George Greene Baptist Association

August 30, 2017

First - from the GGBA - while I know we have a great desire and capacity to assist those in the disaster area, I know because I was a Katrina pastor about sending the right things at the right time with the right man-power.  Already we have heard stories of people (these are good & well-intending people) who have been turned back because the help they were offering was too much too soon.  Either Daily or every other day, conference calls between our director and the directors on the ground in Texas are taking place.  These help us to know exactly HOW we can fit in to make the most effective use of our efforts, dollars, and supplies.  Please be patient because this disaster relief will not be over in a few days, this will take longer than the Katrina recovery.  Please feel free to call me if you have someone 'specific' in Texas who needs assistance and has not received it.  I'll need their name, address, and the type of help they may need.  We will get a work order established with those people who are presently on the ground.  

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NOW HERE IS THE LATEST FROM DON (MS Baptist DR)

Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief continues on standby status

Tropical Storm Harvey continues to bring catastrophic flooding to southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana. Harvey will likely go down in history as one of the United States’ worst flood disasters. Many victims have lost everything, including hope. Southern Baptists are already meeting the physical needs of many people affected while sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. Texas Baptist Men, the Disaster Relief team from Southern Baptists of Texas convention, and Louisiana Baptist Convention Disaster Relief are leading the response.

Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief remains on standby for response. A national conference call with all Southern Baptist Disaster Relief national and state leadership on Aug. 29 found all forty-two state conventions ready to assist in any way. Leadership asked other states, Mississippi included, to do the following things:

Pray – Please pray for those who are directly impacted by the storms. Pray for family members who are separated because of flooding. Pray for First Responders. Pray for Southern Baptist responders. Pray that people will come to salvation through all of this.

Patience – All of us are ready to aggressively respond. Although the need is great and desire to help is strong, it is important to avoid sending material goods or self-deploying to help until communities are safe and public officials and disaster relief organizations have had an opportunity to assess the damage and identify the specific unmet needs.

Prepare – This will be a long-term response. Teams from Mississippi Baptist churches will be needed for a long time into the future to help with cleanup and ministry. Prepare now by:

— Making sure tetanus and other inoculations are up-to-date. This is strongly recommended.

— Gathering your team and beginning to decide how, when, and where you can serve.

— Completing background checks for all team members. This is required by Texas authorities. The background checks must be within the last three years.  Background checks can be done through several ‘protect my ministry’ type organizations. Here is just one: protectmyministry.com/background-checks/volunteer-screening/.

— Texas authorities require volunteers to register and be affiliated with an identifiable group (such as your church).

— Watch this training video: namb.net/resources/disaster-relief-mudout-training.

— Spiritually prepare yourself to share the hope of Jesus Christ, whenever and wherever it is needed.

Financial donations may be given through MBDR and will go directly to support victim recovery in partnership with local Baptist churches and associations. Donations may be made on-line at mbcb.org/giving/. Checks made payable to the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, designated “Hurricane Relief” on the memo line, may be mailed to MBCB, P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530.

At the present time, MBDR has no provisions for in-kind donations (clothing, furniture, etc.).

August 28, 2017

MBDR preparing to assist Hurricane Harvey recovery

Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief (MBDR), a ministry of the Men’s Ministry Department of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (MBCB), is on STANDBY for response to Hurricane Harvey’s landfall in the Houston, Texas, area.

Mobilization of the MBDR large feeding unit will likely occur on Tuesday, Aug. 29, or Wednesday, Aug. 30. Meal counts will likely be at unit capacity of 15,000 to 20,000 meals per day. Trained MBDR volunteers will man the feeding unit upon its deployment.

Also, MBDR recovery teams (mud out/chainsaw) will be mobilized to affected areas as soon as requested by Texas Baptists.

In Southern Baptist life, affected state Baptist conventions coordinate disaster response in their respective states. In this case, both Texas Baptist conventions affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention – the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) and Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) — have large and effective Disaster Relief teams. Their response has already begun. MBDR does not self-deploy but works in partnership with our Baptist brothers and sisters in the affected state. MBDR is packed and ready, awaiting their instructions.

Here are some action steps we encourage you and your church to take today:

• Pray for those so desperately impacted by the storm. Many are displaced. Many have lost precious belongings. Some are concerned about their jobs because their places of employment are flooded. The early days after a disaster are naturally filled with chaos.

• Pray for those responding to this historic disaster. Texas Baptist Men and SBTC are responding now. They have excellent teams facing an enormous challenge.

• Pray for other faith-based disaster response groups.

• At the present time, MBDR has no provisions for in-kind donations (clothing, furniture, etc.). Financial donations may be given through MBDR and will go directly to support victim recovery in partnership with local Baptist churches and associations. Donations may be made on-line at mbcb.org/giving/. Checks made payable to the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board, designated “Hurricane Relief” on the memo line, may be mailed to MBCB, P.O. Box 530, Jackson, MS 39205-0530.

• Pray that God will use even these difficult days to lead people to salvation.