KITE, Ga. — In the face of Hurricane Helene, members of Kite First Baptist Church came together and shared the light of Jesus with thousands of people. Those efforts have resulted in increased church attendance as well as spiritual growth among members.
“It was very much an on-fire season that is still going, truthfully,” said Kite Lead Pastor Trent Boulineau. “It’s a tremendous time of growth that you wouldn’t expect.”
Average attendance was 110 before the storm and now averages 150. In the last six months, the church youth ministry has grown from averaging between 20 and 25 to more than 35.
Baptisms have increased. The Sunday after the storm, seven people were baptized. In January 2025, 12 more were baptized. The church has baptized at least seven more since then.
The pastor said Kite’s members have matured a lot spiritually during and after the storm.
“We saw more of a faithfulness as far as people showing up and wanting to physically demonstrate their faith,” said Boulineau, who has been pastor for eight months and served at the church before Helene. Members understand that they are not working for salvation, but are working because they are saved.
Kite members approach ministry differently now by intentionally finding opportunities to serve the community. “We overlooked the little clutter long enough that one day you realize it’s a big mess. It’s been there the whole time,” Boulineau said.
A man who had lived next door to the church for decades and never attended was saved and baptized and now attends regularly and is a part of the Lighthouse Outreach Center leadership team.
The Lighthouse, located a short walk from the church campus, was a former Methodist church that was shut down in 2008. Kite FBC purchased it in 2022 through a donation. The grand opening of the Lighthouse took place a few weeks before the storm. It became ground zero for relief efforts in Kite.
Feeding and taking care of the community is a mandate of God, and that was what was needed immediately after the storm. “You are going to show up and do this. People started living that and saw what is really possible.”
Before the storm, Boulineau said, “Most people would say that they didn’t have time, they didn’t have the money, or they had something else that took priority this time, but they would do it next time.” After Helene, “there wasn’t a job to go to, or a ball game to go to, or a dance. When all that stopped, all of a sudden, there was plenty of time. That was the turning point for our church and our members.”
In Acts Chapter 2, people came together, sold everything, and put it all in one pot, and their needs were met daily. “We did that,” Boulineau said.
The church built new relationships after the storm, and it has led to church growth. At every meeting during the relief effort, the team was asked who their “one person” was that day that they were interacting with, sharing the Gospel with, and praying for. Somebody always stood out.
The church plans to expand its campus in the future. It currently seats 155 to 160, and there have been a couple of Sundays recently when it has been full. “It’s not really comfortable to most people,” Boulineau said.
To reach the current growth, seeds were planted prior to the storm during a scheduled revival. During the revival, the speaker spoke about long-range mission trips and encouraged the church members to join him, but that wasn’t something most members were accustomed to.
A few wanted to go, but then the storm hit. The first debriefing after the storm, Bouilineau said, they had been given their answer. Local mission was the calling. “God pretty much told us we are not going anywhere yet, but He’d bring it to us,” he said.”That is where God opened our eyes to it. It was always there.”
Boulineau attributes the growth to the heart of its members. “They love their community, they love the Lord, and they want everybody to know the Lord.”
This article originally appeared in The Christian Index.
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