Florida Baptist Disaster Relief wraps work in Texas, Louisiana

Ministry to first responders opens doors

Oct 14, 2008
BARBARA DENMAN
Florida Baptist Convention

Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers wake before dawn to begin cooking lunch for victims of Hurricane Ike in Texas City, Texas. FBC Photo by Michael Duncan

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JACKSONVILLE (FBC)—After driving 2,400 miles round trip, toiling 10-to-12 hour days in the searing, arid and windy Texas heat for more than three weeks, a caravan of weary Florida Baptist disaster relief workers returned home Oct. 2, having provided sustenance and the Gospel in word and deed to hurricane victims in the Gulf Coast region.

At the end of the 20 days, 356 Florida Baptist volunteers, serving in both Texas City, Texas, and Houma, La., had put their own personal lives on hold and crossed five state lines to minister to others in dire need.

Battling the oppressive heat, 220 Florida volunteers in Texas City prepared and served 162,200 hot meals to those living along the Galveston Bay. They teamed up with Alabama Baptist Convention workers to super-size a kitchen that cooked hot meals, which were delivered into the neighborhoods by Salvation Army canteens.

By the time they returned to Florida, the volunteers completed 81 clean-up and chainsaw jobs and provided 20 temporary roofs for Texas homeowners struck by Hurricane Ike. Volunteers serving in Houma, La., which was slammed by Gustav and then torn apart by Ike, performed 535 chainsaw jobs, 20 “mudouts” and 10 temporary roof repairs.

But the most meaningful aspect of their journey, said Fritz Wilson, Florida Baptists’ disaster relief director, was that through their ministry, 10 persons in Texas and 12 persons in Louisiana made professions of faiths in Jesus Christ. Together, the volunteers presented the Gospel in conversation with 508 persons.

In the aftermath of the relief effort, many lessons have been learned that will be useful after the next storm, said Wilson, who is now assessing the effectiveness of the overall operation.

Salvation Army trucks line up in the high school stadium parking lot in Texas City to wait for food cooked and loaded by Florida and Alabama Baptist volunteers to take to surrounding hurricane ravaged communities. FBC Photo by Michael Duncan

A new avenue of ministry opened up in Texas City for the chain-saw wielding clean-up crews who originally traveled with the feeding units to clear a path along impassable roads.

With equipment in place and evacuees not yet home, the crews turned their attention to repairing the homes of police officers, firefighters and other first responders whose jobs required them to stay behind to protect their communities.

All too often, these service providers are the last to get help, Wilson said.

But the response from the volunteers became “a huge ministry opportunity,” said Wilson, which will be implemented again in the future. “This allowed us to reach out to the first responders and opened doors of relationships that were beneficial to us the rest of this time.”

The response to this year’s hurricanes was the first time Florida Baptist disaster relief teams have been mobilized for a major call-up since the storms of 2005.

During the subsequent years, Florida Baptists’ disaster relief volunteers have been organized regionally and a new system to mobilize workers was developed.

Both advances have proven to be very effective, Wilson reported.

The teams also revised their work schedule, rotating new crews in every two days to handle a four-day work assignment. This provided continuity to the work, Wilson explained, but also meant a team was constantly in the process of leaving.

“Every two days, a new team of volunteers arrived who were excited, energetic and ready to work. They were a shot in the arm for those who had been there for a while,” Wilson added.

An effort was made to enlist workers from every part of the state, said Wilson, some coming as far away as Okeechobee, Stuart and Miami, as well as from the Panhandle.

Wilson said he learned anew, “Florida Baptist disaster relief volunteers are very versatile and flexible, adept at handling any difficult situation as the need arises. Instead of being rigid in the way they minister, they are willing to adjust to the needs.”

Financial contributions to Florida Baptists’ disaster relief efforts may be sent to the Florida Baptist Convention, Business Services, P.O. Box 5579, Jacksonville, FL 32247. Checks should be made payable to the Florida Baptist Convention and designated for disaster relief. Donations through credit cards can be made by going to www.flbaptist.org.