Sellers Blitz: ‘An uplift for the whole town’

SELLERS – More than 150 United Methodist volunteers “brought joy” to the Marion County town of Sellers on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 13-14 – cleaning and beginning repairs on eight homes overcome by floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

Volunteers from United Methodist churches across South Carolina – along with a crew from Georgia – flocked to the “Sellers Blitz” to “muck out” houses, demolish mold-infested rooms and try to make the homes just a little more livable.

Volunteers are desperately needed to serve on or with Early Response Teams at all times. For more information, contact Matt Brodie at 803-786-9486 Ext. 261 or mbrodie@umcsc.org.

Work teams also repaired roofs, cut and cleared downed trees and presented each of the eight homeowners with a Bible, signed by the volunteers who worked on their home.

In most cases, the arrival of the volunteer work teams organized by the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church was the first help Sellers residents have seen since the October storm.

“We haven’t had a whole lot of help, so it’s really exciting and a joy to see somebody come in willing to help in this situation,” said Alan James, who was born and raised in Sellers. “There’s so much to be done here, and a lot of the people here aren’t able to do things themselves.”

“This has been an uplift for the whole town.”

Volunteer Tammy Erwin, who lives about eight miles away from Sellers, has taken James and the town as a whole under her wing in recent weeks. She said the town of about 45 homes hasn’t gotten the attention that nearby Nichols has, but the need is just as great.

“I’ve lived close by here for 10 years,” said Erwin, who attends Pee Dee Southern Methodist Church outside Marion, just south of Sellers. “God has really put this community in my heart. When it’s cold at night, I lay awake in my warm house and I think about these people and I wonder who’s cold and who’s hungry and who needs something.

“It’s not about me. If everybody did a little bit, there would be no need. As long as I can I will. I just love these people.”

Amanda and Paul Guffey came from farther away to help – but they still felt a kinship with the people of Sellers. The couple attends Platt Springs United Methodist Church in West Columbia, but they once lived in Florence and Paul once worked at a pharmacy in Nichols.

The Sellers Blitz was the first time either of them had volunteered to do hands-on mission work like this.

“We’re just grateful for the opportunity to help,” Amanda Guffey said. “It’s one thing to donate money, but it’s really something different to be able to donate your time. It’s definitely been an experience. It’s tough seeing the living conditions people are in, especially knowing the time it takes to recover from all of this.

“Even after what we’ve been able to do today, there’s still a long way to go for the work to be completed.”

The Rev. Tim Rogers, superintendent of the Marion District of the S.C. Conference, called the response to the Sellers work weekend “tremendous.”

“Every person who gave their time was a concrete expression of the love of God and helped bring hope to people in great need,” Rev. Rogers said. “I hope that more and more people will volunteer to help.  Pictures on the television or articles that we read can’t begin to explain what our neighbors are facing.

“But when we see for ourselves, we understand more clearly the call of Christ to love our neighbors, and make our love real through concrete actions.”

That’s exactly what Matt Brodie, disaster response coordinator for the conference, is hoping – for Sellers and other communities still dealing with the devastation wrought by the hurricane.

Most of the residents in Sellers don’t qualify for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or other agencies.

“There’s nothing here except for a faith-based group that can come in and be willing to provide volunteer hours, some materials and resources,” Brodie said. “There’s still so much more to do here, more than we can do in a weekend.

“There’s more than we can do, without more help.”

The next step for Sellers, he said, could be for volunteers to build teams and perform “Salkehatchie-type” work there, or for churches to sponsor homes and bring them back to livable conditions.

“Nothing fancy, just livable conditions,” Brodie said.

The Rev. Reggie Lee, congregational specialist for the Marion District, said the volunteers’ work displays the United Methodist tradition of consistently delivering service to people “beyond the Sunday morning experience.”

“When Wesley said the world was his parish, this is exactly what I believe he had in mind,” Rev. Lee said. “Wherever there is human need, we’re bringing the Gospel to bear. Grace is so amazing.

“This is making Romans 8:28 come alive: ‘We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.’ ”

How else can you help?

• Donate financially to the S.C. Conference’s disaster relief efforts and to UMCOR’s Advance U.S. Disaster Response, which allows the United Methodist Committee on Relief to respond quickly and appropriately to emergencies in the United States.
• Pray for the safety of those affected by the storm, Early Response Teams and others providing relief efforts.

More photos from the Sellers Blitz