BE the CHURCH AMERICANS: Support Pours in for Blount County Church After Fatal Crash

Some members of Cedar Grove Baptist Church spent Thursday afternoon writing thank-you notes.
They've had to order new cards in the past few weeks simply to keep up with their responses to the dozens of cards, condolence letters and donations they've received recently.

"That's one of the things that has helped us - so many people are thinking about Cedar Grove Baptist Church now who didn't even know where we were before," Pastor Bob Lynch said.

Nearly three weeks ago, on the morning of Sept. 16, a church van carrying 12 members back from a youth retreat in Gatlinburg was struck head-on. It flipped and caught fire, killing 45-year-old Jeff Trussell and 16-year-old Courteney Kaliszewski, and injuring several more.

"The trauma is still as deep today as it was three weeks ago," Lynch said. "They were going to tell about their experiences on the retreat, they were going to lead in prayer, they were going to read scripture, they were going to share what God had been doing with their lives, but they didn't get to do that."

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