By Rick Burnette Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall along the southwest Louisiana coast on August 27, 2020, impacting numerous communities, including Lake Charles, La. High winds devastated the city and surrounding areas. Almost six weeks later, on October 9, Hurricane Delta struck the same region as a Category 2 storm, undoing recent … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette Preparing for another day of pastoral duties at Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis in Carolina, a suburb of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rev. Jesus Garcia felt the earth move during the early hours of January 7. With loss of electricity throughout Puerto Rico, a strong 6.6 quake followed, causing extensive damage in an … Continue reading
By Rick Burnette During the second week of December, I boarded the ferry in Ft. Lauderdale bound for Freeport, Grand Bahama. Upon arrival I was met by Pedyson Baillou, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church located on Sweetings Cay (pronounced key), an island just off the eastern end of Grand Bahama. Headed towards Sweetings, the effects … Continue reading
November 25, 2019 CBF Disaster Response, in consultation with BWA Forum for Aid and Development (BFAD) partners, continues to work closely with CBF Bahamas and Florida to organize and implement an appropriate response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian on Grand Bahama and North Abaco. The Category 5 hurricane resulted in at least 65 … Continue reading
By Ashleigh Bugg In June of 2019, Mary Nell McCoy co-led the first Disaster Spiritual Care training as a part of the CBF General Assembly in Birmingham. The Disaster Spiritual Care program is used to train chaplains to work with teams deploying to help people during crisis and disasters. According to McCoy, the DSC chaplains minister to emotional … Continue reading
This post reflecting on the CBF Disaster Response tornado clean-up efforts in Hattiesburg, Mississippi is from Charles Ray, special projects coordinator for Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas. Blessings Sunday on Peach Street in Hattiesburg. Three hours before services a few blocks over. Time to start the Bobcats and bulldozer. Do a 360 turn and see … Continue reading
Below is an update from Tommy Deal, CBF U.S. Disaster Response Coordinator, on response plans following the devastating tornado that hit Hattiesburg, Mississippi on Sunday, February 10. University Baptist Church in Hattiesburg is gearing up to help those affected by the tornado that ravaged their city on Sunday. Rusty Edwards, pastor of University Baptist Church, … Continue reading
The following post is from Reid Doster, Coordinator of CBF Louisiana. He also serves as Louisiana’s Disaster Response Coordinator and pastor of Bridgewater Community Church. Rev. Enola Lee, of the Dowey-Gaston A.M.E. Church, Madisonville, knocked on the backdoor of the Bridgewater Church “Friendship House,” at the opposite end of her block. Holding an unlit … Continue reading
