June 20, 2025
SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Mercy Hill pastor Nate Young says taking a kayak ride through his flooded church was not on his bucket list.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Young said. “We went into the church, and the baptismal was floating around in the sanctuary. Hopefully, this is the only lifetime experience of doing this.”
By Wednesday afternoon, he said most of the water will be back in the river, and then the cleanup begins. Young has already experienced the cooperative spirit of Kentucky Baptists who have called and reached out to help.
“It is overwhelming the amount of people who have reached out to me,” he said. “I’m thankful for the Disaster Relief guys with the KBC (Kentucky Baptist Convention). God’s provision has blown me away. I’ve got multiple churches waiting for me to reach out to them, and they will send men’s groups to help. We are waiting for the water to recede at this point.”
Young said the flooding was not unexpected as the rain was forecast early last week. He said it was about this time seven years ago when flooding struck the church plant from First Baptist Church in Mt. Washington.
“We had finished drywall on a renovation project, and instead of painting, we were moving stuff upstairs,” he said. “This is not our first rodeo. The last time we had two feet of water, and this time it is about 3½ feet.”
Mercy Hill is located in the heart of Shepherdsville and in a great location, except for the flooding, Young said. “The city is renovating First Street Park, putting millions of dollars in the park. We are right there. We partner with the city a lot because of the location. (But) Flooding is definitely a challenge.”
When Mercy Hill was formed, it held services at Bullitt Central High School for 5½ years before renovating an older building. Young has been the pastor throughout its history. Paul Chitwood, the president of the IMB, was the pastor when Mt. Washington planted Mercy Hill, Young said. “He was so helpful.”
The church has about 80 members. He has been helping and encouraging those who are having a difficult time in the wake of the flooding. One member was safe at home but surrounded by water. Another member, who lived in Lebanon Junction, had to be rescued by boat and is living in the pastor’s basement for now.
Young said a partnership with FBC Shepherdsville, where Stan Lowery is serving as the interim pastor, has been a blessing for Mercy Hill.
FBC Shepherdsville offered its gymnasium for Mercy Hill to hold a Sunday service. While it was too difficult to get that done this week, Young said his church will meet at FBC Shepherdsville next Sunday. The two churches will also hold a joint Easter Service where Young will preach.
“They’ve been wonderful to work with,” he said. “The connection is so strong. They called Saturday and offered the gym, and it didn’t have to go through a committee. They just said come on over.”
Young expects restoration work to begin in Mercy Hill later this week.
Assessing the damage will be the first task, and he has reached out to Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief Director Ron Crow. He said KBC Executive Director Todd Gray has also checked in on him.
“I’m really thankful and appreciate all the KBC has already done,” Young said.
Kentucky Baptist cooperation is helping a small church endure a big challenge.
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This story appeared in Kentucky Today.
