SHAWNEE, Okla. (BP) — In the wake of severe tornado damage at Oklahoma Baptist University on the evening of April 19, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) was already on the ground assessing damage and seeking to help by the following morning. “This is the most significant natural disaster in the history of OBU. That’s 113 years,” OBU President Heath Thomas told KOCO news in Oklahoma City. “I am very happy to report that we had no injuries and we had no casualties. … Looking at the … [Read more...]
With 21 dead, churches respond to tornado damage amid personal tragedies
ROLLING FORK, Miss. (BP) – Pastor Bob Gilliland’s son Roger called and told him to turn on the weather; a tornado was approaching. “I was getting ready to go to bed and she was watching her Hallmark,” the 81-year-old Gilliland said of himself and his wife Betty, 79. “We turned on the weather and they were showing pictures of the tornado and said it was heading towards us. She got in the bathroom and I stood in the hall. The tornado came through and shook the house but neither one of us … [Read more...]
Gospel seeds planted as SBTC DR teams work in flooded Missouri
ST. LOUIS (BP) – Rainfall of historic proportions pummeled Missouri and Illinois along the Interstate 70 and 64 corridors on July 26, when an estimated 11 inches of rain fell in an eight-hour period, according to the National Weather Service. On Aug. 9, the Biden administration approved Missouri’s major disaster declaration request, almost two weeks following flash flooding that swamped the St. Louis metropolitan area, damaging more than 750 homes and 130 businesses, news sources … [Read more...]
Oklahoma DR volunteers heading to St. Louis injured in traffic accident
MIAMI, Okla. – Seventeen Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) volunteers were involved in a traffic accident as they were on their way to Missouri to help with flood relief in St. Louis. On Sunday, Aug. 7 a caravan of three vans were in Miami, Oklahoma, just southwest of Joplin when they were struck by a semi-trailer truck in a construction zone. Don Williams, the director of Disaster Relief for the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) said there was extensive damage to the rear … [Read more...]
Southern Baptists responding to ‘overwhelming’ Kentucky floods
WHITESBURG, Ky. (BP) — As surveyors continue assessing the damage done by the historic flooding that has deluged eastern Kentucky, Southern Baptists have begun planning their response. Dozens of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) volunteers from across the Southeast have started arriving, and Send Relief, the compassion ministry of Southern Baptists, has provided resources for meals and flood relief supplies to help with the recovery. “The destruction is absolutely catastrophic … [Read more...]
Missouri DR responds to New Mexico wildfires
RUIDOSO, N.M. – Sometimes people have a bad day and then sometimes they have a “really bad day.” For 207 homeowners in the mountains of southern New Mexico, it was a really bad day on April 12th. A windstorm blew in with 90 MPH winds and knocked down a power line. That in turn sparked a wildfire across the mountains full of dry timber. Before the fire was extinguished, 207 homes were destroyed by the blazing fires. Missouri Baptists heard of the tragic situation and responded with … [Read more...]
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief experiences more than 2,100 salvations in 2021
NASHVILLE (BP) – More than 2,100 professions of faith came as a result of the ministry of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) in 2021, which is nearly a record number for professions of faith in a single year for the ministry. The full total of 2,133 professions of faith is just one of the positive statistics from SBDR. Other positive reports include more than 83,000 meals distributed, more than 51,000 volunteer days throughout the year and more than 10,000 Gospel … [Read more...]
UPDATE: DR teams deploy within Missouri, to Kentucky after tornadoes hit
UPDATE (Dec. 15): As of Dec. 15, Missouri Disaster Relief (DR) crews are working in the Kentucky towns of Princeton and Dawson Springs. The operations may be shifting more to debris removal and mass feeding instead of chain saw work. MBC DR Assessors on the ground in those areas are reporting the tornado took a very narrow path and the affected areas are very clearly “totally destroyed” or “hardly touched.” There were only two chain saw work orders turned in after assessing several areas … [Read more...]
DR wraps up work in Louisiana
MANDEVILLE, La. – The MBC Disaster Relief (DR) ministry scaled back in their response to the southern Louisiana city of Mandeville earlier this month. When Hurricane Ida blew through the area on Aug. 29, MBC DR units were in Texarkana, Ark., staging so they could have a rapid response. Then 24 hours after the storm cleared, MBC DR volunteers were arriving in the city and set up to serve meals to storm survivors. Mandeville is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain about 35 miles north … [Read more...]
Seeing God in the storm
Missouri DR deploys to Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written by Cindy Gladden, a member of Charrette Baptist, Marthasville, who serves as public information officer with the Marthasville Fire Protection District and as a Missouri DR Mass Care responder. MANDEVILLE, La. – Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR) volunteers were waiting and watching as Hurricane Ida surged into the Gulf Coast. They’ve seen it before and knew if forecasts were correct, … [Read more...]
9/11: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief left legacy at Ground Zero
NEW YORK CITY (BP) – Twenty years after spending weeks in what could only be called a war zone, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are reflecting on their experience working in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 and how it affected their lives. Sam Porter is the national director for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief for Send Relief with the North American Mission Board. At the time of the 9/11 attacks, Porter was serving as the disaster relief director for the Baptist General … [Read more...]
Missouri DR sends teams to Mandeville, La., for hurricane relief
MANDEVILLE, La. – An initial team of MBC disaster relief (DR) workers has arrived in this southern Louisiana city where Hurricane Ida swept through in the region on August 29. The category 4 hurricane left a lot of damage in its wake and the initial reports from MBC DR assessors was there will be several weeks of flood relief and chain saw recovery efforts. Wesley Hammond is serving as the incident commander in this DR call-out. He is the pastor of First Baptist Church, Paris. Hammond … [Read more...]
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