This story was originally published in May 2025.

On Easter Sunday, the congregation of an historic church in the Buck Creek community of McDowell County gathered to worship for the last time at their old building.

For more than 100 years, Sunnyvale Baptist Church on Buck Creek Road has been a place for worship services, weddings and funerals. One member said on GoFundMe that her church “has been the heart of the Buck Creek community, serving its families and neighbors with love and grace.”

The church’s building, which has stood for around 60 years, suffered severe damage from the floodwaters of Hurricane Helene in late September.

In the months afterward, the small congregation, which has more than 30 members, held weekly prayer meetings and made numerous calls with different government

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