Just days leading up to the arctic blast that swept through the nation, one small church in the Ozarks sprung into action to provide not only a warm place for those in need to come, but a full blown shelter.
“I was sitting at breakfast with some friends from church earlier in the week and saw a post on social media asking if there was a shelter or warming center that would be open with the cold we had coming. Calls were already coming in to the County Judge’s Office and to emergency services and the weather wasn’t here yet,” said co-organizer Doug Driesel. “I looked at the others around the table and told them what I was thinking. No one objected, in fact, they became excited the more we talked about it and started coming up with ideas and solutions. We didn’t just talk about it, we did it and we didn’t just do a warming center we transformed the church into a full blown shelter.”
Within three days, the small congregation of the Cherokee Village United Methodist Church had partnered with the community and transformed the church into more than just a place of worship.
“We were not sure what to expect, but we prepared as though we would be at capacity. It wasn’t long before we had our first two guests and we had a lot to offer them. We had cots, blankets, private spaces them to be in, we had people taking shifts and cooking meals, coffee, tea, snacks, we even had an area for pets as long as they were on a leash or in a crate,” Driesel said. “Ultimately, we had about 20 people who took advantage of the shelter and I believe we saved lives.”
Driesel said not all who took advantage of the offerings of the church stayed overnight, but approximately nine guests and four dogs did utilize the opportunity to sleep at the church for the duration of the deadly cold.
“This was life changing. For us and for those we served. Temperatures dropped to as low as five below and the wind chill registered as low as 25 below zero.. These aren’t temperatures the average person is equipped to handle in Arkansas,” Driesle said.
Although other locations offered warming centers, such as the City of Hardy who opened their doors for those who needed to come and get warm, the church was open from 11 a.m. Dec. 22 through lunch Christmas Day was the first to create a fully operational shelter for the “whosoever will”.
“While we were open, we treated those who came as welcomed guests and this is something we have decided we will do again. We have agreed to start a ministry and through this, we have found what worked and what didn’t work,” Driesel said.
After the freeze had passed in the Ozarks, the brutal cold continued to relent in other parts of the nation.
“I saw an article, that in one county up north, 25 human beings had been found frozen to death and all I could think was.. Not here Lord! Thanks to handful of determined people, not here, not our people and not our guests,” Driesel said.
Providing shelter was not the only mission carried forth by the volunteers. Determined to serve the community to the utmost, volunteers delivered blankets, food and heaters to those who did not wish to come to the shelter.
“There was one night, one of the coldest, we got a panicked phone call from an elderly lady. She was beside herself because she lived alone way out in the country and her pipes had burst,” Driesel said. “So, one of our volunteers has a little plumbing experience, it was after eight that night, but he loaded up and went and fixed the pipe and cleaned up the water for her.”
This is just one example of many life changing events which took place.
“We have decided we will do this again on an as needed basis. The community really came through with donations of food, gloves.. you name it. There were also a lot of monetary donations and so we have decided to save those funds and add to them,” Driesel said. “We love this community and now that we have seen the need, we will do what we can to fill it when it arises again in the future. It could be once a year, it could be more, but one thing is certain, we will be ready.”
Lauren is a an award-winning journalist who decided after 10 years of newspaper experience to venture out. Hallmark Times was born.
