Cadiz—The Western Kentucky town of Cadiz still is in shock after learning its largest employer will soon shut its doors. But the impact begins sinking in this month as a series of layoffs gets underway.

In early September, automotive seat manufacturer Johnson Controls said it would gradually phase out its work force by next summer, eliminating 559 employees in a town of 2,500.

“When something like that closes in a community our size, it’s a huge potential impact,” noted Kevin Roberts, pastor of Cadiz Baptist Church. “The talk’s been going around for awhile, but when reality sets in, it’s tough.”

“I was shocked, to say the least,” said Paul Cannon, pastor of Canton Baptist Church, located eight miles west of Cadiz. “I thought Johnson Controls was doing wonderful and had no problems. It took everyone by surprise, even the workers.”

While plans are still being formulated, Kentucky Baptist churches hope to help relieve some of the pressure by offering food, clothing and other assistance.

Several KBC congregations have donated funds to Helping Hands of Trigg County, a community-based outreach that supplies the needy with food and other forms of assistance. In addition, most Baptist churches maintain benevolence programs.

From a spiritual perspective, their most valuable contribution is prayer.

Intercession prevented several members of Liberty Point Baptist Church from losing their jobs after another Cadiz plant nearly folded, Pastor Monty Flanigan noted.

Benson International, which manufactured flatbeds, dump trailers and other truck bodies, announced last June that it would close, costing more than 100 employees their jobs.

Although one engineer from Liberty Point was temporarily laid off, he and others were rehired after Wabash National Corp. purchased the plant for $5 million in late July. Another member who had remained on the job received a salary increase when Wabash took over.

“We began to ask God to allow a company to buy them out, let them stay and let them make more money than they had,” he added. “And all that came true. Their faith was tested; it went all the way to the last minute. But God answered our prayers and even more so.”

Since only a few families at Cadiz Baptist will be affected, there will not be a dramatic impact on the church, but Roberts is concerned for the welfare of the community.

“There’s a need and that need is going to be increasing,” Roberts indicated. “The economic situation isn’t great for a lot of people.”

Though Liberty Point averages more than 200 on a Sunday, nobody from the church works at Johnson Controls. Still, Flanigan recognizes that people in the community are concerned about the future.

“In light of everything going on in the economy, it’s been a big fear for a lot of people,” he said. “Christians are doing everything they can to trust the Lord, but with everything going on … it’s been tough.”

All Christians should recognize these situations are an opportunity to help the less fortunate, said the co-chairperson of Helping Hands, an all-volunteer effort.

“People who have money are going to have to help us,” noted Ronella Stagner, who helped start the agency in 1997. “If we don’t get help, I don’t know what’s going to happen.

“I’d say we haven’t begun to see the impact of (Johnson Controls) yet. It’s coming and I dread it. It’s going to be bad. Outside of the school system, that’s our biggest employer.”

Two Kentucky Baptists who endured similar fears in 1998 when a large employer left Campbellsville say KBC churches in Cadiz can play a significant role in rallying that community.

James Jones, pastor of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, was then pastor at Campbellsville Baptist. He recalled how the church hosted a noon prayer meeting, just hours after plant officials at Fruit of the Loom announced it was closing, throwing 3,200 people out of work.

“Prayer was very important,” he said of the many meetings that followed Fruit of the Loom’s closure. “There were people who felt God had let them down and they were lost. They felt they had no hope.”

Bob Clark, director of missions for Taylor County Baptist Association, said in addition to food and other assistance offered by churches, KBC-affiliated Campbellsville University offered retraining classes.

“The community came together,” Clark said. “There was a coming together and a transition that eventually provided more employment than Fruit of the Loom.”

Among the new employers who gradually moved in were book and music distributor Amazon.com and companies involved in air filters, travel trailers and data collection.

While there may be some painful times ahead for Cadiz, Jones said churches can help people see that God wasn’t surprised by what happened and won’t leave them stranded.

“The main thing is offering encouragement and letting people know God hasn’t forgotten them,” he said. “Let them know there is light at the end of the tunnel and that Baptists are going to stand with them.”