Cover story for October 27, 2005
For more than a month, Virginia Baptists have been among hundreds-maybe thousands-of volunteers from across the country who have made their way to the Gulf Coast to help victims of the two hurricanes that left the region in shambles and many homeless.
Motivations and experiences differ but there are commonalities, as revealed by the reports given by the volunteers when they return home. Each has felt empowered by God to continue ministry to the those in need.
A sampling of Virginia Baptists' reflections on their ministry in the midst of tragedy in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi:
Motivated to go: Empowered by images
• Immediately after Katrina made landfall and pictures of destruction began to appear on the news I felt an enormous calling to help. Not to help by sitting at home on my hands and simply writing a check but to get out of my comfort zone and to be a part of the relief effort.
– Melissa Covington
• As my husband and I watched many hours of disaster coverage on TV, we felt led to do something to help. We gave what cash we could and talked about what else we could offer. We were both guided by God to offer our home, our camper, and our '89 Suburban.
– Tansle Ferrell
• As I watched television accounts of the devastation after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, I was moved to do more than simply pray or give money. God began to tug my heart telling me that this was my time-my opportunity to go. God began almost immediately to move among the church family at the same time. Many people had the desire to respond.
– Carson Riley
Motivated to go: Empowered by experience
• Here at Kilmarnock Baptist Church, our interest in disaster relief started with Hurricane Isabel. … Isabel did lots of damage to homes and property. Several days after it hit, I received a call from Lloyd Jackson asking if we could house a feeding unit from Georgia. We did and since it was set up in our parking lot for almost two weeks, church members and others began to help as needed.
From that experience, one person, Jean Carter, took the training for working on a feeding unit. In 2004, she was called to West Virginia and because of the many hurricanes that year, the Virginia Baptist Mission Board asked for untrained volunteers. One of our men, Oliver Crane, volunteered and went with her. …
The next time there was a training session, Oliver and four others-Edna Mason, Roberta Pouchot, Carolyn Prescott and Dean Loudy-took the training.
On Sunday, as Katrina was hitting the Gulf Coast, Carolyn, Jean, Oliver and Dean were called as First Responders. They left for Picayune, Miss. on Monday morning. … Less than three weeks from the time they returned, Carolyn and Jean were on their way to DeRitter, La. And as they were returning, Bill Sigler, co-pastor of the church was leaving on a recovery team.
Because of Hurricane Isabel and the help our community received at that time, one person felt God calling them to help others and that has multiplied so many times.
– Mary Dell Sigler
• My experience in disaster relief began in May 1990 when the Vesuvius Baptist Church, which I pastored at the time, was burned down by arson fire. It was a devastating event in the life of that entire community, but we were all very much overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the family of faith. We were able to rebuild, refocus and move forward due in large part to the encouragement we received from so many Christians and so many churches. I had determined back then that if there was ever a way I could pay back some of what I had been given, I would take advantage of the opportunity.
– Carson Riley
• Having been drawn there by a sense of conviction, a desire to help, appeals by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board and other groups, and maybe just a little curiosity, we drove through the night to get to the point of need.
– Reginald Warren
Energy for the work: Empowered by community
• Late one evening [in Slidell, La.], my husband and I were walking in the parking lot and met a brother in Christ from Tennessee. He told us of his growing passion for sharing the gospel. His life changed dramatically at age 70, after taking a discipleship class. I thought it strange to be talking so late at night in an empty parking lot, yet I sensed that God was about more than our conversation. Within moments, a truck pulled up and a rough-looking man got out. As he approached, I knew it was a divine appointment and my role was to pray and watch to see what God was doing. The man pointed to Tennessee's shower trailer and asked permission to use it, explaining that he and his boys were very dirty. They had been cutting trees for three days and sleeping in their truck.
The shower trailer is usually reserved for disaster relief volunteer teams, but this night it was a tool for ministry. His young companions were embarrassed because they were not only dirty, they didn't have any soap or shampoo to wash with. After meeting their physical needs, the man from Tennessee shared the love of Christ with them. All three had clean bodies, but one young man realized that he needed more than soap. On a dark night, in a parking lot, he got a clean heart, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.
– Marilyn Towsey
• I was very impressed with the operation of the feeding station in Slidell from the moment we arrived. It was humbling in one sense to see a picture of the church in action-the way God intended, everyone doing their part for the whole to function efficiently. There was unity, there was purpose, and there was a lot of hard work going on. … There were also teams from Tennessee on this site who were working to cut trees on and around homes in the area. We had good fellowship with them, all working together at our particular assignment for the glory of God and relief of people who were victims of the storm.
