Recovery Fund Grant for disaster recovery, counseling and wellness assistance. They received nearly $170,000 in donations, more than half of which were distributed to church members, community members and partner organizations for tree removal, home repair, car repairs, lost income replacement, kids’ programming and mental health services.
Callahan’s message to other congregations is to “lean into responding in ways that are instinctive and practiced in your own community. Every church is able to respond differently, and the variety of gifts among our communal bodies is akin to the variety of the gifts of the Spirit.
“Look to familiar sources of assistance and networking,” he continued. “Pay attention to other existing hubs for community support. We invited experts in to help us serve with more efficiency and wisdom. We trusted in the guidance of the Holy Spirit and relied on collective wisdom to make our way forward with improvisational ministry.” While it’s nearly impossible to be prepared for such a once-in-a-lifetime disaster like Helene, the heart of FBC Asheville proves that weathering it together is possible.
This article was originally published in fellowship! Spring 2026 Magazine. Find it here and sign up for the quarterly magazine here.