A group of local and national church leaders are working to help the situation in Springfied, Ohio where a relatively small town has become the focus of the national immigration discussion.
Tensions rose in the city after the Republican presidential ticket spread claims on social media and during the presidential debate that immigrants in Springfield were eating people’s pets. Bomb threats forced the closure of city buildings, schools and hospitals, and made the city the subject of national and international news for a week or more.
Kenny Felix, president of Southern Baptist Convention National Haitian Fellowship and a leader from the Christian Leadership Coalition recently joined with local pastors, elected officials and community leaders to see how they could help.
The National Haitian Fellowship has around 500 partnering churches across the U.S.
About five Haitian churches serve the migrants in the area.
The pastors met with the Springfield Mayor Rob Rue to learn how they could help ease tensions.
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Days after an unnamed tropical storm-like system dumped historic rainfall across the Cape Fear region of southeastern North Carolina, disaster response volunteers with N.C. Baptists on Mission are assisting those impacted by the storm.
As the region continues to grapple with flooding and other storm-related damage, Baptists on Mission has opened two disaster recovery sites at Beach Road Baptist Church in Southport and First Baptist Church in Leland, where approximately 100 volunteers are expected to serve.
According to Tom Beam, disaster response coordinator for Baptists on Mission, volunteers have faced obstacles as flooding has forced road closures throughout the area. Beam said that in spite of setbacks and detours, assessments and recovery assignments are already underway.
As much as 12 to 20 inches of rain fell across the region in just two days, with much of it coming during a 12-hour window between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday, weather officials said. Rainfall in excess of 12 inches in a 12-hour period is expected to occur once every 200 years across coastal southeastern North Carolina, officials said.
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