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Ky DR Not Slowing Down
08/19/2011
Kentucky Baptist DR volunteers Bill Johnson, from Grayson, and George Shanks, from California, get a powerwasher up and running to do mud-out work at a flooded home. As many as 4,000 homes were filled with floodwater, some with as much as six feet of water on the main floors. Compounding the problem was the fact that the water was slow to recede, taking as long as three weeks. (Photo by Karen Smith)
Minot, N.D.—Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers continue their work in North Dakota this week, the latest effort in what already has been a busy year for state DR teams.
There currently are 16 Kentucky Baptist volunteers serving in Minot, N.D., which is cleaning up from that city’s worst flooding in more than a century. Two teams are doing mud-out work at residents’ homes, while a pair of volunteers are serving with the chaplaincy team.
As always, the disaster relief effort is being coordinated through the North American Mission Board, which has mobilized more than 150 volunteers from 22 state Baptist conventions. The majority of those teams are doing mud-out work; others are manning feeding and laundry units.
Coy Webb, disaster relief associate for the Kentucky Baptist Convention, said volunteers from the bluegrass will remain in North Dakota through the end of the week.
The Dakota response is the seventh this year for Kentucky Baptist teams—all of them since April—and another DR team is set to embark for Japan at the end of the month. A seven-member crew will spend more than a week serving in the country’s Iwate Prefecture, an area that was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami.
The nearly unending calls for DR crews from Kentucky have indeed put a strain on the KBC’s Baptist Men on Mission department, which oversees the convention’s relief work, Webb said.
“This has stretched us in volunteers and resources,” he said, “but I am thankful that God has continued to provide in the midst of this difficult year of disasters.”
And provide He has. According to Webb, Kentucky Baptists have stepped up this year in giving more of their time, effort and resources for disaster relief.
In the wake of the deadly tornadoes that ripped through the South and Midwest in the spring, Kentucky Baptist churches designated nearly $80,000 to DR efforts. That money was used to fund relief work in five states, most notably Alabama and Missouri. An additional $55,776 has been received from Kentucky Baptists since March for disaster relief efforts in Japan.
Even though the gifts received from churches are nowhere near record amounts, Webb said Kentucky Baptists’ continued support of the disaster relief ministry is encouraging.
“I never cease to be amazed at the generosity and faithfulness of Kentucky Baptists in times of need,” he noted.
The recent surge in disaster relief call-outs also has resulted in a rush of potential volunteers, Webb pointed out. At a July 23 DR training session in Lexington, more than 300 people attended, nearly 200 of whom were first timers.
This weekend offers another opportunity for disaster relief instruction. A pair of chaplaincy training sessions will be held Aug. 20 and 27 at Lincoln County Baptist Association’s office in Stanford. Participants must attend both sessions in order to be certified. For more information, visit www.KyBaptist.org/DR.
The surge is good news for a volunteer corps that often experiences ebbs and flows in participation. In busier years when disasters are particularly prevalent, volunteerism usually will spike. In quieter times, DR participation wanes.
DR volunteers new and old soon may have the opportunity to get involved with a new venture. The KBC currently is in the process of developing a mobile water purification unit.
Webb said the need for the new unit stems from the threat of a massive earthquake that experts say is likely to strike along the New Madrid Fault Line, a seismic zone that includes portions of western Kentucky, some time in the near future.
In recent years, geologists and U.S. government officials have predicted that a 7.7-magnitude earthquake or higher would result in catastrophic damage to areas of as many as 11 states, including Kentucky, and would nearly destroy the cities of St. Louis and Memphis, Tenn.
“We believe this is a critical unit as we continue to seek ways to be better prepared to minister in the probability of a New Madrid earthquake,” Webb said.
The water purification unit, which should be operational by mid-2012, “would provide potable water to support our feeding and shower units in times where infrastructure damage causes the unavailability of safe water,” he added.
While there are no guarantees about when and where disasters will strike, Webb praised those who unselfishly volunteer their time and energy and are ready to serve at a moment’s notice.
“I cannot speak highly enough of the countless Kentucky Baptist volunteers who serve selflessly those left hurting by disasters,” he said.
Western Recorder issue date: August 16, 2011.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
By Drew Nichter, Western Recorder News Director
