Chaplains tackle hurricane aftermath via listening & prayer
LONG BEACH, Miss. (BP)--The 20-something woman carried a box filled with mismatched coffee cups. She held them out to the disaster relief volunteers in Long Beach, Miss.
Southern Baptists near match of $2 million challenge goal
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Southern Baptists are closing in on a $2 million challenge matching grant made by Christian philanthropists Lynn and Foster Friess through the National Christian Foundation.
Avant sees great movement of God coming to North America
WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP)--Having just returned from the disaster-stricken Gulf Coast, John Avant believes Southern Baptists are poised to be at the forefront of the next great spiritual awakening in North America.
FIRST-PERSON: Ministering alongside the ‘bologna brigade’
DALLAS (BP)--We parked our Canteen truck right next to the tents where military vehicles were dropping off and processing evacuees in front of the now infamous Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. This was the site where thousands of New Orleans residents were stranded without food and bathrooms for days after the levees broke. It became a den of misery and lawlessness.
Chain saw volunteers rev up witness to Katrina victims
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| Thankfuls Sadie May Cooper rode out Katrina in her home in Slidell, La. She had been trapped in her home because of downed trees in her yard, but was rescued by Southern Baptist workers from the Memphis-area Bellevue Baptist Church. Photo by Morris Abernathy |
The Coopers’ home had survived Hurricane Katrina, providing adequate shelter as they weathered the storm’s howling winds inside.
“We were standing in there looking at the trees coming down,” Andrew Cooper, 81, said. They had been without power for days, and the Coopers were feeling the effects.
“We sure need it,” Andrew said. “We liked to burn up last night. It’s hard on old folks.”
While the Coopers dodged any water damage and suffered through the oppressive heat, trees were down everywhere, some on the roof of their house. That’s why the men in the trucks were there.
Pastor’s secret recipes fortify disaster relief volunteers
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| Pastor’s recipe Pastor and former restaurant owner Johnny Rayford pours clam chowder he made for volunteers at the hurricane-ravaged First Baptist Church in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Photo by Sherri Brown |
Rayford immediately gathered all the equipment he would need and headed south. But his truck wasn’t loaded with chain saws, cleaning supplies or water.
Rayford, pastor of Crestwood New Life Church in Jackson, Miss., brought cooking pots, four portable gas burners, propane tanks, a pile of spices and boxes of food and ended up at First Baptist Church in Bay St. Louis, Miss., doing one of the things he does best.
Churches urged to show video on SBC disaster relief efforts
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Southern Baptist leaders are urging pastors to download a six-minute video highlighting Southern Baptist Disaster Relief efforts for viewing by their congregations this Sunday.
Seminarians tear out sheetrock, pull up carpet, share their faith
SLIDELL, La. (BP)--Spending a week of eight- to 10-hour days in the Louisiana heat gutting out the ruined furnishings of muddy, moldy, hurricane-ravaged homes is not many students’ idea of how to spend a week from campus.
Katrina relief workers qualify for tax extension, IRS announces
WASHINGTON (BP)--Relief workers serving in the Hurricane Katrina disaster zone have until Jan. 3 to pay any taxes due, according to the Internal Revenue Service.
Baptist colleges hit by Katrina helping students stay in school
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (BP)--Students at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss., resumed classes Sept. 19 after Hurricane Katrina swept through the region. The storm wiped out the school’s ability to hold classes at extension centers in Gulfport and New Orleans.
