Avery County church continues service despite damage from Helene

AVERY COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) –A 130-year-old Avery County Church stands tall after Hurricane Helene washed away a part of the building’s foundation.

Church elder David Ellis says what’s now a muddy trail was once Curtis Creek Road in Elk Park.

It’s surrounded by down powerlines, debris and what’s left of homes that were washed away by Hurricane Helene.

What stands tall is the more than century-old Heaton Christian Church.

“It got through the church walls and left a muddy mess downstairs. The sanctuary was basically unharmed except for the back part of the church,” Ellis said.

Floodwaters stripped away a part of the building’s foundation after Curtis Creek overflowed.
While the building isn’t accessible right now, Ellis says that won’t stop community service.

“It’s been … a traumatic experience, but … there’s been hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. There’s more bottled water in Avery County than ever in its history,” Ellis said.

Ellis says he’s been delivering water to people in hard-to-reach places. Despite the challenges, the church has also found a way to keep hosting Sunday service by relocating to a local Christmas tree farm.

“Just so glad to see each other again because communication has been one of the really hard things to get back up,” Ellis said.

Crews spent most of Tuesday working to get power back on at the church.

An engineer determined the building could be repaired. It’s news Ellis calls a blessing.

“It’s not going to be easy, but we’ll be back. The resorts will be back open. The roads will be back open. The schools will be back open. The churches will be back open. The topography will be changed forever,” Ellis said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX8 WGHP.