FALLS CHURCH (ABP) — Several Baptist denominations in the United States and Canada have established a formal disaster-relief network to coordinate efforts among the various groups, according to a May 13 press release from the Baptist World Alliance.
Terry Raines
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Coordinating the group is Terry Raines, mobile missions and disaster relief coordinator for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.
Disaster-relief officials from denominations that belong to the North American Baptist Fellowship — one of six regional fellowships in the Baptist World Alliance, the worldwide umbrella group for Baptists — have met four times to launch the network, most recently May 6-7 in Richmond. They are scheduled to meet again in November in Canada.
BWA-supportive denominations in North America — including the Baptist General Association of Virginia, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, American Baptist Churches USA, Canadian Baptist Ministries and the National Baptist Convention USA Inc. — began close cooperation on disaster-relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Officials in the denominations agreed to create a more permanent network in order to coordinate resource allocation and avoid duplication of efforts.
“The ultimate purposes of the NABF Disaster Response Network are to help those who experience disaster to recover more quickly and effectively and to promote good stewardship by reducing the risk of duplication of efforts and resources,” the group’s purpose document states.
NABF leaders stressed that the group is not a separate disaster-relief organization, but merely a coordinating liaison. “It will not infringe on the autonomy of each member body to respond to disasters as it sees fit,” the press release said.
But it adds, “With the increasing frequency of disasters, there is a need for cooperation and sharing in disaster planning, response and recovery to allow the most efficient and effective application of skills and resources to meet the needs that result.”
The group also will serve to coordinate planning for future disaster responses among the various denominations and fellowships.