Throughout young Ethan Gilman’s captivity and following his rescue Feb. 4, his plight made headlines.
The now 6-year-old – who for days was held hostage by an abductor in an underground bunker in Midland City, Ala. – has even made a subsequent appearance on national TV with his mother, Jennifer Kirkland, in an exclusive interview.
During the harrowing days when countless people waited and prayed for Ethan’s release, there were those who worked behind the scenes to provide food, needed supplies and support to Ethan’s family and law enforcement.
Among them: Jim Hill, pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Ozark, Ala., a North American Mission Board-endorsed disaster relief chaplain through the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions and a member of The Salvation Army board of directors in Dale County, Ala.
Hill, who was called by The Salvation Army into chaplain service during the hostage crisis, spent several days ministering one-on-one to Ethan’s family along with two other area pastors. Hill said chaplains were provided around the clock and included Kenneth Hale, director of missions for Dale Baptist Association, and Ken Farley, church development director for Columbia Baptist Association.
Hill encouraged the chaplains to shake hands with those working at the site and let them know they were being prayed for. Almost every time he spoke with one of those people, Hill said the individual would express gratefulness for how the community had come together in such a remarkable manner.
That unity showed itself in many ways: the tables full of homemade snacks for law enforcement, the prayer vigils organized by area high school students, and the support from local businesses and individuals. “It was a huge community effort,” Hill said.
Hale agreed. “It was not one group – it was everybody working together,” he said, noting that Dale Association worked in conjunction with The Salvation Army, which coordinated food for the law enforcement command center while churches provided support.
– Payne is a newswriter for The Alabama Baptist (thealabamabaptist.org), where this article first appeared. Samford University communications contributed to this report.