Help Support Disaster Relief Ministry

Help Support Disaster Relief Ministry

When a disaster strikes, like one of the many hurricanes that have pounded the southeast this season, most people think of the Red Cross as the primary national response agency. In Alabama, it might be more accurate to think of Alabama Baptists.

The American Red Cross is the national agency that takes the lead and sets the standard for relief efforts. It is a vital agency and plays an important role. But in Alabama, and many other states where Baptists are prevalent, it is the Baptists who provide a great number of the people who do the hands-on work of feeding and recovery.

Tommy Puckett, Alabama Baptists’ disaster relief director, recently noted that Southern Baptists have a long-standing partnership with the American Red Cross. After the 9/11 tragedy, a partnership was formed with the Salvation Army. Puckett said the Red Cross and Salvation Army provide access to disaster sites. Baptists provide what the other two organizations do not have — feeding units and personnel.

Media reports frequently show the Red Cross vehicles distributing food to disaster victims and relief workers. What is seldom reported is that the food is prepared in Baptist feeding units. The Red Cross usually buys the food. Volunteers connected with Baptist feeding units prepare the food.

Baptists are responsible for equipment to cook the food, operational costs of preparing the food, transportation costs of getting feeding units to the sites, for volunteers to prepare the food, for volunteers’ required training as well as all costs associated with the volunteers on site.

But feeding units are just the beginning of Baptist response. The Alabama Baptist State Convention disaster relief network includes two stand-alone communications systems that function when power is down or telephone lines destroyed, a water purification system, a shower trailer, trained damage-assessment teams, child-care teams, cleanup and recovery teams and trained chaplains.

Every team is trained to standards established by the Red Cross to ensure quality of service. Alabama Baptists are responsible for the cost of training all volunteers who serve under its auspices.

Usually, the Red Cross asks Baptists to send certain kinds of teams to specific areas. When that happens, Alabama Baptists try to set up in local Baptist churches. Occasionally, an association or church will request a particular kind of help. When they do, Alabama Baptists respond.

Such was the case following Hurricane Ivan when the child-care team, staffed by trained state Woman’s Missionary Union volunteers, was sent to First Baptist Church, Flomaton. It was only after local Baptists had requested help that the Red Cross asked for the same kind of assistance.

Baptist volunteers are not shy about sharing the message of Jesus, but they do not proselytize. In the child-care unit, for example, volunteers tell Bible stories and sing Christian songs. Chaplains and other volunteers share the love of Jesus at every opportunity. Puckett reported that a number of professions of faith have been made since Hurricane Ivan as a result of witnessing by Baptist volunteers.

During this hurricane season, Puckett estimates that about 1,500 Alabama Baptists have served as disaster relief volunteers. A rough estimate of the cost to the Alabama Baptist State Convention during this time is around $50,000, Puckett said. Those expenses came when the disaster relief fund was lower than it had been in years.

Volunteers are beginning to focus on long-term needs. Red Cross will play less of a role as this transition occurs and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be more prominent. Again, Alabama Baptists will be there working in coordination with FEMA. There will be work for volunteers for weeks and months to come, Puckett said. And the expenses will continue.

Your help is needed.

“We expect the general public to give to the Red Cross,” Puckett said, “but we hope Baptists will support our disaster relief efforts.” Disaster relief funds help buy, repair and replace equipment. Funds help pay for propane gas for feeding units and diesel fuel for generators and all the other operational costs. The funds help with transportation costs to get feeding units and other services to affected areas.

Disaster relief funds help provide mobile chapels for damaged churches so worship and ministry may continue. Funds help damaged churches rebuild. In some cases, disaster relief funds are channeled through churches to people in the community who have demonstrated need of a helping hand.

All of this is done in the name of Alabama Baptists.

American Red Cross and Salvation Army do a wonderful job with their parts of the partnership. So do Alabama Baptists. Each deserves support.

But it is unlikely that the general public will give to Alabama Baptists, as Puckett observed. That means that Alabama Baptists must respond financially to make disaster relief ministry possible.

Alabama Baptists have a growing number of trained volunteers ready to serve. We have an expanding number of ministries to offer. Our prayer support is widespread. These must be equaled by our financial support that enables us to reach out with helping hands in the love of Jesus Christ in times of need.

If you would like to help support Alabama Baptists’ disaster relief work, your offering may be channeled through your local church or sent directly to the State Board of Missions, P.O. Box 11870, Montgomery, AL 36111-0870. Offerings should be designated for disaster relief.