Oklahoma disaster response breaks down denominational barriers

MOORE, Okla. (ABP)—If the deadly Oklahoma tornado had a silver lining, it may be the ecumenical spirit that blew in with the response and recovery efforts of local churches, ministers say.

Baptist and other pastors describe an ongoing, cooperative effort among the congregations located in and around Moore, Okla., which was devastated by a massive twister May 20. It killed at least 24 people, including nine children.

Tom OgburnThat effort is the fruit of years of ecumenical cooperation on issues ranging from poverty to foster children, said Tom Ogburn, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City.

Those efforts forged relationships and friendships that have formed an ecumenical infrastructure, and that, Ogburn added,  “created an environment where we can work together right now.”

Relationships quickened communication among congregations in the area, in turn helping churches avoid duplication of efforts in the immediate hours after the disaster.

“This is why ecumenical matters,” said Chris Moore, associate minister at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ in Oklahoma City. “This is a time when the church should be church with a big capital ‘C,’ and not with all our denominational small ‘c’s.”

Moore experienced ecumenism when he and fellow associate minister Lori Walke drove about 30 minutes to deliver supplies to NorthHaven Church in Norman, a Baptist congregation located three miles south of the tornado impact zone. NorthHaven is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

Moore chose NorthHaven because of its proximity to the affected area, because it was serving as a collection point for relief supplies and because he knew its pastor, Mitch Randall, through other CBF Oklahoma connections he’s made over the years.

Mitch RandallWhen Moore and Walke arrived, Randall suggested they deliver the supplies to an Oklahoma University dorm where victims were being housed.

“Mitch didn’t have one hesitation in saying ‘you take this stuff,’ and he didn’t care if we mentioned NorthHaven,” Moore said. “That kind of selfless giving is missing in the church, and this is a nice opportunity to see that again.”

At NorthHaven, Randall said the need is too great for congregations to be territorial or theological in their relief efforts. He’s hearing of Presbyterians, Methodists, United Church of Christ, Catholic and other denominations coordinating their response.

Meanwhile, individual churches are doing what they can, right where they are. Once the twister passed, NorthHaven opened its doors to victims and others who needed a place to de-stress, charge or use cell phones and get a bite to eat. It’s also continuing to serve as a distribution center for relief supplies.

“My phones have been blowing up with text messages and calls from people asking what they can do,” Randall said.

When one of those calls asked for transportation for victims in Moore, Randall said he couldn’t help because his church doesn’t have the vans needed. So he called First Baptist in Oklahoma City, which responded to get victims to the help they needed.

“It’s been a true community effort,” Randall said.

At First Baptist, Ogburn said that kind of effort comes naturally when people of other traditions cease being stereotypes and instead become friends.

“This is about people with broken hearts and broken lives—people we call neighbors,” he said.