By Jim White
The U.S. Marines earned the moniker “First to Fight.” The Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief Team may well earn the reputation “First to Respond.”
As I write this, (Monday, Aug. 29) Hurricane Katrina is still pounding the Gulf Coast of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but already our advance relief team has assembled, gathered equipment, had praye, and hit the highways. These Virginia Baptists have a commitment to serve those for whom the rains came and the winds blew and their houses collapsed. With little advance warning, these ambassadors for Christ are willing to set aside their own plans and respond, in Jesus' name, to the desperate needs of people whose lives have been ripped apart and whose dreams have been uprooted by disaster. Along with caring for the physical needs of these folks, our disaster team will also be sharing the message of Christ.
The team will rendezvous in Birmingham, Ala., with relief teams from other Baptist state conventions and from there be assigned to strategic areas of need. Subsequent teams will be leaving Virginia in the days to come. The Religious Herald will provide follow-up reports of their work.
Staff report