Texas Baptists help bring relief during Ebola crisis

Texas Baptists are working with various ministry partners to send food and supplies to areas of West Africa experiencing starvation due to the Ebola crisis.

Workers load 44,000 pounds of prepackaged rice/soy meals provided by Convoy of Hope of Springfield, Mo., bound for West Africa into two 40-foot containers secured with Texas Baptist Hunger Offering funds.In Liberia and Sierra Leone, many farmers have contracted the Ebola virus and died, leaving farm workers without jobs. In-country prices have escalated since less food is being produced.

CNN reported in a recent article  the number of Ebola cases could rise to between 550,000 and 1.4 million by January without additional interventions or changes in community behavior, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated.

The Texas Baptist Hunger Offering made available a $35,000 grant to support hunger relief efforts in West Africa.

With hunger offering funds, Texas Baptists’ Disaster Recovery program secured two 40-foot containers, each filled with 44,000 pounds of prepackaged rice/soy meals provided by Convoy of Hope of Springfield, Mo.

The first container was shipped Oct. 9 to Liberia, and a second container will be shipped there within two weeks. Together, the two containers will provide 570,000 meals.

The hunger offering also is covering shipping costs for another container with 285,000 meals from Convoy of Hope that will go to Sierra Leone.

Crowds wait for medical help at the Modia General Clinic in Sierra Leone before the Ebola crisis hit. Restore Hope is a sponsor of the clinic, where some of the relief supplies will be used. (Restore Hope Photo)In Liberia, many of the 300 churches related to the Liberia Baptist Convention will distribute the food to rural communities and hospitals.

The partnership between Baptists in Texas and Liberia grew out of a conversation between Olu Menjay, president of the Liberia Baptist Convention, and Chris Liebrum, who directs Texas Baptists’ Disaster Recovery ministry.

“Texas Baptists’ Disaster Recovery has determined that food relief will be our part of this complex puzzle of disaster recovery in West Africa,” Liebrum said. “Some will help with medical and other social needs. We’ll do our best to keep Liberian Baptist leaders supplied with food that they can distribute to their communities.”

Menjay pointed out the need for food is nearly as great as the need for medical attention, but that message is being overlooked.

While Ebola cases first surfaced in Liberia in late February, the impact nearly eight months later is debilitating to the developing country, where unemployment is rising and food prices are escalating. By providing food, Liberian Baptists are “scratching where people are itching,” Menjay said.

“The crisis is huge, and the needs are huge,” he explained. “I think this initiative is helping us reach the grassroots people in a real way, because we’re using our churches. This partnership is putting hands and feet to what God has called us to.”

In Sierra Leone, Global Connection Partnership Network has established nongovernmental organization status and—in partnership with First Baptist Church in Arlington—has personnel on site to facilitate and coordinate the efforts of all groups working as partners with Restore Hope Sierra Leone.

Restore Hope, which has 25 missionary personnel in Sierra Leone, is working with trusted church leaders and community partners to bring relief in the country.

In addition to the assistance provided through the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering and Convoy of Hope, Meals 4 Multitudes—a ministry with ties to First Baptist Church in Athens—also is working with Restore Hope to provide meals in Sierra Leone.

Texas Baptist Men volunteers packed 110,000 meals donated by Meals 4 Multitude for the project.

Jim Palmer, coordinator of Meals 4 Multitude, reported his organization typically sends 175,000 meals annually to Ethiopia.

“We’ve never sent to Sierra Leone before,” Palmer said. “But Project Restore Hope asked us if we had any meals we could give them specifically for the Ebola crisis, because they’re right in the middle of it.”

The Texas Baptist Hunger offering grant will enable Restore Hope to provide food, thermometers, antiseptic soap, water-purification packets, Christian literature and Ebola-prevention guides to orphan-caregivers and widows in Sierra Leone.

The grant also helps provide food supplies to the Hope Center, Agape Academy and Mile 91 Baptist Church, all helping vulnerable families.

Aaron Pierce, director of community development and relief with Restore Hope, praised the cooperation multiple ministry partners demonstrated in making the relief effort possible.

“This is a great example of ministries coming together and pooling their resources to make an impact where there’s a dire need,” Pierce said. “We recognize that this whole effort has taken a broad assortment of partners … to pull it off.”

Ferrell Foster, director of ethics and justice with the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission, expressed appreciation for Texas Baptists’ support of the hunger offering that made the response possible.

“We are thrilled that Texas Baptist Hunger Offering funds can be used to address this terrible situation in West Africa,” Foster said. “This is a kingdom response, and our prayer is that Christ’s name will be exalted in all that we do minister to the needs in West Africa.”

Compiled from reports by Leah Allen with Texas Baptist Communications and Grace Gaddy with Texas Baptist Men, with additional reporting by Managing Editor Ken Camp.