Church continues to fill tractor trailer with donations

Published 8:17 pm Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Cutline 1: ThreeLife Pastor Josh Rhye shows off some of the donations packed into the 53-foot tractor trailer now parked in front of the church off Hogansville Road. The rig is taking part in Operation Tennessee – churches collecting and delivering supplies to people affected by the recent wildfires.

 

Cutline 2: A couple brings by a box full of supplies and clothing items to ThreeLife Church on Tuesday for Operation Tennessee. The tractor trailer will leave for Pidgeon Forge, Tennessee on Thursday afternoon.

 

By Melanie Ruberti

Melanie.ruberti@lagrangenews.com

 

 

Church continues to fill tractor trailer with donations

 

ThreeLife Church is collecting items for Tennessee wildfire victims

 

LaGRANGE – There is very little floor space to move around inside the lobby of ThreeLife Church at 3472 Hogansville Road.

 

But Pastor Josh Rhye is not complaining.

 

Car seats, clothes, shoes, plus packages of diapers, socks and water are stacked in neat piles around the lobby. The supplies are waiting to be boxed up and loaded into a 53-foot tractor trailer as a part of “Operation Tennessee.” The donated items are for victims, volunteers and first responders affected by the devastating Tennessee wildfires.

 

“It’s (items) have been steadily pouring in. It’s been awesome,” Rhye stated. “We spent Sunday organizing … pants from tops, kids, women, shoes… then boxing everything up and writing what it is on the box so it will be easier for volunteers to hand out in Tennessee.”

 

Supplies have been donated from the community, plus West Point, Newnan, Columbus and Griffin, said Rhye.

 

“It just goes to show you the power of a small town for big purposes, such as this,” he said. “I think it says something for the city to accept challenges bigger than themselves.”

 

The Walmart Distribution Center donated two pallets of water, Rhye said. Grace Baptist Church showed up with a trailer full of items and a church in Griffin sent stacks of boxes to pack everything up, he added.

 

The tractor trailer is almost half full, Rhye said. The church hopes to fill the entire rig by the time it leaves for Tennessee on Thursday afternoon.

 

“If you get a lot of people doing a little bit, this tractor trailer will get full,” Rhye firmly stated. “No donation is too small.

 

“It becomes real when you understand what it means to have compassion for those that you’ve never met,” he continued. “God blesses that. It is easy to talk about helping others, but it’s really special when everyone comes together to make it happen.”

 

The rig, sponsored by Worldwide LLC Logistics, is expected to leave the ThreeLife Church compound about 1 p.m. on Thursday, Rhye stated. The tractor trailer will drop off the donations at a warehouse in Pidgeon Forge, Tennessee that was specifically set up to help wildfire victims. ThreeLife Church will also send a team of volunteers, including Pastor Rhye, to Tennessee starting Monday, Dec. 12. The group will act as relief workers helping with repair work and the cleanup effort already underway in the area.

 

Donations for Operation Tennessee are still welcome and can be dropped off at the church at 3472 Hogansville Road on Wednesday and Thursday morning.

 

Two of the biggest needs are toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, etc.) and diapers, Rhye said.

 

Anyone wanting more information can contact ThreeLife Church at info@threelifechurch.com.

 

Here is a list of more supplies that are needed:

 

  • Water
  • Clothes
  • Shoes
  • New socks, underwear

Baby wipes

  • Coats
  • Toilet paper

 

Melanie Ruberti is a reporter with LaGrange Daily News. She can be reached 706-884-7311, ext. 2156.