WESTON, W.Va. — At the conclusion of last Sunday’s services Hope’s Point Baptist Church Pastor Dan Vaughn and his downtown Weston congregation had no idea what the next week would hold.
Double that for Hope’s neighbor, Weston Church of God Pastor Ryan Seabolt.
What happened was a devastating flood. A flood that’s impacted both churches and the city as a whole.
Weston is a mess. The result of several inches of rain in less than an hour back on Tuesday night. Stonecoal Creek and the West Fork River, which meet in Weston, both flooded. Dozens of homes and businesses filled with feet of water leaving behind what is now dried mud. The heaps of flood-ravaged debris now line Weston’s streets instead of the flowers of summer.
Gov. Patrick Morrisey got a look at the damage in Weston Saturday. He has asked President Donald Trump for a expedited look at a federal disaster declaration.
Opportunity springs from tragedy
Hope’s main church building got flooding in the basement. The church’s coffee shop, which is down the street, got water in the basement and a street level garage.
“We suffered some damage but not as much as others,” Vaughn told MetroNews. “We got our place (coffee house) cleaned up Wednesday so we could be a hub in town, people could come and get help.”
And that’s exactly what’s happened.
The garage has turned into a distribution center. Flood-impacted residents are coming their to get food, cleaning supplies, dehumidifiers and even air conditioners.
The church gave away an estimated 16 to 20 pallets of various items in the first 24 to 36 hours after the flood.
Weston Church of God had gutted its sanctuary after three feet of water got in the building. pic.twitter.com/NHpn9m2djm
— Jeff Jenkins (@JeffJenkinsMN) July 24, 2026
“We didn’t wake up Wednesday morning thinking of being a distribution point,” Vaughn said. “We just have people who love to help others. We found that people were in great need and we can help others. As fast as it’s come in it’s gone out.”
Seabolt’s Church of God is just across and down the street a little from the coffee house. The church building itself took on more damage. The water mark is at seven feet on the brick outside and that meant three feet in the church’s sanctuary.
“I didn’t even expect it to get this bad,” Seabolt told MetroNews. “It took the whole town unexpectedly. We’re trying to clean-up and dig our way out. Our neighbors have come to help.”
They’re hanging on
Debbie Starkey of West Milford is a member at Hope’s Point and one of several who are serving at the distribution center. She said the church, although only a few years old, has a history of helping those going through disaster.
“The pastor (Vaughn) and his wife are very dedicated to the community. We’ve helped others in disasters and those people are paying him back. Supplies have come in from all over.”
She said most of the Weston residents coming there for help are looking for cleaning supplies.
“They are just wanting anything and everything for cleaning,” Starkey said. “Some wanted shovels to scrape the mud out of their houses.”
Asked about how it seems the flood victims are doing.
“They’re hanging on. They seem glad there are people in the community to help them,” Starkey said.
Sunday services still on
Church of God Assistant Pastor David Babbitt, covered with mud when he spoke with MetroNews Friday, said they hoped to have services today despite the flood and a completely stripped out sanctuary. He said that wouldn’t be possible without the help of the community.
“The community has been awesome. It’s been amazing. We are very grateful and thankful,” he said.
Babbitt said they’ve helped others where they’ve been able to but they’ve been the recipients of a lot of help.
“We’ve had visitors from Wyoming County and pastors from throughout the region,” he said.
How long will it last?
Neither Vaughn nor Seabolt can predict how long things will be like they are now.
“I believe all things work for good (Romans 8:28),” Seabolt said. “I know things look bad for the community right now but God has not abandoned us. We are going to continue to minister and move forward.”
Hope’s Point’s distribution center has been open about 10 hours a day. Vaughn said they’ll keep up the pace until the needs are met.
“We have plenty of help and there’s plenty of need,” Vaughn said. “We’re trying to be the matchmaker between the two.”