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KATRINA EVACUEES RETURN THE FAVOR TO CAMP BATTERED BY LAURA

September 9, 2020

By Brian Blackwell
Baptist Message

More than 30 members of Horeb Baptist Church in Gretna cut up trees and removed debris at Dry Creek Baptist Camp in Gretna, La., Labor Day weekend.

DRY CREEK, La. — The winds were still howling as Hurricane Laura blew through Dry Creek Baptist Camp Thursday morning Aug. 27, when camp director Todd Burnaman fielded a welcomed phone call from the pastor of Horeb Baptist Church in Gretna, La., asking how he and his people could lend assistance.

The members of Horeb Baptist, a Hispanic congregation that stayed at the camp for 33 days when they evacuated during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, were excited about the chance to repay the camp’s leaders for their kindness. The group of more than 30, along with staff from a camp operated by Florida College in Tampa, Fla., helped clear trees and other debris on the property during Labor Day weekend.

“We’ve remained good friends with Horeb Baptist 15 years later, and they have been a part of the Dry Creek family since,” Burnaman told the Baptist Message. “When Pastor David Rodriguez was on the line the Thursday of the storm asking if they could come, I didn’t hesitate to tell him to come on.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: News, SBC Tagged With: Disaster Relief

DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS FOSTER RACIAL UNITY

September 9, 2020

By Will Hall
Baptist Message executive editor

A grandmother giving care to eight grandchildren and who had suffered house damage from Hurricane Laura said she just wanted ‘that people would love each other’ when asked by Jeff Free, a member of Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, about her prayer needs. She then had all the children join hands with her and the chainsaw team to pray.

ALEXANDRIA, La. – While racial tensions continue to claim national headlines, the multi-state disaster relief response to one of the largest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the country is serving as an opportunity to build goodwill between ethnic groups in storm-affected parts of Louisiana.

Hurricane Laura came ashore in the state with 150 mph winds and maintained its ferocity far inland, with tropical storm winds of 50 mph, gusting to 85 mph, recorded in Alexandria, about 130 miles north from where the eye of the storm struck the coast. The winds knocked out power to 579,000 homes and businesses in the state, but the total devastation in terms of lost homes and businesses has not yet been tallied.

In Central Louisiana, comprising 10 parishes, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief, alone, has received 900 calls for help regarding damaged homes and property during the first week after the storm. The enormous response, especially by a predominately white Southern Baptist Disaster Relief organization, has alleviated many physical needs, but it also has brought some racial healing.

MAGNOLIA STATE CONVERT

Bob Thomas, a member of Highland Baptist Church in Senatobia, Mississippi, experienced a moment of grace and growth on Saturday morning. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: News, SBC Tagged With: Disaster Relief

TENNESSEE BAPTIST DR TEAMS SENT TO LOUISIANA

September 3, 2020

Baptist and Reflector 

FRANKLIN — Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been called into action and will be arriving in Louisiana to aid with recovery efforts following Hurricane Laura. 

Teams from Knox County Association (bucket truck, skid steer and chainsaw units), Nolachucky Association (bucket truck, chainsaw and skid steer units), Jefferson County Association (bucket truck and chainsaw units) and Woodland Baptist Church (chainsaw and skid steer) began making their way to Winnfield, La., today (Sept. 3). 

Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, said other teams remain on alert, and said “follow-up teams” are likely to be needed in the days ahead.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: News, Tennessee Tagged With: Disaster Relief

TENNESSEE BAPTISTS ON ALERT AFTER HURRICANE LAURA

August 28, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

MOUNT JULIET —In the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, Tennessee Baptists are on alert and ready to go out as needed, affirmed Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.

Louisiana took the brunt of the Category 4 hurricane, which is considered by some to be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit the United States. The hurricane struck near Lake Charles near the Texas-Louisiana border.

During a conference call of state disaster relief directors on Aug. 28, a Texas Baptist DR official reported Texas DR can handle the damage in their state and be ready to assist in Louisiana within two weeks.

Flooding was not as bad as predicted because the storm surge did not reach its anticipated height, but the hurricane’s high winds caused extensive tree damage and caused power outages throughout the region. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: Disaster Relief

COVID, TORNADO RESPONSE KEEP DR VOLUNTEERS BUSY

August 24, 2020

By Lonnie Wilkey
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

Kevin Felton, a disaster relief volunteer, from First Baptist Church, Georgetown, gets his chain saw ready for a day of clean up in Bradley County. — Photo by Phil Taylor

MOUNT JULIET — Add a couple of major tornadoes in March, sprinkled in with a large dose of unexpected COVID-19, and the end result is a lot of busy Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers.

