In July 2022 Eastern Kentucky experienced devastating flooding. The area had not yet fully recovered from flooding in the spring of 2021 when severe thunderstorms caused historic flooding. Located in the region is The Happy Church, a Charis Fellowship church with a campus in Jackson and another in Clayhole. The Jackson location was damaged in the 2021 flood and the Clayhole location was damaged in the 2022 flood.
The Clayhole location began in 1938 as Clayhole Grace Brethren Church. In the late 2000s, that church became an extension of the ministry at The Happy Church in Jackson, a church started by Mike and Connie Tabor in 2002. Both campuses are located in the foothills of Appalachia and have a vibrant children’s ministry.
Bob Sidwell of East Side Grace Brethren Church in Central Ohio has a long-standing partnership with The Happy Church. Bob has led a team to the church for building construction and repair more and a dozen times over the past two decades, including following the flooding in May 2021 and July 2022.
After the July 2022 flood FEMA deemed the historic Clayhole building condemned. A team of engineers were able to bring the building back up to code and save the structure. Dozens of volunteers helped with gutting and refurbishing the building. This summer The Happy Church celebrated the launch of regular services in their newly remodeled Clayhole space.
See more of the construction process and the launch of services in a video by The Happy Church here.