Disaster Relief Archives - Baptist & Reflector

BCM STUDENTS BRING ENERGY TO DR WORK

August 13, 2019

By Ashley Perham
Baptist and Reflector intern

WARSAW, N.C. — The Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions makes it possible for Tennessee Baptists to pass the torch of service down to the next generation through intergenerational missions.

“For almost three years now, Tennessee Disaster Relief and The Baptist Collegiate Ministries in Tennessee have begun to work together to respond to disasters. We know that students have the desire to help,” said Wes Jones, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board disaster relief specialist. [Read more…]

CALIF. QUAKES PROMPT SOUTHERN BAPTIST RESPONSE

July 9, 2019

By Brandon Elrod
Baptist Press

After enduring two earthquakes — one July 4 followed by a second July 5 — Immanuel Baptist Church, Ridgecrest, Calif., needed to cancel Sunday services. Parts of the ceiling came down throughout the church building. Volunteers from the church had cleaned up much of the damage from the July 4 earthquake only to have their efforts erased by the second quake. Photo courtesy of Immanuel Baptist, Ridgecrest.

RIDGECREST, Calif. — A group of local, church volunteers had finished a day of cleaning up and repairing damage to Immanuel Baptist Church, Ridgecrest, Calif., following a 6.4 earthquake on July 4. The next night, the 7.1 earthquake undid their hard work and then some.

“I was at home with my wife for the 7.1,” said Bill Logan, pastor of Immanuel Baptist. “There was a 5.0 that happened first. When it hit, we wanted to be out of the house. Then, about three minutes later, the seven hit, and all our neighbors were screaming.” [Read more…]

DR WORKERS STAY ON THE MOVE AFTER STORMS

June 28, 2019

By Ashley Perham
Baptist and Reflector

DR volunteers Carl Baldwin and Sam Matthew, along with the homeowner, survey the damage done by the storms in the Clarksville area.

CLARKSVILLE — The Cumberland Baptist Disaster Relief Team is normally busy. They have been deployed five times in the past six months to areas outside Middle Tennessee, according to Carolyn Watson, the team’s director.

However, this past week, they have been assisting much closer to home. The team has been removing trees that fell down in the June 21-22 storms in Clarksville.

Watson said that her team completed two downed tree jobs on Sunday and had 14 more to do, although there would probably be more calls. [Read more…]

TENNESSEE DR TEAMS REQUESTED

June 4, 2019

Baptist and Reflector

MOUNT JULIET — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief flood recovery teams are needed, according to Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Arkansas Baptists have requested teams to assist with flood recovery. “They are having historic flooding in the state,” Jones reported. [Read more…]

WES JONES: FLEXIBILITY A KEY FOR DR VOLUNTEERS

May 30, 2019

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

MOUNT JULIET — The ability to be flexible is a must for disaster relief volunteers, observed Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Just two days after requesting chainsaw teams “as soon as possible” to respond to tornado damage, Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief canceled that callout on May 28. [Read more…]

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN DOMINICA

April 5, 2019

DR teams continue recovery efforts on Caribbean island

By David Dawson
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

DR volunteers gather for prayer with staff and members of La Plaine Baptist Church on the island of Dominica.

FRANKLIN — More than 17 months after Hurricane Maria left its devastating signature on the Caribbean island of Dominica, Tennessee Baptist disaster relief teams are still going strong in their efforts to help residents recover from the deadly storm.

And they won’t be slowing down any time soon.

Tennessee Baptist Mission Board disaster relief specialist Wes Jones said DR teams will continue to routinely travel to Dominica for the foreseeable future. [Read more…]

ALWAYS ANSWERING THE CALL

April 5, 2019

Tennessee Baptist DR units aid recovery from February floods

By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing writer, B&R

Don Vailes from Woodland Baptist Church, Brownsville, surveys the damage of the flood waters.

JACKSON — February 2019 was one of the wettest Februaries on record in Tennessee. Torrential rains swelled the Mississippi and Tennessee Rivers and all their tributaries to record flood levels.

Numerous homes and businesses in several counties near the rivers were flooded and underwater.

Flooding affected much of the state. In all, 58 counties in West, Middle and East Tennessee surveyed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were over their per capita damage threshold in public damage, according to an article in The Jackson Sun on March 26. [Read more…]

DISASTER RELIEF: AT WORK IN OUR STATE — AND WELL BEYOND

April 5, 2019

Compiled by B&R staff

Sandra Williams, left, of Sullivan Baptist Church, Kingsport, and Shelley Self of First Baptist Church, Alcoa, work the feeding unit at a recent Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief project.

While many Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers from a number of TBC churches have been working in various places in Tennessee in response to the flooding that struck the state in February, other DR personnel have been continuing to work elsewhere around the country and in Puerto Rico and Dominica.

Here’s a look at just some of the projects and recovery efforts that are taking place: [Read more…]

FOR THE LONG HAUL

April 4, 2019

Morristown business donates truck for Disaster Relief work

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Standing in front of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief’s newest ministry tool are, from left, David Hawkins, director of missions, Nolachucky Baptist Association; Don Owen, DR director for Nolachucky Association; Randy C. Davis, president and executive director of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board; Roscoe England, DR volunteer and driver; Doyle Wallace, president of Wallace Hardware in Morristown; and Wes Jones, DR specialist for the TBMB. Wallace Hardware donated the truck to be used for disaster relief ministry.
— Photo by Charles Key, Carson-Newman University

MORRISTOWN — Wallace Hardware in Morristown recently donated a truck to be used for Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief ministry.

The truck was donated to Nolachucky Baptist Association’s disaster relief ministry, which, in turn, donated it to Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief. The truck will be housed at “God’s Warehouse” in Morristown.

Don Owen, disaster relief director for Nolachucky Association, noted that Wallace had allowed DR to use the truck and its trailers for the past three years for numerous trips to areas that have been impacted by hurricanes and other disasters. [Read more…]

A BUSY MARCH — DAVIS REFLECTS ON YEC, DR, BCMs

April 3, 2019

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

FRANKLIN — Evangelism and missions were once again at the forefront of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board in March.

In his podcast reflecting on the month before, Tennessee Baptist Mission Board President and Executive Director Randy C. Davis observed that 780 decisions for Christ during the annual Youth Evangelism Conference was one of the highlights in March. In addition, more than 60 people surrendered to vocational ministry, he said.

“We’re just thrilled at what God did at YEC this year.”

Davis said the impact of YEC continues to grow even after its 51st year. [Read more…]

DR teams continue recovery efforts on Caribbean island

Tennessee Baptist DR units aid recovery from February floods

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