At the end of July, Tennessee Baptist DR had already contributed 9,045 volunteer days. By contrast, DR volunteers had 5,915 days during ALL of 2019.

Wes Jones, disaster relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Convention, noted that actually most of the volunteer hours were put in between March 3 and mid-June. 

“And, they are almost double any other total year (since 2015),” he said. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: Disaster Relief

STORMY DAYS, STRONG FAITH

June 23, 2020

God at work in Hamilton County amid tough times

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Disaster relief volunteers and others survey the damage at a house that was damaged by a tornado in Hamilton County on April 12.

CHATTANOOGA — The residents of Hamilton County have experienced a trilogy of turmoil in the past few months.

It began when the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold, throwing daily routines into a state of flux. Then came a deadly tornado that created another wave of emotional and physical challenges. And in recent days, Hamilton County, like the rest of the country, has been dealing with racial unrest that was ignited by the death of George Floyd.

The three events might lead some to wonder, “where has God been in all this tragedy?”

Dennis Culbreth, the director of missions for Hamilton County Baptist, said the answer is clear — the Lord has been present and active through it all.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, Disaster Relief

SHOWING COMPASSION IN THE FORM OF A COUCH

April 30, 2020

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

TAZEWELL — The mission statement of Region Education Center Ministries doesn’t mention anything about furniture. But as it turns out, couches, loveseats and footstools have certainly become an important part of what REC Ministries does.

Roger Hansard, a former Tennessee pastor, and his wife, Judy, are the founders of REC Ministries, which provides career job training for individuals by teaching computer skills, GED, adult literacy and other skills. The organization operates with the primary purpose of “winning the lost to Christ” and strives “to educate, elevate, and evangelize the people in our region.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: Disaster Relief, missions

TBMB PROVIDES PRAYER HOTLINE

April 14, 2020

Baptist and Reflector

FRANKLIN — The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board is providing a Prayer Hotline that will be answered 24 hours a day for the foreseeable future by trained Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief chaplains.

The phone number is 844-600-8262 (844-600-TBMB).

The prayer hotline, which launches at 11 a.m. (CST) on Wednesday, April 15, is for anyone looking for prayer or conversation with an experienced chaplain, said Bill Choate, director of Baptist Collegiate Ministry for the TBMB. When there are specific needs, individuals may be referred to other resources, he added.

“These days are extraordinarily difficult for so many,” Choate observed. “The coronavirus crisis is affecting not only church members and communities but also church leaders, pastors and ministerial staff.” [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, COVID-19, Disaster Relief

TENN. BAPTIST DR TEAMS FAN OUT

April 14, 2020

By David Dawson
Baptist and Reflector
ddawson@tnbaptist.org

Marlin Curnutt, left, of FBC Morristown, talks with Sharon Wildner, the director of God’s Warehouse Coronavirus Plan, as they organize boxes for delivery from God’s Warehouse in Morristown.

FRANKLIN — Wes Jones is accustomed to dealing with the unpredictable. It’s his job.

He’s been involved with flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, fires, power outages and all in between.

But even Jones, the Disaster Relief specialist for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, admits that the current confluence of instability, uneasiness and confusion — created by the COVID-19 pandemic — has been a major challenge. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, Disaster Relief, missions

TENNESSEE BAPTISTS READY TO ASSIST CDC AMID CRISIS

March 20, 2020

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated from the original post.

Compiled by B&R staff

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — Anxiety in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis continues to mount, but Southern Baptists across the United States are determined to respond and meet needs.

On March 12, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reached out to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) leadership to discuss engaging Southern Baptist volunteers in response efforts on a nationwide scale. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Featured, News, Tennessee Tagged With: coronavirus, Disaster Relief

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Recent Posts

  • PRO-LIFERS, IT’S TIME TO FOLLOW THROUGH
  • STATE PCC DIRECTORS EXCITED, BUT CAUTIOUS
  • ‘JUST HORRIFIC’: ILLINOIS, KENTUCKY SOUTHERN BAPTISTS MINISTER AFTER WEEKEND SHOOTINGS
  • CHURCHES CELEBRATE HIGH COURT’S RULING
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