JOPLIN – A new documentary will look at the role faith in God played as victims of deadly tornadoes in Joplin and Moore, Okla. pieced their lives back together. The documentary, “Where Was God?” features Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers’ and survivors’ testimonies. Look for more information and an interview with the producers in an upcoming issue of The Pathway. … [Read more...]
WMU makes dolls for DR
EUREKA – Handmade dolls that have often been used during mission trips are now being made for Disaster Relief chaplains to give to victims. Jay Ryan, wife of Missouri Valley Director of Missions, and state chaplain trainer Patrick Ryan said the pattern for the doll came from the Woman’s Missionary Union (WMU) around 2009. Jay said one lady asked her to get the pattern for the doll. Patrick asked WMU if they wanted to do this. Patrick Ryan said he originally got the idea from a First … [Read more...]
Healing, DR relief continue in Philippines
Caroline Anderson*/Baptist Press CEBU, Philippines (BP) – From the rubble, a nation is still recovering from Typhoon Haiyan’s devastating effects last November. Much of the press and publicity have moved on, but Baptist Global Response (BGR) continues relief efforts. “Baptist Global Response is gearing up for long-term development as the short-term relief organizations pull out,” says International Mission Board missionary Stan Smith. He and his wife, Dottie, minister on the island … [Read more...]
DR event draws large crowd
EUREKA – Approximately 225 people attended the first 2014 Disaster Relief (DR) training event at Central Baptist Church here, Feb. 21-22. Almost half of the participants were first-time trainees. Associate State Director Dave Wells said attendance in the 180s is normal for training. Three other training events are scheduled this year. Recent disasters – from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the 2011 tornado in Joplin to last year’s tornado in Oklahoma and typhoon in the Philippines – … [Read more...]
Missouri Baptists begin ongoing work on Filipino island
GIBITNGIL, the Philippines – While most of Missouri was wading through snow drifts and scraping ice off windshields, six Disaster Relief (DR) volunteers were wading out to an ocean-going canoe and reusing bent, rusty nails in an ongoing effort to rebuild a Filipino school damaged by November’s typhoon. Teams from Baptist churches across Missouri will be going to the tiny island through the middle of February – the first team returned just before Christmas – helping to rebuild a school … [Read more...]
MMO giving reaches 95 percent of goal
ROB PHILLIPS/MBC dir. of communications JEFFERSON CITY – Missouri Baptists are outpacing last year’s generous giving to state missions. As of Nov. 20, funds received for the Rheubin L. South Missouri Missions Offering (MMO) totaled $664,010, or 95 percent of the goal of $700,000. A year ago at this time, MMO giving totaled $623,805 but eventually surpassed the goal of $675,000, marking the first time in more than a decade that gifts exceeded the target. “Overflow” is the theme … [Read more...]
DR: MBC already on ground in Cebu City, Philippines
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Missouri Baptists are on the ground in typhoon-ravaged islands of the Philippines, and leaders are asking for prayer, future volunteers and funds. Dwain Carter, director of Disaster Relief (DR) for the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) and Mike Beasley, a disaster relief “white hat” from Trimble Baptist Church, left Nov. 13 for the Philippines joining two Southern Baptists from Texas at the request of the United Nations (UN), the Filipino government and Baptist … [Read more...]
Baptist tornado relief continues in Midwest
By Tobin Perry KOKOMO, Ind. – For many exhausted homeowners in Kokomo, Ind., working around the clock to clean up their homes, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) has been a welcome reprieve. SBDR volunteer Karol Jones, a member of Ladoga Baptist Church in Jamestown, Ind., says over and over this week she has talked to worn-out homeowners who can’t believe Southern Baptists would help them—even in the midst of freezing rain—with cleanup, yet not ask anything in return. One … [Read more...]
BGR, Mo. Baptists bring relief to Philippines
CEBU, Philippines (BP) -- Southern Baptists spent all of Monday (Nov. 18) packing relief kits for the inhabitants of Gibitngil Island in the Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan swept over the island, leaving the community battered and without easy access to relief supplies. Students from a local university and church members of the International Southern Baptist Church of Cebu assembled the kits in the church's sanctuary. The relief kits were scheduled to be distributed today (Nov. … [Read more...]
Sending a gift for disaster relief? Maximize your gift’s effectiveness with prudence
As I write today the images from Tacloban, Philippines, are unbelievable. Massive relief efforts are underway to assist those who survived the howling 200+ mph winds and the estimated 20-foot storm surge generated by super typhoon Haiyan. The death toll is rising. We all have seen the images of thousands of survivors attempting to leave the area where water, food and medical assistance evaporated within a matter of hours after the storm. Yet, the roads and flights into Tacloban and other … [Read more...]
Baptists respond quickly to Midwest tornadoes
WASHINGTON, Ill. (BP) -- An approaching tornado interrupted worship at First Baptist Church in Washington, Ill., Nov. 17, leading Pastor Josh Monda to shepherd his congregation to shelter in the basement and ensure all were out of harm's way. "We stepped outside, and you could see the updraft pulling into the storm," said Monda. "We saw the tornado form and began moving through the neighborhood where we knew several of our members live." A church member was hospitalized with injuries … [Read more...]
IMB workers weather typhoon in Philippines
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines (BP) -- They chose to return. IMB representatives Carl and Suzie Miller were in another Filipino city when they heard the news that their home in Tacloban City on the island of Leyte was in the path of Typhoon Haiyan. Sustained winds of 195 miles an hour and gusts reaching 235 miles per hour made Haiyan the strongest recorded storm in the world, according to news reports. Called Yolanda in the Philippines, it registered as a Category 5 typhoon, with 25 million … [Read more...]