LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A small church in Hardin County is working to make a big difference in areas affected by disasters like July’s eastern Kentucky flooding and last year’s western Kentucky tornadoes. The church is even crossing state lines to help others who are further away.

What You Need To Know

  • New Horizon Baptist Fellowship will send a team from Glendale to Fort Myers, Florida to help those affected by Hurricane Ian

  • The group will collect donations ahead of the trip

  • Volunteers will leave Kentucky on Oct. 31 and will be in Florida for nearly a week

  • The church has done five other mission trips this year, including areas hit by last year’s tornadoes in Western Kentucky and July’s flooding in Eastern Kentucky

Pastor Steve Hill explains he started New Horizon Baptist Fellowship in Glendale with his wife 20 years ago. While they’ve hosted a lot of mission trips over the years, Hill says the group has never done as many as they have in 2022.

The church, along with Little Clifty Baptist Church in Leitchfield, where Hill is serving as interim pastor, is currently collecting donations for people hit by Hurricane Ian in southwest Florida.            

Hill and several church members will travel to the Fort Myers area on Oct. 31 and stay in the area for nearly a week, providing relief for Hurricane Ian survivors. They’ll be taking supplies and helping people in a large mobile home park, among other neighborhoods in the area.

“Their roofs are gone,” Hill explained. “If their mobile home’s still standing, they’re just in the open. You know, it’s raining on them, and so we’re taking tarps to where you can cover that roof until they can have a roof put on or they can replace the mobile home or something can be done to where they can get adequate lodging.”

The group is also collecting food, clothing, shoes, cleaning materials, personal hygiene items, gift cards and toys for children ahead of the trip. Hill’s team will go with a lot of experience in disaster response. This will be the sixth mission trip responding to a natural disaster the group will make this year. The group made multiple trips, visiting Eastern and Western Kentucky and other spots out of state.

Hill says as soon as disasters happen, he’s usually on the phone coordinating, planning for the next trip.

“Your heart breaks for them, and you want to do everything you possibly can for them. Just love on them and encourage them and pray with them and let them know that they’re not forgotten,” Hill said.

Hill and the team at New Horizon Baptist Fellowship have also partnered with several other churches to fundraise, collect donations, and make the delivery to Florida in response to Hurricane Ian. Hill and his wife are also coordinating with a construction crew that will travel to the area and help make repairs to people’s homes while.

You can drop off donations directly at New Horizon Baptist Fellowship ahead of the trip. The church’s address is 856 W Rhudes Creek Rd. in Glendale. Hill invites anyone who would like to help to call him at (270) 723-4301 to coordinate details.

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