By Jeff Brumley
A coalition of black Baptist organizations announced today its intention to combat the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The African-American Baptist Mission Collaboration issued a statement that its constituent members — the Lott Carey Baptist Foreign Mission Convention, the National Baptist Convention, USA, the National Baptist Convention of America, the National Missionary Baptist Convention of America and the Progressive National Baptist Convention — will immediately launch a series of financial and spiritual initiatives to battle the deadly virus that has ravaged Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The coalition was formed in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake and has since continued to provide disaster recovery, volunteerism and advocacy in partnership with Haitians in Haiti and its diaspora.
Now it’s turning its focus to Africa, where coalition members are being urged to pray regularly for the West African victims, families, communities and nations hardest hit by the Ebola virus.
Participants say they also will encourage their constituent members and churches to generously support food security and sanitation needs in affected areas.
Organizations are also being asked to provide special offerings, through the national bodies, designated for the Ebola outbreak during the remainder of 2014 and during the first quarter of 2015.