Ready to go help Haiti? Well, Alabama Baptists — it’s time.
Now that structure is getting in place and lines of transportation are starting to clear, opportunities are opening up for volunteers to go, said Mel Johnson, disaster relief strategist for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM).
One need will be to assist orphans and evacuees brought to Florida, and another will be to do relief work over the coming months in Haiti, where people are traumatized by the loss of life and devastated homeland caused by a Jan. 12 earthquake. The quake killed an estimated 200,000 people and decimated untold numbers of buildings.
“We have yet to deploy but it looks like these things are going to develop and we are going to be ready — not just on alert, but ready to roll,” Johnson said.
To do that, Johnson said the state convention is ready to harness the desire Alabama Baptists have to help by training them in disaster relief at four sessions slated for February at locations around the state.
“You wouldn’t believe the phone traffic and e-mails we’ve been getting from churches and individuals wanting to help. Folks want to go, and we want to get them ready to do that,” he said.
Southern Baptist assessment teams in Haiti were set to arrive back in Florida on Jan. 25 to firm up plans and strategy for long-term disaster relief work.
After the strategy is in place, the February training sessions will help Alabama Baptists get credentialed in disaster relief so that they’re ready to be deployed. That’s something that will not only prepare them for helping Haitians but also have them ready to go when disaster strikes in the future, Johnson said.
Regional Disaster Relief Certification sessions will be held at:
– Whitesburg Baptist Church, Huntsville, Feb. 9, 6–8:30 p.m.
– Lakeside Baptist Church, Birmingham, Feb. 11, 6–8:30 p.m.
– First Baptist Church, Montgomery, Feb. 16, 6–8:30 p.m.
– First Baptist Church, Bay Minette, Feb. 18, 6–8:30 p.m.
In addition to walking volunteers through the disaster relief credentialing process, the sessions will provide detailed information about dealing with Haitians cross-culturally and what to expect when visiting post-quake Haiti.
“Disaster relief strategists agree that the scale of death and destruction in Haiti is well beyond anything seen by Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers ever,” Johnson said. “Participants who are considering deploying to Haiti will need this vital information (provided at the training sessions) as they decide if and when to go.”
Help needed in Haiti could range from cleanup and recovery to food distribution to long-term rebuilding efforts.
“It could involve churches, orphanages, neighborhoods, virtually anything that needs to be done,” Johnson said, adding that more specifics would be known in the coming days.
As soon as the State Department gives the green light, Florida may be receiving a number of Haitian orphans, as well as many other evacuees, Johnson said. “The trigger hasn’t been pulled yet, but when it does, what we are bracing for in Florida is an influx of orphans and families being sent stateside.”
This will open up many ministry needs, both for Alabamians to go and help and for churches and individuals to send specific in-kind donations as requested, he explained.
“We are unsure as to how it is all going to take place, but we have made our resources available to the Florida Baptist Convention to help with families that have been fractured by the earthquake and who are coming to Florida,” Johnson said. “This could involve feeding units, laundry units, shower units and emergency child care units.”
Even though volunteers trained in the four sessions offered in February won’t be specialized in one of those avenues of ministry, they may be paired with one of those teams to do ministry in Florida, he explained.
Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, encouraged Alabamians not to forget how long the need will persist in Haiti.
“Alabama Baptists need to keep in mind that disaster relief work will continue well beyond the time the earthquake will be featured on TV and the Internet as a news item,” Lance said. “We are in this endeavor for the long haul.”
The disaster relief training sessions are open only to members of churches affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention. The fee for the session includes the criminal background check required for credentials (for work with evacuees and orphans) as well as workshop materials and a badge. Neither child care nor meals are provided as part of these events.
For more information or to register for the sessions, contact Mondene Coker at 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 273, or mcoker@alsbom.org, or visit http://levelone.sbdr.org.
To give to Baptist disaster relief work in Haiti, visit www.alsbom.org/haiti and click on “donate” to donate by credit card, or send a check to State Board of Missions, Attn: Accounting Services, P.O. Box 11870, Montgomery, AL 36111-0870. Mark the check “For Disaster Relief.”
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