– Carson Riley
• Our small church of 125 has been blessed to have so many people eager to help out with the relief effort. One of our members is an Navy officer and had access to a plane that could deliver supplies directly to the refugees in Texas. So on a Sunday morning we announced that we would be taking collections that would go directly to the people in need. For the next week, our church became a virtual warehouse, packed with clothes and goods for the needy. The entire community responded … . It has been a massive effort on the behalf of the people here, but the real glory goes to God, for touching our hearts with a desire to serve him.
– Bryan Jones
• As we traveled, we wrote on the van windows “Hurricane Relief” and “Mississippi Bound.” We began to receive encouragement on the interstate as vehicles passed us honking support, or giving us a thumbs up. One man even wrote a note as we passed saying, “My uncle lives in Gulfport, thank you!”
– Carson Riley
Energy for the work: Empowered by flexibility … and frustration
• I felt like I was following the tradition of Jesus, he who did ministry by intention and ministry when interrupted. In fact, some of the best work we did was unplanned. … Although we worked hard, the larger task is so great, I felt as if I had been chipping at the polar ice caps with an ice pick. Nevertheless, we did what we could during the time.
– Reginald Warren
• Early Sept. 25 myself and the other five members of my church's relief team were on our way down to Picayune, Miss., but what we would be doing was still unclear. We arrived in Picayune about 12 noon and before we signed in we were asked if we were willing to travel down to Slidell, La. to be part of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board's feeding unit. We arrived in Slidell between 12:30 and 1 p.m., set up our bedding in a Sunday school room in the Grace Memorial Baptist Church and went straight to work. That day we didn't finish cooking until 5 p.m., just as the serving line was opening.
– Melissa Covington
• Sandy and I volunteered to serve on a week-long recovery team, wielding chainsaws to help dig folks out from under the trees that fell on their houses and cars. We took four chainsaws, gas cans and chainsaw oil with us. But when our Virginia Baptist relief team arrived, we were asked if we could serve on the cooking team instead. We just said, “Sure, we're here to serve.” We got assigned to the tilt-skillet/oven cooking crew, and went to work right away.
– Don DeCoursey
• Our team of six started out early Sunday morning, Sept. 25, for the journey to Picayune, Miss. We did not know exactly what duties we would be assigned when we got down there, but we all were eager to go and do something to help.
– Carson Riley
The return: Empowered by gratitude
• A statement was told to me second-hand that a man made while being interviewed. He said, “You can say what you want about the Red Cross; you can say what you want about FEMA. But you better not say anything about the Baptists. The Baptists were the first ones here. I am not a Baptist, but I might become one.”
– Wayne Hannah
• The community that we were feeding was roughly five miles from Lake Pontchartrain, so as you can imagine, many of these houses had flood damage from the 25-foot storm surge that came off of the lake. Many of the houses had at one point been under water up to the peaks of the roofs, so the houses had to be completely gutted inside. Unexpectedly these hurricane victims were in good spirits. I had the chance to sit at the window and hand the meals to the people. … [One] man approached the window with a huge smile on his face, and simply said to me, “You are all I have to look forward to everyday.” I was speechless that two hot meals a day could possibly be what someone looked forward to everyday.
– Melissa Covington
The return: Empowered by transformation
• All in all this was an amazing and life-changing experience that I would do all over again if I had the chance. It was eye-opening to realize that as I sit in my air-conditioned house this very day on my laptop computer there are people just a few states away that are living as if they are in a third-world country. I am on my way back down to help this Thanksgiving, and I am trying to get in to be trained through the Red Cross as well as the Virginia Baptist Mission Board. There is too much to do down there to make one week long trip and be done. Right now my heart is still in Louisiana with all of the hurricane victims.
– Melissa Covington
• We received a call from one of the many charities that we had registered with about [donating our] Suburban. They informed us that they had a large family that had been evacuated to Richmond and was in need of transportation. We gladly contacted the family and made arrangements to deliver the vehicle. … We made arrangements to meet with Mr. Lewis to deliver the Suburban. He and his family had lived in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. They had evacuated to a hotel, only to be trapped when the levees broke. … It was such a blessing to meet him and hear his story. During our talk, we learned that Mr. Lewis plays keyboard and writes his own music. He told us that more than anything he just wanted to serve the Lord through music ministry again. That evening I was telling the story to my uncle and he just laughed. He said that his church is currently looking for a keyboard player. There is no such thing as coincidence-God is in control.
– Tansle Ferrell
• We made it home Saturday morning. All of us were profoundly affected by our week in Slidell, but we knew we were doing what God had called us to do, and we had made a difference. Our emotions and prayers are still very much with those courageous people in Slidell and in the Gulf who are struggling to rebuild their lives, day by day … . We will never be the same again.
– Carson Riley