By Jeff Brumley
Leaders of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship today said it’s deploying one of its missionaries to the Philippines to help victims of last week’s deadly Typhoon Haiyan.
It also is sending $10,000 to Asia Pacific Baptist Aid to address immediate needs of families reeling from the storm that claimed at least 10,000 lives and wiped out several towns and villages in the central Philippines on Nov. 8.
That donation follows a $2,500 contribution the Fellowship made last week to help Conscience International dispense drinking water to storm victims.
Aid is flowing in from religious and secular aid groups from around the nation and the world — from American Baptist Churches USA to UNICEF. Virginia Baptists have already raised $20,000 for Haiyan’s victims.
The need is immense as an estimated 10 million people have been impacted by the storm, said David Harding, CBF international disaster relief manager.
“Beyond the immediate needs, there will be a long-term recovery and development effort as there has been in past responses in the region,” Harding said in a CBF news release. “The destruction is reminiscent of the tsunamis that hit Southeast Asia in 2004.”
Eddy Ruble, CBF’s Malaysia-based field personnel, is being deployed to the Philippines to help provide assessments and coordination of logistics in those efforts.
Asia Pacific Baptist Aid is the relief arm of Baptist World Alliance’s Asia Pacific Baptist Federation. Contributions can be made online through BWA and through CBF.