October 7, 2002
GUEST COLUMN:
Disaster relief work gives new perspective
___By Ella Wall Prichard
___One Saturday, I spent four hours "gofer-ing" for Texas Baptist Disaster Relief workers providing aid to flood victims in the Corpus Christi area. During the drive home, I reflected on my experience and realized my perspective on relational vitality and unity in the church had been drastically altered in those few hours.
___Relational vitality
___I had thought the church needed to work on relational vitality, that as we grew closer to one another, we'd be led as a group to grow closer to God. That is, that corporate spiritual vitality would follow relational vitality. But then I spent a couple of hours exploring caliche roads in Jim Wells County with a man I'd never met before.
___Looking for flood damage; passing out flyers saying, "we want to help you"; giving water to a flood victim and joining him and his friends in a circle of prayer; walking down a narrow road (not drivable because of debris) past flooded cars, trucks, bicycle, wheelchair; walking through a new ranch-style brick house that looked like the river had roared right through itÑI learned a lot about Chris, his family, his business and his faith and shared with him in return; and we shared with each other our feelings upon witnessing the devastation: "What can we do to help? What's safe? What about being taken advantage of?"
___There was so much more vitality to that brief relationship than to the numerous superficial exchanges I have with people at the church whom I've "known" for years. It was our common bond in wanting to minister to those people that was the foundation for our connection, not vice-versa.
___So let churches have God-sized projectsÑministries that put different generations and different groups working togetherÑand I believe that generational and doctrinal battles will lessen and relational vitality will soar. Maybe it's "both/and," not "either/or" or even "first/then." I know not everyone is called to every ministry. But we can have projects with "ownership" that's wide and deep, that requires enough gifts and spans enough time that it could use everyone.
___
___ When I got to River Hills Baptist Church that afternoon, where Disaster Relief teams had their field kitchen, I was surprised to see all the Texas Baptist volunteers in yellow T-shirts that read: "Southern Baptist Convention / DISASTER RELIEF."
___ But I remembered that Texas Baptist Men are a part of the national denomination's group, just like the Woman's Missionary Union of Texas is part of a national group. So despite strong disagreements and discord between the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist General Convention of Texas, and though this was a Texas effort, the national "brand" was used.
___ And I decided this is good. I knew Southern Baptists, including Texas Baptists, provided disaster relief teams in New York after 9/11. What I now know is that the American Red Cross and Baptist Men have a formal partnership. When there's a disaster, Baptist Men Disaster Relief provides the field kitchens and man- (and woman-) power to cook the food, and the Red Cross provides the raw foodstuffs, other supplies and the trucks to distribute it. As a Red Cross worker said to me, "The Red Cross couldn't do its job without Baptist Disaster Relief." I had no idea!
___ So, it's not Texas Baptists here, and Mississippi Baptists there; and the fundamentalists in blue shirts and the moderates in yellow ones. But just Baptists of all stripes, colors and theology united to minister to those in need! Just like Christ commanded us to do! I've been in the Baptist wars, and I've formed the bad habit of mentally labeling people by the church they attendÑright, left, center, etc. It took about 15 minutes at River Hills to leave that behind. These older Texans, on the concrete parking lot in 100-degree weather cooking 1,400 meals two times a day, paying their own way to be here to minister to our neighbors. Who cares? What difference does it make what side of the Baptist fence they're on? They're united in ministry. By the time Chris and I headed for FM 1540, I wasn't interested in where his church is in the political landscape. This is, of course, what built the "old" Southern Baptist ConventionÑchurches united to do missions, to obey the Great Commission. All the institutions and agencies and trappings were later additions. Maybe, if we find ways to work together in a common cause, we'll put aside the differences to do the work Christ calls us to.
___ And unified, we can do so much more than we can do separately. We are more than the sum of our parts. It was knowing that Texas Baptists were in place and organized, with a plan and procedures, at River Hills that made it possible for a mudout crew to head out without being organized or "blessed" in some official way by our church, that made it possible for me to show up at 1:30 Saturday afternoon and simply say, "What can I do to help?"
___ I was reminded afresh of the strengths and values of a denomination, and I think some of our younger adults saw the strength and value for the first time. I was reminded afresh of why we give to missions beyond Corpus Christi, and I think some of our younger adults saw that for the first time. Our percentage to Texas Baptist work (and on to national and international missions) helps support Disaster Relief here, across Texas, in New York, wherever. We receive when we need it; we have a part in helping, even when we can't go physically. And our percentage to the Corpus Christi Baptist Association has helped pay for a Disaster Relief trailer for our local churches to man, and helps fund training for local Baptist Christians in disaster relief.
___ And I was proud to be a BaptistÑeven a Southern Baptist! My plumber, a flood victim himself, had said, "You're feeding us" when I said, "Baptist." The woman across the road from our mudout team asked them, "When are my Baptists coming?" Driving Highway 624, where River Hills is located, you pass churches of all denominations; whizzing past at 60 miles per hour, you couldn't miss where the action wasÑa powerful witness of caring. And all those families who were displaced had Baptist teams coming to help them carry out the furniture, pull up the rugs, tear off the sheetrock and wash off the mold.
___ While I was there, a TV news team came in, interviewed the volunteer head of Disaster Relief and then headed out with him to see the mudout work. So the witness of Baptist Christians carrying out Jesus' commands was carried by the media to a wider audience. And maybe others will say of us: "Oh! You're a Baptist. You're the people who feed the hungry, take water to the thirsty, help people who are the victims of natural (and man-made) disasters!"
___ Thank God for Texas Baptists and others who respond so generously to human need! Thank God for the churches that have Baptist Men's groups. And thank God for the spirit of unity in carrying out his mission that supercedes human disagreements.
___Ella Wall Prichard is a member of First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi
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