North Carolina Christian school pummeled by Helene recounts God’s faithfulness as it eyes reopening

The faith of one North Carolina Christian school has remained unshakable despite being faced with the region’s worst natural disaster in a century.

“The second worst flood in Asheville’s history was in 1916, and Helene surpassed that by more than a foot,” Jason Putnam, head of school at Asheville Christian Academy (ACA), told The Lion.

Located just a few miles east of Asheville, in the small community of Swannanoa, ACA was hit hard by the storm. 

Swannanoa sits in a valley with two reservoirs and a river. The area was already saturated with rain when Helene hit, creating a “recipe for disaster.”  

“Swannanoa has been absolutely devastated,” Putnam said. “I’m a native of the area and in four decades of living I’ve seen nothing that compares to what has happened in Asheville and Chimney Rock and some of the surrounding areas.” 

Thankfully, ACA’s students, families and staff all survived the devastation, though some lost homes and vehicles. 

The school’s property is full of wreckage.

“We have vehicles and mobile homes and other homes that are just scattered across our athletic field and on our property,” Putnam said. 

He estimated 45 of the school’s 55 acres were covered in debris. Its three buildings all had water and mud throughout the first floor. 

When Putnam and a few other school leaders first returned to the property, they realized immediately how much they would have to rely on God. 

 “Seeing the magnitude of the damage, we quickly decided we had to take it one day at a time. That day we began praying for God to show up and give us what we needed for that specific day,” Putnam recalled. “We’ve carried that forward since that first time on campus, and I’m thankful to say there hasn’t been a day where God has not provided the exact need we needed for that day.” 

ACA was able to set up shop temporarily at a local church while the work of restoring school facilities is underway. 

According to Putnam, they expect to reopen after Christmas. 

“I don’t exactly know how tomorrow looks but I know God will show up and He will guide us through whatever tomorrow needs,” he told The Lion. “The church is not the bricks and mortar that make the building, the church is the people. 

“Just like for us, while we love our campus and facilities and we’re very blessed, our school is not the facilities and the materials that make it up. It’s the people, and it’s the lessons that the teachers teach, and it’s the relationships that they make with the students.” 

Even outside of school, Putnam is proud to see students embodying the Christian mission.  

“I’ve received so many videos and pictures of our students and families working in the community, volunteering for Samaritan’s Purse and other ministries,” he said. “For me, it’s just a blessing to see our ACA community reaching out to the greater needs in Swannanoa and others in western North Carolina.” 

Despite the unprecedented loss and uncertainty, the Christian school always comes back to the thing it was founded on: Christ. 

Our whole existence is based on Christ and making sure that our students and families know that their identity is in Christ, and Christ is a part of everything we do at Asheville Christian,” Putnam concluded. 

“God’s faithfulness is evident on a daily basis for us.”

Photos: Courtesy ACA