Texas Baptist Men: On Mission through Disaster Relief

GoodFaith_TexasBaptistMen1-Richter — Volunteers with Texas Baptist Men worked a total of 24,000 hours in the damaged areas of Rowlett and Garland by the end of February. 2016 photo courtesy of Texas Baptist Men.

(ROCKWALL/HEATH, TX – March 18, 2016) The ministry headquarters is located just a few miles west of Lake Ray Hubbard—not far from the path of the tornado that devastated areas of Garland and Rowlett in late December.

When Texas Baptist Men (TBM) responded to the recent disaster, volunteers came ready to put their training to work. While the destructive storms resulted in a strong spirit of volunteerism in Rockwall and other neighboring communities, TBM volunteers worked 10-hour days, and stayed long after the news cameras went away. By the end of February they had put in 24,000 hours in the affected area. And they still weren’t leaving.

GoodFaith_TexasBaptistMen2_Richter — TBM volunteers are trained to use chainsaws and to safely remove debris. 2016 photo courtesy of Texas Baptist Men

This organization serves in cooperation with the Southern Baptist Convention to encourage individuals to offer their experience or interests to accomplish God’s work for his glory—sharing the good news of Jesus Christ as they go. TBM is also a part of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief—the third largest voluntary disaster relief organization in the U.S. after the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Since its inception in 1967, TBM has grown to include nearly 20 various fellowships and ministries. Some of these include: building/construction; medical/dental; and restorative justice. But their most visible and appreciated ministry is disaster relief, which involves training volunteers and coordinating efforts to provide assistance and emergency support in times of disaster.

Texas Baptist Men trained around 1,400 people in 2015 alone, adding to their current total of 12,000 volunteers. Their numbers include Methodists, Lutherans and Mennonites, too. And plenty of women—30%, according to Terry Henderson, who serves as Disaster Relief Director.

Henderson said they will train volunteers who are not members of a Southern Baptist Church (SBC), although these volunteers may not serve in leadership roles. TBM will also conduct training events outside of the SBC denomination by request.

The two-part training events include a two-hour orientation followed by six hours of hands-on training for a typical-size group. “We try to stick to a minimum of 10 people for training—with no maximum,” Henderson said.

The disaster relief training calendar on TexasBaptistMen.org reveals mostly weekend events—Friday nights and Saturdays. (Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall hosted an event in late February). But Henderson said training days are flexible.

TBM’s trained volunteers might wield a chainsaw or use heavy equipment. They may work with a debris-removal team or on a child-care team. Others will feed the masses, do laundry, put up temporary roofing, and more. Some serve as chaplains, though all of this disaster relief work represents the Gospel in a practical way.

And—as we know from recent experience—volunteers with Texas Baptist Men could show up in our own backyard.