Grace Church

0 comments  February 16th, 2010

SBC Long-Term Haiti Response Plan by Jordan

Feb. 15, 2010

 

ALPHARETTA, Ga. -- Southern Baptists’ long-term relief response to the Haiti earthquake will be led in Haiti by a six-member coordination group, making plans that will be implemented by a team of experienced disaster relief specialists who will work through Haitian Baptist churches.

That decision was made Feb. 11-12 in Alpharetta, Ga., by representatives of four Southern Baptist organizations meeting at the North American Mission Board’s offices. The relief effort will be coordinated by representatives on the ground from Baptist Global Response, the Florida Baptist Convention, International Mission Board, NAMB and two Haitian Baptist conventions -- the Confraternite Missionaire Baptiste d' Haiti and the Convention Baptiste d'Haïti.

Fritz Wilson, the Florida Baptist Convention’s disaster relief director, will serve as the incident commander on the ground in Haiti. Wilson’s team, which will include experienced Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers, will implement countrywide ministry strategy set by the coordinating group, said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response.

“The coordination group will begin working immediately on identifying specific projects and locations, which in turn will determine specific volunteer needs,” Brown said. “They will be in constant communication with the incident command team as decisions are made. There are still many internal logistics issues to be resolved -- lodging, security, transportation and translation -- before teams can begin working on the ground.”

Based on reports from the disaster relief efforts over the past two weeks, five priorities for urgent and intermediate response have been identified: food distribution, shelter, water purification, medical teams and chaplains.

A “mirror” team in the U.S. will provide communication and mobilize resources, both financial and human, for projects identified by the “coordination” group, Brown added. News services are reporting that the Port-au-Prince airport will reopen to commercial traffic Feb. 19, making it possible for volunteers to travel directly into Haiti, rather than driving in from the Dominican Republic.

During the meeting, Wilson, who returned from an assessment trip to Haiti last week, recalled the sound of familiar hymns sung in Creole rising above the rubble as Haitian Christians gathered for worship one recent Sunday morning.

“Churches all across Port-au-Prince, Carrefour and other communities were meeting outside the walls of their buildings because they were either destroyed, damaged or the fears of the people prevented them from going inside their buildings,” Wilson said.

Many of the camps where displaced Haitians have set up temporary shelters are located near Haitian Baptist churches, Wilson reported.

“Time and time again, we noticed that where there was a cluster of people living in tents, God had left a church intact to minister to those people,” Wilson said. “We have a divine opportunity to come alongside Haitian Baptists in order to meet the needs of those affected by the earthquake. Our response has to be done through the Haitian church, there is no doubt.”

The incident command team will help identify ministry locations and resource them with volunteers. They also will work with leaders from the two Haitian conventions to coordinate volunteer housing, transportation, ministry sites, security and other in-country logistics.

The group wrestled with the challenges of placing volunteers on the field where housing and transportation are limited and security remains an issue.

The North American Mission Board’s Disaster Operations Center will open Feb. 15 to support the operation, said Mickey Caison, NAMB’s team leader for adult volunteer mobilization.

Medical and well drilling teams already have begun work in Haiti, Caison said. Once logistics are in place and the incident command team is on the ground, more teams will be able to enter to work on water purification, food distribution and temporary shelter.

The group affirmed Haitian pastors and church members who have been reaching out to earthquake survivors since day one with support from Southern Baptists.

“We have the opportunity to be the people of God during the midst of great hurting,” said Cecil Seagle, director of the Florida Baptist Convention's mission division. “In the midst of this event, there is a cross and a Christ. We want to lift up Jesus Christ and make Him known. We also want to undergird the church in Haiti so that it would transform the culture of that nation.

“There is a heart hunger to see lives changed,” Seagle continued. “We want volunteers to be intentionally responsible for conveying the Good News of Jesus in any way possible.”

Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Network leaders said volunteers need to be spiritually as well as physically prepared. Plans are being made to give volunteers training that is specific to the Haiti response.

“God is doing something amazing among the churches in Haiti, and we are coming alongside them to strengthen them and help them share the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the country,” said Bruce Poss, NAMB’s disaster relief coordinator. “We've got to tie the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the transformation of life to all that we do.”

Right now, Southern Baptists are being asked to fill “Buckets of Hope” that will be sent to Haiti in the coming months. Churches and individuals can purchase and assemble five-gallon buckets for Haitian families packed with enough food to feed a family for a week. Even after Haitians use the supplies, the bucket can serve multiple uses for a family. Visit www.namb.net/bucketsofhope to find a list of items to pack in the buckets.

Questions about pickup and delivery of buckets should be directed to state conventions. Monetary donations, designated for “Buckets of Hope” on the check, may be sent to the Florida Baptist Convention, 1230 Hendricks Ave., Jacksonville, FL 32257. Haitian Baptist churches in Florida will use those donations to purchase buckets and fill them with food.

Disaster relief leaders continue to emphasize that helping Haitians rebuild their lives and communities will be a long-term effort.

Already, SBDR has sent 77 volunteers to Haiti including six medical teams. Volunteers have distributed 20 tons of rice, given medical treatment to 6,482 patients, assisted 100 pastors, made 2,475 ministry contacts and have seen 98 professions of faith.

“This is bigger than any of us,” Caison said. “We are just a small part of a much larger thing that God is doing in Haiti. Our efforts will undergird church planting, evangelism and leadership development in order to transform lives with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and ultimately transform Haiti.”

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Written by Carol Pipes, publications coordinator for the North American Mission Board, with reporting by James Dotson and Mark Kelly.

To donate to the Haiti relief effort, please click here. Every dollar given will be used 100% in relief efforts conducted in partnership with local Baptist churches.

 

A downloadable bulletin insert raising awareness about relief needs in Haiti is available at gobgr.org.

 

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