By Hubert Yates
Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief director
Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief (MSBDR) will be deploying 20 volunteers to Brazoria, Texas, in response to a request for assistance from SBC DR network partners Texans on Mission (ToM) and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) Disaster Relief.
Composed of volunteers from Attala County Baptist Association, Calhoun County Baptist Association, Jackson County Baptist Association, Temple Church in Hattiesburg, and Morrison Heights Church in Clinton, the four teams will be operating from a Texans on Mission Disaster Relief site at First Church,Brazoria. The MSBDR volunteers are scheduled to be on site through July 20/21 and will be focusing on debris cleanup while ministering to homeowners who were affected by the landfall of Hurricane Beryl.
The MSBDR teams will be joining SBTC Disaster Relief and Texans on Mission Disaster Relief organizations, and other SBC DR partners in ministry efforts in six different locations across East Texas from the Houston area to Texarkana, Texas.
In Wharton, Texas, SBTC is operating a SBTC Feeding Kitchen, a Quick Response Feeding unit, a shower unit and providing 5000 meals per day in partnership with The Salvation Army, one of our national disaster relief partners.
In Houston, Texas, ToM Disaster Relief has deployed a ToM Feeding Kitchen and is working in partnership with The Salvation Army to provide 15,000 meals per day to those who have been affected by the storm and the large power outage that has occurred as a result of the high winds.
SBTC DR has operational sites in Spring, Jasper, Galveston, and Texarkana, providing debris cleanup and survivor assistance. In Texarkana, SBTC DR is partnered with Arkansas Baptist Convention Disaster Relief to provide assistance in tarping and debris removal following a Hurricane Beryl spin-off tornado.
A sixth operations site is open in Huffman, Texas, and is being coordinated by Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief at the request of ToM and SBTC.
In addition to the Texas destruction, Hurricane Beryl spawned tornado and flooding events in Iowa and Vermont. SBC DR teams from those areas are conducting damage and needs assessments to identify response needs and ministry locations. It is anticipated that additional units of the SBC DR network will be activated for these areas.
At the same time, SBC DR Region 1 (Western States) is coordinating a SBC DR National Callout for the area around Ruidoso, New Mexico. This area has been affected by two major wildfires and three flash flood events within the past 45 days. SBC DR is assisting with Flood Recovery and Ash Out in ministry to those affected by these disasters.
The ability to respond to multiple events across the United States is one of the strengths of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Network as partners are located in all 42 Southern Baptist State Conventions. As SBC DR volunteers, we share a common training standard, management structure, and heart for missions, providing for an effective ministry platform through and with our local church partners.
Because of the faithful giving of Mississippi Baptists through the Cooperative Program, to the Margaret Lackey State Missions Offering, and designated gifts to MS Baptist Disaster Relief, MSBDR is able to bring help, hope, and healing to those affected by natural and man-made disaster and crisis events. Thank you MS Baptists!
Tax-deductible donations to assist MSBDR in their operations are being accepted. Monetary gifts may be made by check, or electronically by clicking here (Designate Disaster Relief in the form). Checks should be made payable to Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, with “Disaster Relief” designated on the memo line, and mailed to MBCB Business Office, P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530.
