Baptist chaplains minister at Moore elementary schools

By Joe Conway 

ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Within hours of the deadly EF5 tornado striking Moore, Okla., on Monday, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief chaplains were ministering to families at both elementary schools in the community destroyed by the storm. Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma Disaster Relief Director Sam Porter said response needs will continue for weeks.

“Paul Bettis is leading our chaplain team,” said Porter. “They were on the ground at the schools with the families as they were searching for their children. Paul was involved in several official notification visits, as well.”

Porter said security in the affected area remains tight, but feeding and laundry units are already serving. As of lunch on Wednesday, Oklahoma SBDR volunteers had already prepared more than 9,100 meals and made 269 ministry contacts. Oklahoma SBDR has 105 volunteers engaged.

“We will need clean up assistance for four to five weeks at a minimum,” said Porter. “Because of the nature of the storms there will not be a lot of chainsaw work, but the debris clean up will be big.”

The series of storms that moved through the area Sunday and Monday left a 70-mile-long track of EF4 and EF5 tornado damage, Porter said. SBDR crews from Texas Baptist Men were already in Shawnee in response to the EF4 tornado that struck the Oklahoma City suburb Sunda

Fritz Wilson, executive director for Disaster Relief at the North American Mission Board said a multi-state response is expected in support of Oklahoma SBDR efforts. Wilson said he expects to see crews working in the affected areas Friday or Saturday.

“Our prayers are certainly with the people of Moore, and all of the affected areas,” said NAMB president Kevin Ezell. “Oklahoma Baptists have one of the best disaster relief teams in North America.”

Wilson asked Southern Baptists to continue to pray for survivors and volunteers, and to give to the efforts to help sustain the ministry. He also asked Southern Baptists to remember the SBDR volunteers and the survivors they are serving in other parts of Oklahoma, in Texas and in Missouri, all as a result of the two days of storms, May 19 and 20.

“The prayers, support and concern of Southern Baptists has been overwhelming,” said Porter. “Don’t stop praying.”

“The heart of Southern Baptists comes through in ministry like this,” said Wilson. “Oklahoma Baptists went into action immediately following the storm.”

First Baptist Church, Moore is hosting an Oklahoma SBDR feeding kitchen. The church, which also served as a ministry center in response to the 1999 storm that struck Moore, will host a NAMB mobile command center.

Wilson said the multi-state nature of the response exemplifies the critical nature of the partnership among Baptist state conventions and NAMB in disaster relief.

NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through partnerships with 42 state Baptist conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs.

Southern Baptists have 82,000 trained volunteers—including chaplains—and 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

To donate to SBDR efforts, contact the Baptist convention in your state or visit namb.net/disaster-relief-donations. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for “Disaster Relief.”

Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board.

Date Created: 5/22/2013 4:14:23 PM

NAMB sending disaster relief staff, supplies to Moore, Okla.

By Joe Conway 

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- North American Mission Board Disaster Relief Executive Director Fritz Wilson appealed to Southern Baptists to pray for the people of Moore, Okla., as the entity geared up to respond to the devastating EF4 tornado that leveled portions of the Oklahoma City suburb May 20. NAMB disaster relief leaders were en route to Moore Tuesday to help coordinate the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief (SBDR) response.

“Prayer is the biggest thing people can do now,” said Wilson, as emergency workers and first responders continued to search the area for survivors. “The total loss, the loss of a child or other family member, is one of the hardest things the survivors will have to deal with. The emotional toll is devastating.”

Currently all donations made to SBDR are being directed to the Moore, Okla., response. To make a donation, visit namb.net/disaster-relief-donations or call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262).

In support of Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma SBDR volunteers, NAMB dispatched a semi truck with bottled water and rolls of roofing tarp from its headquarters Tuesday morning. A mobile command center was being prepped for departure Wednesday. NAMB disaster relief coordinators Eddie Blackmon and Beth Bootz are traveling to Moore. NAMB chaplain Enio Aguero was also heading to Moore to lead SBDR chaplaincy efforts.

“Our prayers are certainly with the people of Moore, and all of the affected areas,” said NAMB president Kevin Ezell. “Oklahoma Baptists have one of the best disaster relief teams that Southern Baptists have in North America.”

Final confirmation from the National Weather Service was still pending, but the storm was estimated as much as one half mile wide with winds in excess of 170 miles per hour. The official death toll stood at 24 on the morning of May 21.

Monday’s storm traveled part of the same path of destruction of the 1999 storm that hit Moore on May 3. That F5 storm, with winds in excess of 300 miles per hour, was the first SBDR response coordinated by Oklahoma SBDR director Sam Porter.

“When I spoke to Sam on the phone while this storm was still on the ground, you could hear it in his voice,” said Wilson. “It was too similar to the ’99 storm. He had just taken the position in 1998 and Moore was his first response.”

Porter immediately began calling Oklahoma units to prepare to respond Monday. The initial command center was located at First Baptist Church, Moore.

SBDR volunteers from Oklahoma were already engaged in response at Shawnee, just 20 miles east of Moore. Missouri volunteers were also responding to tornado damage in Hannibal from Sunday’s storms.

In addition to these new responses, Southern Baptists are engaged in a two-year rebuild effort in areas of the North East impacted by Hurricane Sandy last fall.

NAMB coordinates and manages Southern Baptist responses to major disasters through partnerships with 42 state Baptist conventions, most of which have their own state disaster relief programs.

Southern Baptists have 82,000 trained volunteers—including chaplains—and 1,550 mobile units for feeding, chainsaw, mud-out, command, communication, childcare, shower, laundry, water purification, repair/rebuild and power generation. SBDR is one of the three largest mobilizers of trained disaster relief volunteers in the United States, along with the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

To donate to SBDR efforts, contact the Baptist convention in your state or visit namb.net/disaster-relief-donations. Other ways to donate are to call 1-866-407-NAMB (6262) or mail checks to NAMB, P.O. Box 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Designate checks for “Disaster Relief.”

Joe Conway writes for the North American Mission Board. 

Date Created: 5/21/2013 11:45:52 AM