PAST and FUTURE

By: Charles Ray

As the country observed the second anniversary of Katrina it is timely to understand what we in Arkansas have learned from our involvement and how we are preparing for the next event.

THE PAST

Perhaps the greatest lesson I have learned is that our faith based groups (CBF included) can move faster and get more done with less resources than our government. Now before you think I am anti-government, let me explain. Individuals that make up these dedicated groups come from every major religious order in America. They live in all of the affected areas. They have a stake in their communities. They are use to helping others. I do not believe any of us expect to rebuild a city through our efforts but we can certainly rebuild community, one family, or one church, at a time.

Going into Katrina, two years ago as Arkansas’ Disaster Response Coordinator (DRC), I was impressed by the number of different groups in the areas. Multiple Baptist groups, Volunteers of America (VOA), separate civic organizations and many other denominational teams. Somewhere in all that mixture of efforts I began wondering how much more effective we could be with some coordination of these groups. In January, 2007, I became the national DRC. It was time to see if that idea had merit.

My first call was to the DRC of A B Men, the response arm of the American Baptist Churches USA. Our northern brothers and sisters. This organization has a number of well trained teams along with response trailers located across much of the north. With CBF strong in the south this connection would add to our ability to help others in need.

In February, while still discussing our mutual goals with ABC, I was called to Florida to respond to the killer tornado there. As I walked down a road in the midst of total destruction I met a man wearing an ABA Response t-shirt. I learned that ABA was American Baptist Assocation, often referred to as Missionary Baptist. “How can I help you,” I asked. He responded that he had adequate equipment but not enough help. Through our CBF Florida office we responded with seven workers before the day ended. For the next week our groups worked together. On Sunday we had “church without walls” in the open field for a few minutes and went back to helping others. I believe that is what Jesus would have done.

Three weeks later Dumas, Arkansas was hit hard and I was in the area in a few hours. The next morning I was shocked when I received a call from the ABA person I has met in Florida and he told me he was in route to Dumas to help us. He lives in Tampa, FL. Within a week after Dumas I was obtaining sleeping space and food for them in Enterprise, Alabama, through a CBF church. Because of the massive destruction there all relief work was shifted. ABA led our efforts there for the next three weeks. What we couldn’t do alone was getting done through networking and cooperation.

Over the next few months I met with Volunteers of America and Rebuilding Together, two secular based groups. During our efforts in Alabama after Katrina we relied on VOA for leadership. Realizing that CBF’s greatest resource is our people, VOA was eager to ask us to become a national partner with them. At the same time Rebuilding Together inquired about a similar arrangement. It became obvious that others had been seeking a way to come together and form a more effective response than was possible by themselves.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

ABC USA. While we at CBF do not hold ourselves out as a “first responder” we have, however, other groups that do and will lead our responders who wish to do so. To date we have entered into a Covenant with A B Men to work with them in all areas of North America. We will share equipment and other resources where needed. If we are called on to respond in an area where CBF is strong, they will work with our leadership. If in the north, we will follow them.

VOA. We are continuing to meet with this group and will enter an agreement soon for calling on each other in a time of crisis. The VOA may be un-matched in permanent leadership in the coastal regions of America.

Rebuilding Together. A Memo of Understanding was signed in June joining our efforts in the continued work of renewing the ravaged gulf coast area. We are pledging to help build, or rehab 100 homes in the New Orleans area over the next three years.

ABA. We are committed to responding together in future disasters. We will help our collective churches, their members, and then the community, in that order.

Lastly, we in Arkansas are asking at least three churches to pay for an equipment trailer stocked with items needed for early deployment in our state. We hope they will provide at least one team of four that we will train for such deployment. We have the ability to purchase and stock the unit for a cost of $7,700 each. One trailer has been purchased.

To permit all the new partnerships to have a common knowledge of resources, we have developed a new web site, www.cbfresponds.com. Through this site we expect to know where every piece of equipment is located, regardless to whom it belongs. Your support to this and all our CBF efforts permit all of our work. To continue helping us with any project, click here.

To permit all the new partnerships to have a common knowledge of resources, we have developed a new web site, www.cbfresponds.com. Through this site we expect to know where every piece of equipment is located, regardless to whom it belongs. Your support to this and all our CBF efforts permit all of our work. To continue helping us with any project, click here.