A coalition of five churches has formed in Belhaven to aid struggling residents and help meet the needs of the community.

Team Coalition, founded in April 2013, is a faith-based organization in Belhaven made up of St. James Episcopal Church, First Christian Church, White Plains Church Ministries, First Baptist Church of Smithton and Trinity United Methodist Church, said Dave Rieves, senior warden at St. James. The idea came from Rev. Burke Holland of First Christian Church in Belhaven.

“Rev. Burke Holland came by St. James Episcopal Church and asked if we were interested in joining them in a coalition of churches,” Rieves said. “I said, ‘Yes.’ So we had our first meeting and tried to come up with how we would work together to meet the needs of our community in different ways. That’s how it started and it has gone on ever since.”

Rieves said, from the start, the coalition wanted to find ways to be a blessing to those in the community who were in need.

“We discuss how we might use our resources to aid those of all ages in our community who fall between the DSS programs or who could use our help until the DSS programs take over,” Rieves said.

Working together as a group, the coalition feels its churches can be more effective and efficient with their resources, said Reives. Its resources include financial aid for utilities, propane and rent as well as helping pay costs for construction or repairs as a result of storm damage or natural expiration.

Rieves said, aid requests are directed to St. James initially, and clients are prompted to leave messages. Then, clients’ calls are returned to obtain necessary documentation. The coalition makes a decision regarding assistance and informs applicants. The type of aid requested and its value are sent to member churches. Each church, at that point, can make a decision whether or not to assist the client.

Money for repairs is paid to St. James or through arrangements with the vendor to a designated account. Sometimes, however, the coalition works with other available ministries to make repairs.

“We don’t pay any money to the client,” Rieves said. “The Methodist Disaster Team in Hyde County, we work with them a lot. For example, to replace a roof, we will provide the materials and they will do the work.”

Rieves said, documentation from clients who have been awarded aid is filed at St. James for future review. The coalition aids only those who live in the Belhaven area.

If you are a church in the Belhaven area and you would like to join Team Coalition, contact First Christian Church in Belhaven at 252-943-2369 or St. James Episcopal Church at 252-943-6977.