• Bethel Baptist Church, Dora, partnered with Jasper-based Hope Missions July 17–21 to host 150 people from 12 churches in five states: Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio and South Carolina. The participants formed 10 construction teams and five ministry teams.
Some construction teams repaired tornado-damaged homes in Cordova. One team helped Antioch Baptist Church, Bremen, rebuild, while another team rebuilt a home in Sipsey.
The ministry teams visited nursing homes, hosted backyard Bible clubs in Dora and worked with Mission of Hope, a clothes closet and food pantry in Dora.
They handed out more than 1,200 tracts, and several team and community members made salvation decisions during the week.
The team members were there to help people and meet needs, but their primary focus was “to share the gospel [with] as many as possible,” said Shawn Doss, director of Hope Missions.
• The recovery effort in Tuscaloosa following the April 27 tornado has officially moved to the rebuilding phase. The first new house was framed in the Holt area July 12–16 by the Northport Men’s Construction Team of Northport Baptist Church.
Habitat for Humanity and Nick’s Kids Fund supplied the funding for materials while the men’s construction team went to work with 20 men from Northport Baptist and 20 men from Freedom Baptist Church, Ranburne.
The men constructed the 2,300-square-foot house at 4238 Fifth St. NE. Another Habitat team will work on the interior and plan to complete the project by Aug. 1.
Bill McDonald, leader for the Northport Men’s Construction Team, said the team has been going on international missions trips for 25 years but after the April tornadoes, it felt the need to stay local.
“[The team] thought it would be encouraging to the area,” McDonald said. “[I think it] tells the community, ‘We can build back, we should build back and there’s now capability to build back.’”
The team is prepared to help with more construction projects in the future.
For more information, call McDonald at 205-310-9550.
• The Reins of Life disaster relief group has been focusing on helping the tornado survivors since May 1.
“Now we are asking for help. We have a benefit horse show scheduled for July 30 in Sulligent at 6 p.m.,” said Frieda Palmer, who is with the group. It will be held at the Sulligent arena next to the railroad tracks, she said. “Tell your friends and come out if you can.”
For more information, contact Palmer at 205-546-0955.
• St. Clair Baptist Association reports the following disaster relief projects needing assistance:
• Cleanup and recovery of property in at least four locations
• Completion of building three houses
• Repair and restore the level and stability of one house
• Build a house from start to finish — or any part of it
For more information, contact Director of Missions Ben Chandler, at domstclairbapt@windstream.net.
• NorthPark Baptist Church, Trussville, continues to host church groups who wish to come and serve in the Birmingham area. The most recent group was from First Baptist Church, Castor, La.
The church also hosts Serving You Ministries on its campus for additional support. The hotline is 205-908-7985.
• St. Clair Baptist Association’s Greensport Baptist Church, Ashville, will hold a Bereaved Tornado Survivors Group Meeting on July 31 from 2–4 p.m.
The informational meeting will serve as a support group and is for anyone who was affected by the recent tornadoes. Mental health professionals, bereavement professionals and pastors will attend the meeting to provide the group with helpful recovery information.
For more information, call the associational office at 205-594-5173.
Visit www.sbdr.org for more disaster relief information.
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