Beachfront church, flattened by Hurricane Ivan, to rise anew
ORANGE BEACH, Ala. (BP)--Pastor Paul Smith never dreamed the beachfront church he helped begin and later saw splintered and flattened by Hurricane Ivan sat on land that would one day sell for millions of dollars.
Repair of storm -damaged churches proceeds at varying speed
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Visible signs of post-hurricane recovery were on display this spring for at least two Florida congregations: Eastside Baptist Church in Milton and First Baptist Church in Lake Worth.
‘Tired, but not broken’: Post-hurricane needs still abound
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--When the eye of Hurricane Charley bore down on the home of Pastor Ken Galloway last August, the storm knocked down his brick fence and smashed the chimney onto the roof, tearing holes through the shingles, ceiling and sheetrock. Then the winds of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne slashed across the home from the east coast, causing further damage.
After the hurricanes: Home repairs still needed for many
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| Needs then & now The immediate needs have been met – such as a hot meal for Alicia Rosas, holding her six-day-old baby, after Hurricane Ivan – but home repairs continue to be needed throughout Florida and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast after by Ivan and Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne. Photo by Ken Touchton/Florida Baptist Convention |
“I have three boys,” Kristen Conger said. “You try to protect your children, then they lose everything and you tell them that it’s going to be OK, but I didn’t even think it was going to be OK,” she said.
Money the family intended to use for repairs covered hotel costs as they sought shelter from the subsequent hurricanes and storms that ravaged Florida. With only a tarp-covered roof and extensive mold damage, the Congers returned home to try and piece together their house and lives.
Disaster relief: Records tallied in ’04 by Baptist volunteers
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--Southern Baptist Disaster Relief responses in 2004 reached an all-time high, including record numbers for meals prepared, buildings repaired and cleanup and recovery projects.
College gives scholarships to churches involved in Centri-KID
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (BP)--Churches that send their kids to Centri-KID camp at Georgetown College can get more than spiritual benefits for their kids from a week of camp. They can position their students for a scholarship.
FIRST-PERSON: In midst of storms, cross a reminder of hope
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP)--Riding with my feet dangling over the tailgate of a pickup truck down Pensacola Beach’s main drag, the swooshing of sand underneath the truck’s tires was the only sound in an otherwise almost eerie emptiness.
Churches learn to negotiate insurance after hurricanes
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| Victory nevertheless Victory Baptist Church in West Palm Beach lost its steeple and sustained added damage when every tree on the grounds was toppled by Hurricane Frances. |
Still, most church leaders, in interviews with the Florida Baptist Witness, say the storms have served to unify their congregations and focus their attention on their neighborhoods.
Post-hurricane relief to shift from meals to long-term ministry
ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP)--After more than two months of operation, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief meal preparations for hurricane victims in the eastern United States will shut down by the end of October, but long-term recovery and rebuild efforts remain, according to officials coordinating the unprecedented national response.
IMB, Va. Baptists team up to help islands hit by hurricanes
RICHMOND, Va. (BP)--Southern Baptists are reaching out to Caribbean islanders in the aftermath of four hurricanes that ravaged the region in August and September.
Food, plastic sheeting, roofing supplies and water purifiers have been delivered, and volunteers will help with clean-up, reconstruction and crisis counseling, according to spokesmen for the International Mission Board and the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, which has a partnership with Baptist churches in the Caribbean.
The Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Haiti and other islands were devastated by hurricanes Frances, Jeanne and Ivan, killing thousands of people and destroying homes, roads, power supplies, water treatment facilities, businesses, crops and hospitals.
