June 17, 2002
Texas Baptist Men offer assistance to victims of Colorado's wildfires
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___Texas Baptist Men are serving meals to Coloradoans evacuated from their homes due to fires that continue to roar through central Colorado.
___The Top O' Texas disaster relief unit served three meals a day to victims of the Iron Mountain fire June 8-10 at First Southern Baptist Church of Cañon City, located southwest of Colorado Springs.
Fires such as this one have left homeowners scrambling, and Texas Baptist Men volunteers ministering.
___Officials evacuated more than 800 homes in the area due to threat of the fire, leaving many temporarily homeless. Others discovered the fire burned their houses and incinerated their property. Texas volunteers in the unit, which has responded to several disasters, sought to lift spirits with a good meal and a warm smile.
___"They were able to minister to those who have lost basically everything--their clothes, their house, their vehicles," said Morgan Kerr, pastor of the Colorado church. "They were able to provide basic needs for them."
___The meals also were delivered to firefighters battling the blaze about 50 minutes away from town.
___The operation went smoothly as the 15-member unit "wasted little effort" in their duty, Kerr said. Townspeople also gathered clothes and supplies for the victims.
___As of June 13, 11 members of the group were traveling north to the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock, where the Hayman fire has burned 87,000 acres, to serve meals under direction of the Salvation Army. More than 5,400 people in that area south of Denver have been evacuated because of the blaze.
___"The very fact they are flexible enough to adjust with the situation is amazing," Kerr said. "They are a shining example of Christ."
___Jeff Roper of First Baptist Church in Plains, said the operation gives him a chance to be the missionary God intends every Christian to be.
___"Have a service heart. Get a passion for God and do it," he said. "We've heard people all over say they want to do something and then do nothing. If you're truly a servant of God, you will be looking for a place to serve."
___It is not known how long the team will be in Castle Rock or Colorado. At least seven fires have scorched more than 150,000 acres of the state. Half the state is under an extreme fire threat, while the rest of the state continues to have a high to very high fire threat rating from the U.S. Forest Service.
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