Colleagues create community fund after bats invade Moss Point pastor’s home

Updated: Feb. 22, 2019 at 5:21 PM CST
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MOSS POINT, MS (WLOX) - “It was like a scene from a horror movie,” said the Rev. Dr. Richard E. Young.

That was the feeling in Young’s home. Young is Senior Pastor of Greater First Baptist Church of Escatawpa. He was sitting in the living room when bats took flight.

“All out of the blue bats started flying. They started running, we started running, my wife started running and hollering,” Young said. “The bats flew from the den to the kitchen. I called the Moss Point Police Department. Raymond came out and the bats were hanging off of the cabinets with their wings spread. Raymond said that he wasn’t going in there on those bats.”

Young has been run out of his house and has not been back since November. He contacted his insurance company for assistance with repairs and was told that, because this was a preventable infestation, they would not be able to cover it. When he heard that, he turned to his congregation and neighboring churches for help.

Bats invade Moss Point pastor’s home
Bats invade Moss Point pastor’s home(Photo source: Omarion Polk)

Colleagues Caleb Shelby Sr. and Calvin Mitchell recognized Young’s need and got to work.

“Pastor Young is one of our pastors in our district association and we are coming together to help him in his time of need,” Shelby said. “We are going to setup a fund at Merchant and Marines Bank to be able to contribute towards that. We don’t want that incident to happen again or bats to continue to get in his home. He will be able to restore his home back get rid of the smell in his home. It’s going to take tearing out the walls to restore his home back together.”

Young and family hope to be back in their home within the coming months.

If you would like to donate to his cause, you can visit any Merchants and Marine Bank and ask for the Benefit Fund for Richard Young. For more information you can visit the contact page of the Merchants and Marine Bank website.

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