Waupaca church sending supplies
By Angie Landsverk
Radiant Fellowship is heading to South Carolina next week with a van full of supplies to help those affected by Hurricane Florence.
“Our whole philosophy has always been if there’s a need, we will do our best to fulfill it,” said Bob Adams, pastor of the church.
As he watched news reports this week about the expected path of the hurricane, he wanted to reach out to a church similar to Radiant Fellowship.
Yesterday, he connected with South Strand Assembly of God.
The church is located in Murrells Inlet, near Myrtle Beach.
“We decided to rent a 15-passenger van, and we’re going to start loading it with supplies,” Adams said.
Radiant Fellowship, located on Harrison Street in Waupaca, is covering the cost of renting the van.
A couple of people from the church are making the trip to South Carolina.
They want the rest of the van to be full of donations.
“Area business are jumping on board,” he said.
Grocery stores and dentists have already offered to donate items, and he was talking to more businesses in the community today.
Adams said they want to fill the van with toiletries, cleaning supplies, water and clothing for children.
Businesses interested in donating items may contact him by emailing [email protected] or by calling the church at 715-256-7853.
He asks that people who are interested in donating items also contact him through one of those ways to set a time to drop off their donations.
The deadline for donations is Wednesday, Sept. 19.
“We plan to leave Thursday (Sept. 20) and be back Sunday (Sept. 23),” he said. “It’s a 17-hour trip one way.”
“Fill the Van Hurricane Florence Relief” is the name of the effort.
Those who want to help offset the cost of the church traveling to and from South Carolina may visit www.radiantfellowship.net for the link on how to help with that cost.
Adams directs others wanting to give monetary donations for the relief effort to do so through the American Red Cross.
He said this is the first time the church is heading into an area affected by a hurricane.
When Adams reached the home of South Strand Assembly of God’s pastor yesterday, that pastor was boarding up the windows on the house.
The church was already closed.
Adams spoke to the pastor’s wife, who told him Radiant Fellowship Church was the only church that had reached out to them.
The pastor will get in touch with Adams after the storm blows over.
If Radiant Fellowship members run into flooding on the way to the church, they will find another church and leave the donations there, Adams said.
Arrangements will then be made to get the items to South Strand Assembly of God, which will disperse them.
“Either way, we’re heading down,” Adams said.
He said Radiant Fellowship has always been about reaching out to others.
Members of the church have gone to Nashville to support a ministry there.
They helped build storage for a food pantry that serves meals to those who are homeless.
Locally, church members visit the Waupaca Hotel.
They have a cookout and donate toiletries and gently used clothing to those who live there.
“No strings attached. We show up, hang out with them and chat, bless them and on we go,” Adams said. “It’s just another extension of doing something. It’s good to get a world view.”