Hurricane Katrina did more for St. Clair Baptist Association’s churches than give them a heightened awareness of the need — it gave them a heightened preparedness to meet that need, too.
"After going to the Gulf Coast (after Katrina), we saw a great need and realized that the trailers other teams had were a lifesaver," said Ben Chandler, St. Clair Association director of missions.
He and others came back home and in the course of their relief efforts, secured a faith-based grant to help build three shower trailers. The association also added a bucket truck to its disaster relief fleet.
"Another big disaster will come, and we want to be ready when it does," Chandler said.
St. Clair Baptists weren’t alone in their desire to go into the next disaster with eyes wide open. Many Alabama Baptists saw the great contribution made after Katrina but also saw what could have been accomplished with a little more preparation.
Geneva Baptist Association churches, which have long been involved in relief efforts, have in post-Katrina days boosted their manpower and equipment to rebuild what needs rebuilding now and prepare for what will need it later.
"We’ve got the equipment now, the tools that we need to clean up, clean out or rebuild. We have the transportation — a new van — and an enclosed trailer," said Dicky McAllister, director of missions for Geneva Association. "There’s still a lot to be done, and there will be a lot more to do." (TAB)
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