Cover Story for September 15, 2005
As the scope of what may be the biggest natural disaster to hit the United States in a century became clearer last week, Virginia Baptists joined others around the country responding to massive needs along the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Katrina's 140-mph winds and 30-foot or more storm surges left perhaps thousands dead and hundreds of thousands without homes along a swath of coast from New Orleans to Mobile.
Teams of Virginia Baptists left Aug. 28 for the coast, only hours after the storm passed through and within days after the storm were set up in Picayune, Miss.-where they were first on the scene-and in Slidell, La., with feeding and shower units.
In addition, Virginia Baptists are being challenged to raise $1 million to aid the relief effort and to provide housing for at least 500 of the thousands of evacuees being resettled around the country.
The disaster relief teams are working in cooperation with the American Red Cross, the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board, the Salvation Army, other state Baptist conventions, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Baptist World Alliance.
About 60 Virginia Baptist volunteers set up an operation at First Baptist Church in Picayune, some 50 miles from New Orleans, said Jim George, who was coordinating Virginia Baptists' disaster relief efforts.
George said the unit there can prepare 15,000 to 20,000 meals a day and the water purification unit can process six gallons per minute to provide the feeding unit with potable water for food preparation and cleanup.
In addition, the unit will offer cleanup and chain saw services for residents' homes, showers and counseling by crisis care chaplains.
In the first six days of operation in Picayune alone, 89 volunteers have already served at least 30,000 meals; provided emotional and spiritual support from trained crisis care chaplains to at least 6,000 evacuees; and done clean up and clearing for least 90 homes.
In Slidell, the Virginia team is operating from the parking lot of Grace Memorial Baptist Church. According to Ward Hildreth, a member of Mechanicsville Baptist Church in Mechanicsville who volunteers as the logistics and operations coordinator for the Katrina response team, it has served up to 8,600 meals per day and has provided prepared food for eight Red Cross emergency response vehicles, which deliver meals to other sites. Power to Slidell has been restored, so the number of people needing prepared food is expected soon to lessen significantly.
Virginia and Tennessee Baptists have set up shower facilities in the parking lot, from which the church itself offers water and clothes to people in need. Chain saw teams, which include volunteers from several other states are working with Virginians to remove fallen trees.
Referring to the $1 million challenge, John Upton, executive director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, said, “Virginia Baptists contributed over $700,000 to tsunami aid, and we know that our churches are once again ready to help those in need. We know that our church families are ready to open their homes and their wallets.”
By the end of the day on Friday, Sept. 9, Virginia Baptist churches and individuals had given more than $272,000, over a quarter of the challenge amount, according to the BGAV treasurer's office.
The $1 million will fund expenses related to:
• Assisting the disaster relief teams in Picayune and Slidell;
• Caring for the evacuees;
• Involving at least 3,000 volunteers in hurricane relief projects;
• Supplying at least 300 school-age children with school supplies;
• Re-establishing at least 30 churches affected by the disaster;
• Providing pastoral assistance to at least 30 pastors whose churches and communities were destroyed.
“One hundred percent of donations go to the relief of hurricane victims because provision of administration and infrastructure for service is made possible through the generous annual giving of Virginia Baptists through the BGAV's Cooperative Program budget, the annual Alma Hunt Offering for Virginia Missions, and gifts that are designated specifically for that purpose from individuals and churches,” said Upton.
Virginia Baptists have the option of housing the evacuees through churches, church and denominational camps and volunteer homes, said Upton, who added that the challenge is in response to Gov. Mark Warner's request that Virginia help evacuees.
The Virginia Baptist Mission Board is gearing up to do the required orientation for churches that will accept responsibility for evacuees.
Current plans also call for orientation sessions every Saturday in September, and more if needed, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the VBRC at 2828 Emerywood Parkway in Richmond.
The VBMB requires that kind of orientation for those who will accept evacuees through Virginia Baptists so that churches will be better equipped to serve. The orientation is based on the “One Church, One Family” model from Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia that provides an overview of the practical aspects of supporting homeless individuals.
Volunteers for the orientation are asked fill out a “Katrina Relief/Church Housing Information Form” and read the “One Church, One Family” model, both posted, along with other disaster response information, at www.vbmb.
org.
As of press time, no word had been received about specific information on the arrival of the first evacuees, but current plans indicate that evacuees will arrive at some point in Fort Pickett, Va. From there, the VBMB will take its assignees to Eagle Eyrie Baptist Conference Center for orientation before matching them with sponsors.
Volunteers will be needed during the time at Eagle Eyrie to perform a variety of tasks involving child care, maintaining order, and housing, feeding and caring for the evacuees.
Valerie Carter, associate pastor for glocal ministries at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, is on loan to the VBMB to coordinate the evacuee resettlement project. Carter formerly served Virginia Baptists as a trained and experienced social worker, crisis care counselor and minister whose salary was paid jointly by the Mission Board and Woman's Missionary Union of Virginia.
Hylan Carter, pastor of Shalom Baptist Fellowship Church, who has extensive experience dealing with the homeless, will serve as consultant for the project.
In addition to inner city pastoral experience, he formerly managed a transitional housing program for homeless veterans and served with the city of Richmond organizing services to homeless mentally ill persons. Carter, Valerie's husband, also currently teaches adjunct courses at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in “Functional Family Intervention” and “Helping Across Culture.”
For more information on evacuee orientation and housing, contact Penny Jenkins at 800-ALL-BGAV (255-2428), extension, 8226, or email her at penny.jenkins@vbmb.
org. Information may also be found on the VBMB website at www.vbmb.
org.
For people interested in disaster relief training,sessions will be held Saturday, Sept. 17, in two locations: Bonsack Baptist Church in Roanoke and Ocean View Baptist Church in Norfolk. Both events are from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. For information and registration contact Bonsack Church at (540) 977-5701 and Ocean View Church at (757) 583-1808.
All training sessions will include an introduction to Virginia Baptist disaster relief, an orientation to feeding mass groups, familiarization with feeding unit equipment and an explanation of overall disaster relief recovery work.
There will be a $10 per person training fee, which covers the cost of the hat, shirt and identification card, which is required for participation on a team.
From Religious Herald and Virginia Baptist Mission Board staff.