by Grace Thornton, The Baptist Paper

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It might be called Tiny 2, but the house completed at this year’s BGAV annual meeting has a big purpose, said Glenn Maddox, BGAV national missions director.

Tiny 2 — the second tiny home to be finished out by Impact Disaster Response — is headed to its destination soon, most likely to a family whose home was destroyed by regional flooding in February, Maddox said.

The tiny house sat in the parking lot of Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, Virginia, Nov. 10–12, and volunteers attending the annual meeting worked in shifts to complete the drywall work on the inside.

Dennis Milam of Westwood Baptist Church in Springfield, Virginia, was one of the volunteers who worked on the house on Monday. Milam said he likes the creativity of the missions project.

“It’s a neat out-of-the-box idea to restore families to a home after a disaster,” he said.

‘Bringing hope’

Volunteer Nalini Rhea of Spring Hill Baptist Church in Ruckersville said she appreciates the way the tiny houses will impact those left homeless by disaster.

“This project has shown there is much potential with the concept of tiny homes in crafting a new way of bringing hope to people,” Rhea said.

Maddox said pairing the hands-on experience with the meeting was a “great way to raise awareness” for a project they’re hoping BGAV churches will take on in the future.

Responding to Hurricane Helene

The idea to build tiny houses came about after Hurricane Helene as disaster relief volunteers worked to help homeowners clean up and repair storm damage. When they came across homes that couldn’t be salvaged, the options to help them were slim, Maddox said. He said one charity was helping with rebuilding houses, but the waiting period for that was long.

“So we started talking to people in the area who sell storage buildings and asking what it would take to make one that could be a tiny home concept,” he said.

One area manufacturer came up with a 14’ x 32’ model with a bedroom, great room, kitchen, and fully accessible bathroom, and it was a go. That company started building the shells, and Impact Disaster Response took on the work of finishing out the interiors.

Rapid response

“This is something we could build five or six of and keep offsite until a disaster happens, so we can get people in those homes more quickly if we see that their home is a total loss,” Maddox said. “It will make the process more efficient.”

The tiny houses can either serve as a permanent residence or a temporary one as they wait for a home to be rebuilt, he said.

Maddox said his desire is for churches to see this as a way their members can help with relief work even if they can’t travel to a disaster area.

‘Mission trip in your parking lot’

“Our hope is that we can offer those as a mission trip in your parking lot — we bring the home to you, and you build it on site,” he said.

Maddox said another possibility they’re looking at is to find churches that can be regional host sites for a tiny home project for the summer. They’re also considering putting a house at each Impact Mission Camp location in summer 2026.

Maddox said the houses also could have a purpose beyond disaster relief.

“We say often we work to ensure people are safe, warm, and dry,” Maddox said. “This is what we can do together … whether it’s a fast disaster of a storm or a slow disaster that is poverty.”

“We’re finding a way to serve people when they’re at the worst time in their lives,” Maddox said. “This is part of the church’s mission — making people whole, offering redemption, offering God’s love to people in a way that speaks volumes and provides avenues for more ministry.”

An offering during the Nov. 11 main session was designated for the tiny house ministry. Gifts to the project also can be given at Make A Gift – Baptist General Association of Virginia.

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