By Message Staff
The first Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been activated for a response to Hurricane Harvey.
Gibbie McMillan, state disaster relief coordinator for Louisiana Baptists, said that while Rolling Hills Ministry has a feeding team and Eastern Louisiana Baptist Association a chainsaw team positioned in Texas, some of the teams from Louisiana are working towards recovery in their own state. McMillan said more than 800 homes flooded in southwest Louisiana, including 200 in Lake Charles.
Command centers are set up at Crossroads Baptist Church in Vinton and another at Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles. A laundry unit from Webster-Claiborne Baptist Association is working out of First Baptist Church in Jennings and Eastern Louisiana has a mud out team stationed at Trinity Baptist.
Rolling Hills has a shower unit at First United Pentecostal Church in Dequincy and another shower unit at First Baptist Church in Mauriceville. Its feeding unit was traveling Tuesday, Sept. 5 to work in Beaumont, Texas.
A warehouse has been established at Boulevard Baptist Church in Lake Charles. Additionally, First Baptist Church in DeRidder is serving as a point of distribution for Louisiana teams.
McMillan said he has requested the North American Mission Board to send 10 mud-out teams to work in Louisiana. He also has requested District 8 Convention headquartered in Natchitoches to send its shower unit to Trinity Baptist.
“We need to trust the Lord for what is needed during times of disaster,” McMillan said. “There is a great need for God’s people to pray, give, and go when possible. Texas is in big need, however before we go to Texas we must help the hurting flooded people in Southwest Louisiana. God calls us to be faithful, I trust you will do what you can.”
