Porter named national director for SBDR

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The North American Mission Board (NAMB) has named Sam Porter as the new national director for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR).

Porter will replace Mickey Caison, who will officially retire Aug. 31.

NAMB noted Porter has been a proponent of SBDR for years and one of the first disaster relief leaders to respond after the 9/11 attacks in New York City.

He made numerous trips to the area for two years and served as a chaplain in the morgue at Ground Zero.

Porter also has led more than 100 volunteer missions projects and more than 40 international relief missions. He’s headed recovery efforts for a year in Haiti following 34 volunteer teams from Oklahoma in the wake of the devastating earthquake Jan. 12, 2010.

Porter currently serves as volunteer missions specialist for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, which includes responsibilities as the director of Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief.

Porter said he is “really thrilled” about the new role, adding, “My prayer is that we can see every state convention have a strong disaster relief team to impact their part of the USA for the Lord by serving when individual’s lives are torn apart by disasters of various types.”

Porter plans to begin his role with NAMB in mid-September. (BP)