Copper Basin Crisis Center: A Ministry Born from Environmental Devastation

The Copper Basin area near Ducktown, Tennessee tells a striking story of environmental and economic collapse. After the Civil War, copper mining companies discovered rich ore deposits in this remote region where Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina meet. To extract the copper, they clear-cut all the trees and used a smelting process that released sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. When this chemical mixed with rain, it created sulfuric acid that fell back to earth, killing every plant and animal across 50 square miles. The resulting barren moonscape and contaminated groundwater destroyed the local economy when the EPA eventually shut down operations. This left residents stranded in a Superfund cleanup site with no jobs and no way to leave.

A Hub of Compassion in Appalachia

Today, the Copper Basin Crisis Center serves as a lifeline for families still struggling with generational poverty in this isolated mountain region. Run by missionaries Jan and Stuart Strickland, the center provides essential services including monthly food boxes, clothing distribution (sorting through 400 requests in a single month), emergency assistance, and holiday support. Volunteers discovered families living in barns with rotted floors, children who had never owned more than one pair of underwear, and parents unable to afford gas to reach medical appointments. The center coordinates with local churches, the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, and volunteer teams from across the state to meet these basic human needs in an area that most people don't even know exists.

Hands-On Ministry Opportunities

Steve and Vicki Puckett have dedicated 18 years to serving this community through annual coat and blanket drives, Christmas meal distributions feeding 200+ families, and week-long Vacation Bible School programs. Their ministry operates on donated items and volunteer labor—sorting clothing, packing food bags, delivering meals directly to families, and simply showing up to pray with people facing impossible circumstances. Every November and December, they lead teams of volunteers on the three-hour journey up the mountain to distribute winter gear and holiday meals, proving that sometimes the most powerful gift is simply letting isolated families know they haven't been forgotten.

Steve and Vicki Puckett Visits New Hope

In September of 2025, New Hope Baptist Church was blessed to welcome Steve and Vicki Puckett, faithful servants of Christ with a deep and longstanding heart for the people of the Copper Basin region. Their visit came as part of our church’s prayerful desire to find meaningful, hands-on ways to serve locally while making an eternal impact. During this special evening, Steve and Vicki shared how God first called them to the Copper Basin nearly two decades ago and how that calling has grown into a ministry rooted in compassion, presence, and the love of Jesus Christ.

Steve shared the powerful history of the Copper Basin area—once devastated environmentally and economically by copper mining after the Civil War. What was left behind was not only scarred land, but generations of families struggling with poverty, limited resources, and ongoing needs. Through God’s provision and the establishment of the Copper Basin Crisis Center in Ducktown, Tennessee, hope has steadily been restored. Trees have returned, and more importantly, ministry has taken root. The Crisis Center now serves families across Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina by meeting practical needs while sharing the hope of the Gospel.

Throughout the presentation, Steve and Vicki described the many ways ministry happens in the Copper Basin: food distribution, clothing and hygiene assistance, home repairs, Vacation Bible Schools, worship services, and seasonal outreach such as coats, hats, gloves, and Christmas meals. They shared moving testimonies of lives changed—families living in barns finding help, children hearing the Gospel for the first time, and individuals discovering that God sees them, knows them, and cares for them. Again and again, they emphasized that sometimes God uses something as small as a meal, a coat, or even a pack of underwear to open a heart to His grace.

Most importantly, Steve and Vicki extended a heartfelt invitation to the New Hope Baptist Church family to join them in this work. They reminded us that ministry is not just about giving financially, but about offering our hands, our feet, our time, and our love. Whether sorting clothes, praying with families, serving meals, or simply showing up, everyone has a role to play. As a tangible reminder, each person received a piece of Copper Basin rock—an invitation to pray daily for the people of that region and to remember that God can bring life, hope, and renewal even from the most barren places.

Steve and Vicki’s visit was more than an update on a ministry—it was a call to partnership, prayer, and action. As a church, we are grateful for their obedience to God’s call and for the opportunity to walk alongside them as we seek to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the Copper Basin and beyond. Our church decided to answer that call to partnership and move forward with support for their ministry.

Pastor Steve Puckett during New Hope Visit