Baptists and others across the nation were quick to respond to the devastation caused by hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
We responded with prayers and offerings. We responded with compassion for the displaced. Baptists responded with teams of volunteers going to care for the hurting and to help restore and rebuild the damaged areas.
But before Hurricane Irma hit Florida the storm spent three days wreaking havoc on the islands of the Caribbean.
When the eye of the hurricane moved across some of the islands, Irma was a Category 5 storm with wind speeds in excess of 185 miles an hour — and a report of more than 200 miles an hour at one point.
Mountainsides were stripped bare of foliage, homes were leveled and, in some places, infrastructure was destroyed.
Among the first to respond
In the Caribbean, as well as in Texas and Florida, Baptists were among the first to respond. Initial focus for Baptist relief was on those things that could save lives — food, water, shelter and health care. In the weeks and months ahead, Baptists will be there helping overcome some of the long-term problems faced by hurricane survivors.
Leading Baptist response in the Caribbean is Baptist Global Relief (BGR), a nonprofit relief organization that responds to human need worldwide through its partnerships with the International Mission Board (IMB), North American Mission Board (NAMB), Global Hunger Relief, Alabama Baptists, other state conventions and Baptist bodies across the world.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irma, BGR opened projects in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Cuba. That was quickly followed by projects in the Bahamas, St. Thomas, St. John and the Virgin Islands. And BGR was there after Hurricane Maria hit Dominica and Puerto Rico less than two weeks after Irma.
Working with national partners such as Baptists in Cuba and the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, BGR facilitated food and water distributions and worked with other partners to bring in resources such as an Alabama Baptist mobile kitchen unit.
BGR Director Jeff Palmer, a former IMB missionary, said BGR tries to buy local food when available — such as in Cuba. Local food can be distributed more quickly than bringing food from afar. Also, it is food with which the people are already familiar.
Using local Baptists for assessment, oversight and distribution means relief efforts of Baptists can start quickly.
The work is not burdened with high administrative costs and because local leaders know their communities, Baptist relief efforts get to needy places quickly.
Baptists can respond swiftly to disasters like Hurricane Irma because of the annual Global Hunger Relief Offering (known in Alabama as the Alabama Baptist Hunger Offering) scheduled on the Southern Baptist church calendar for Sunday, Oct. 8. This annual offering underwrites hunger relief efforts in the United States and around the world. The Alabama Baptist Hunger Offering sends 75 percent of what comes in from Alabama Baptists to Global Hunger Relief and 25 percent is kept for use in Alabama. Of the funds going to Global Hunger Relief, 20 percent goes to NAMB for use in fighting domestic hunger outside Alabama and 80 percent goes to IMB for use in international hunger relief efforts.
BGR is the arm through which international hunger relief ministries are carried out by Southern Baptists.
BGR responds to earthquakes in Nepal, floods in Bangladesh, drought in South Sudan, refugees in Syria and more. By capitalizing on its network of Baptist partners around the world BGR can quickly be onsite with the type of response needed in a particular emergency.
Not all hunger relief projects are related to natural disasters.
In Ecuador, for example, several fishing villages lost their ability to provide for themselves after a series of earthquakes drove the fish from the traditional fishing grounds. BGR used Global Hunger Relief funds to help bridge the gap while fishermen learned a new craft that could help them provide for themselves and their families.
The whole project was done in partnership with local Baptists who placed a full-time volunteer onsite to assist in the project.
An estimated 40 percent of the world’s population lives in moderate to severe poverty. Many live in rural communities where animal husbandry and agriculture projects can help address issues of hunger and poverty by providing food and income.
BGR projects teach techniques appropriate for the particular area to raise better crops and livestock. In addition to a food source, participants learn how to sell products (meat, eggs, milk, vegetables and even animal dung) for income to meet the needs of their families.
In such an environment, a gift of an animal or a bag of seeds can be the spark that moves a family from hunger and poverty into empowerment and self-sufficiency.
About 780 million people worldwide use unsafe water sources and 2.5 billion lack improved sanitation facilities. BGR helps provide high-quality water for as many people as possible by distributing water filters, drilling wells, building latrines and offering sanitation training throughout various impoverished countries.
The needs are staggering. Response is limited only by the resources Baptists invest in helping hungry and hurting people. In 2016, Alabama Baptists contributed $627,586 to the Global Hunger Relief Offering. The goal for this year is $800,000.
The goal is challenging. Alabama Baptists have just completed a push to raise $1 million through the Myers-Mallory Offering for State Missions. Twenty percent of all receipts will go to disaster relief. In addition, many Baptists have given to relief efforts for victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
While it may not be necessary to help Baptists guard their wallets, a long list of special offerings eventually erodes the amount of funds received for the basic channel of missions support — the Cooperative Program.
Baptist response
Still, the Oct. 8 Global Hunger Relief Offering is vital to Baptist response to human needs around the world. It is vital to Baptist efforts to demonstrate God’s love and care through human touch and vital to opening doors for sharing the gospel.
On Oct. 8 don’t overlook the opportunity to support the Global Hunger Relief Offering and help keep Baptists among the first who respond to hungry and hurting people.
__________________________
Give to hunger relief through your local church or by mailing a check marked ‘Hunger Offering’ to the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, Attn: Accounting Services, P.O. Box 11870, Montgomery, AL 36111.
Share with others: