Deacon-to-Deacon Ministry Brings Hurricane Relief Across Diocesan Borders

by | Jan 21, 2025 | Stories from the Diocese

Deacon Deb Lockhart (Trinity & St. Mary’s, Whitechapel, Diocese of Virginia) and Deacon Hope Laingen (St. Mary’s & St. Stephen’s Morganton, Diocese of Western NC) were instrumental in coordinating these relief efforts.

The needs of Western North Carolina following Hurricane Helene stirred many to action, including members of the 12 churches in the Northern Neck Region of the Diocese. The first relief effort involved distributing an immediate needs list to the churches. A drive was held and specifically requested items were collected, including nonperishable food, diapers, batteries, and cleaning supplies. These were received and distributed within days of the disaster.

A second request soon followed, as Latino members of the Spruce Pine, North Carolina, community were unable to find staple food ingredients for their cuisine. Flooding had caused many grocery stores in the area to shut down, making culturally specific food items difficult to find. 

The tiny churches of Trinity & St. Mary’s, Whitechapel, in Lancaster County answered the call to respond to this need. Fliers went out to all who use the churches for meetings, activities, or worship, prompting an immediate and generous response.

On December 11, eighty-two heavy bags containing maize flour, dried chilies, dried beans, and a $25 gift card were delivered to Morganton and distributed in Spruce Pine that weekend. Additional donations, received in the form of checks, funded the purchase of kerosene heaters for homes without any heat.

God asks us to do our part. “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much…” (Luke 16:10). Through the response of two small churches, a significant impact occurred in a community of need nearly 400 miles away.

The story of these two deacons and their constellation of small congregations allows us to see how the ministry of Deacons enriches the lives of the people of the world, and enriches our common life as the Church, the Body of Christ. Deacon Deb and Deacon Hope were both formed through the Diocese of Virginia’s St. Phoebe School for Deacons. Through coursework, internship, and formation in community, they prepared their hearts and aligned their lives to minister as Deacons in the Church who embody a call of service, discipleship, and empowerment of all the Baptized.

“You are to make Christ and his redemptive love known, by your word and example, to those among whom you live, and work, and worship. You are to interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world…at all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ’s people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.” (BCP p. 543, Ordination of a Deacon). 

Deacons in our midst help us to see the ways through which the power of God, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Deacons in our Diocese engage in ministries that bridge parishes, regions, dioceses, and the wider community; as ordained ministers of the Church, they engage in local and global service which embodies justice and is grounded in the love of Jesus Christ. Learn more about the ministry of Deacons and the processes of vocational discernment and formation for those preparing for ordination as deacons.