photo by: Derek Redd

The Rev. Mike Palmer, pastor of Triadelphia United Methodist Church, recently won a “Pay It Forward” award from The Courage Project for his work in Ohio County flood relief.

TRIADELPHIA — The Rev. Mike Palmer, pastor at Triadelphia United Methodist Church, recently won a national award that, in the end, is the perfect type of prize for him.

Palmer was given a “Pay It Forward” Award from The Courage Project, a new initiative that, according to its website, honors “everyday acts of bravery — the quiet, often unseen acts of heroism that reflect the best of the American spirit and strengthen democracy at the community level.”

That honor comes with a cash prize between $10,000 and $50,000, which allows the winner to “pay it forward” by donating it to another worthy cause. Palmer doesn’t know yet how much he’ll receive, and he hasn’t decided yet which organization will get the funds. Yet he’s absolutely sure of what that money will go toward.

“It’ll go to something with flood relief,” Palmer said.

As much as Palmer is humbled by the honor — he still doesn’t know who nominated him — what he appreciates more is the opportunity to further the mission he, his church and other volunteers have championed since a flash flood devastated several parts of Ohio County and killed nine people.

That mission, to help Ohio County residents rebuild their homes and lives after those floods destroyed so much, continues to this day and, Palmer said, will continue until the job is done.

He has seen the progress made by many families in Triadelphia and Valley Grove, the towns hardest hit by the floods, and that already has been a great reward.

“People are starting to get into their houses now,” he said. “They’re starting to stay in their houses. They’re getting their kitchens ready to start preparing meals again. We’re getting to where we wanted to be before the snow really flies.”

Palmer, his crew of volunteers and the church have been instrumental in that progress from the beginning up to now. In the days right after the floods, Triadelphia United Methodist Church became a hub for people to get supplies. In the early days, they were the essentials – shelf-stable foods, clothes, toiletries and tools. As the community continued waiting for a federal disaster declaration, the church and its volunteers helped Triadelphia and Valley Grove residents move forward in the face of daunting odds.

Even after the declaration was made and the Federal Emergency Management Agency set up in Triadelphia, their work didn’t stop. One Saturday, Palmer had anyone who needed materials to fix their houses come to the church with a list. The church volunteers collected those lists, put them together, came up with a total dollar amount and set out to raise the money to buy the materials.

“By the grace of God, this check came and this check came and this place helped and that place helped,” he said. “And, before you know it, we had enough to start the project.”

Palmer said that, as of now, they have been able to buy the materials for 55 to 60 of the 75 homes that had been damaged in the flood. The church is working to procure the materials for the rest of the homes and have funds set aside so residents who might have started their paths to recovery late will receive help.

Palmer and the church aren’t stopping there. A community pantry in the church basement is open and will stay open for those in need to grab items Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The church will also serve hot meals in the basement in the afternoon every Monday through Friday.

Palmer said he doesn’t look toward a finish line for the church’s service to a flood-stricken community. He’s not exactly sure where the finish line is. It’s why he won’t take down the tents beside the church, which have housed supplies and been a shelter from the summer sun in the weeks after the flood.

“I think that, if I do that, people are going to say, OK, they’re done,” he said. “But we’re not done.”

Beyond any of his accolades or the financial support that comes with it, Palmer said his heart has become full from seeing the selflessness of the community and neighbors helping each other recover from the floods. Some of it, he said, seems like divine intervention. Recently, a woman phoned him and said that, in buying insulation for her house, she ended up with five extra rolls and wanted to donate them. No sooner than she had dropped them off, another man visited the church asking if it had any insulation to spare.

Palmer’s faith has been supercharged. His faith in his fellow man has done the same. And that has helped him and his volunteer crew march forward in their mission to make every flood victim as whole as possible.

“It’s like I was in a Volkswagen puttering around and, all of a sudden, the Dear Lord gave me adrenaline and now I’m driving a Corvette on the speedway,” he said. “My faith has just grown astronomically.

“We’re not ready to say, OK, let’s call it quits. We did all we can do,” he added. “We’re at the point in time when we get something done, we say, what else can we do?”