By Brian Roberts | North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM) Interim Director
What began as a simple phone call to North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry (NCBAM) for help with what appeared to be a minor plumbing issue became a beautiful reminder of how NC Baptists serve together.
Like many days in the NCBAM call center, the morning began with voicemails, emails and efforts to connect one of nearly 500 clients with a church volunteer. But before the day was done, that one call had become a living picture of believers across our state joining hearts and hands to care for a neighbor in need.
Founded in 2009 as a ministry of Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina (BCH), NCBAM connects aging adults with the practical resources and support they need to live independently for as long as possible. Through those connections, NCBAM also has opportunities to share the hope of Jesus as needs are met. Often, that connection begins with a phone call.
When NCBAM’s Shirley Carlson answered the call from Ina Pickett of Beaufort, the conversation centered on what seemed to be a straightforward plumbing problem. Ina needed help with a leaking faucet. Shirley explained that volunteers with plumbing experience are not always easy to find, but she also knew that years of serving alongside NC Baptists had taught her something precious: when a need arises, God has often already prepared someone to respond.
Shirley and her husband, Roger, have faithfully served for decades through Baptists on Mission’s Disaster Relief, including recent efforts connected to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. Through those years, they built deep friendships with fellow servants in Baptists on Mission. Even before her conversation with Ina had ended, Shirley already knew who to call.
She reached out to Mark Pickett (no relation), site coordinator for the New Bern Rebuild Center. What followed was more than problem solving. It was a testimony to the way Southern Baptists in North Carolina come together to meet practical needs with Christ-like compassion. Ministry leaders, recovery workers and volunteers joined in the shared purpose of ensuring Ina would not be overlooked, and that help would come.
After assessing Ina’s home, damaged years earlier by Hurricane Florence, it became clear that the need was far greater than a leaking faucet. The house had sheltered her family for more than 50 years and carried precious memories, but it also carried serious damage: weakened subflooring, a sagging ceiling, and structural concerns that made everyday living unsafe. Still, to Ina, this was not simply a house. It was the place where generations of family life had unfolded and where God’s faithfulness had met her through both joy and hardship.
Mark shared that Ina had been living in difficult conditions since the 2018 storm and that the home was rapidly deteriorating beneath her feet. In time, the decision was made to demolish the structure and begin again, raising a new home above flood level so that Ina could live in safety and her family could have renewed stability for years to come. What began as a call to NCBAM was now being carried forward by Baptists on Mission through an ongoing disaster recovery ministry that has served Eastern North Carolina since Hurricane Florence.
Baptists on Mission is known for staying long after the headlines fade, and the New Bern Rebuild Center is one example of that steadfast commitment. Opened in 2020, the center continues to welcome volunteer teams from churches and communities across the country, providing lodging, showers, and meals for those who come to serve. As Mark explained, teams arrive from many places including churches, schools and other groups, all united by a desire to help families recover.
Ina’s story is about more than disaster recovery. It is a picture of the Body of Christ at work through BCH’s NCBAM call center, Baptists on Mission, local churches and caring volunteers. It is the kind of ministry that meets practical needs while also reminding a person that they are seen, valued and not alone.
Today, Ina is able to stand on the porch of a restored home with a renewed sense of dignity and hope. She is even making plans for an open house so that friends, neighbors and others in the community can see what God has done.
“I want everyone to see,” she said with a smile. “It’s been a long time coming.”
For NC Baptists, stories like Ina’s are a gentle reminder that ministry often begins with something as simple as answering the phone. And by God’s grace, it continues through willing hands, compassionate hearts and churches united in the shared calling to love their neighbors well.
What is NCBAM?
North Carolina Baptist Aging Ministry is a ministry of Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, founded in 2009. NCBAM connects aging adults with the practical resources and support they need to live independently for as long as possible — and through those connections, shares the hope of Jesus as needs are met. Learn more on our Aging Adults page.
Who does NCBAM serve?
NCBAM serves aging adults across North Carolina who need practical help to remain safely in their homes. The call center currently works to connect nearly 500 clients with church volunteers.
How do I request help for an aging parent in North Carolina?
It usually begins with a phone call to the NCBAM call center. A staff member listens to the need, assesses what kind of help is required, and works to match it with a church volunteer or partner ministry. As Ina’s story shows, sometimes the assessment reveals a need larger than the original request — and NCBAM keeps working the problem.
How can my church volunteer with NCBAM?
Churches and individuals can serve as volunteers matched to specific needs in their area. Volunteers with trade skills — plumbing, electrical, carpentry — are especially needed and often hardest to find.
What does NCBAM not do?
NCBAM is a connector rather than a contractor. It does not provide medical care or replace professional services. In cases like Ina’s, NCBAM brings the right partners to the table — here, Baptists on Mission and the New Bern Rebuild Center — rather than doing the rebuild itself.
Bringing children home — to family, to community, and to Christ.
