Team Activity:   

2009 Activity Report

During the 2008/2009 year the BRBA Disaster Relief team served at 7 locations in 4 states. Last October 9 volunteers went to Vidor, TX to assist flood victims from Hurricane Ike. During the February Ice Storms the team served in the Kentucky towns of Clinton and Hartford with 11 and 17 volunteers respectively. Twice they responded to Charleston MO with 68 volunteers on the first trip and 42 on the second cleaning up 278 yards. In May the team went to Fredericktown Mo to assist homeowners with straight line wind damage with 24 volunteers. In August the team responded locally to help with wind damage to Henderson and Decatur counties. Also one homeowner in Decatur County needed the flood recovery team of 20 volunteers to gut their home from a heavy rain.  During the year 344 homeowners and churches received help from the ministry team which brings the total to 780 in 15 states during the past 5 years.

The Baptist Builders team worked even harder during the year. Four local churches had the BRBA team assist in construction projects. They are House of Worship Baptist and Mt. Pleasant United Methodist in Henderson County. In Decatur County Bunches Chapel and Bear Creek Baptist churches received help with Bear Creek still in progress. The team went to Mexico to remodel the Centro Abba church of Allende. The team served in Gulfport and Long Beach MS assisting needy homeowners during the year. They also worked on a home in Denmark TN to help a tornado victim from the February 08 storm. During the year one home was remodeled in Hardin County and another in Henderson County. After the DR team gutted the home in Sugar Tree TN the Baptist Builders went back to help rebuild the home. Also during the year several handicap ramps were built and many local church projects were completed.

 2008 Activity Report

"They are working like busy beavers," said one unnamed flood victim in Reedsburg, WI. "I've never seen people go at it and work so hard.... My husband did everything when he built this house. And now we'll start over again. We're just overwhelmed." The woman said she thought the disaster recovery team would only be removing mud from her basement. "Then they started talking about taking the walls down and moving out appliances. I never counted on that. It's a miracle. At least my miracle" as told to a reporter from a Madison, Wisconsin TV station. That statement was made about the team from the Beech River Baptist Association and summed up how hard the Disaster Relief and Baptist Builders team worked during the last year.

The Disaster Relief team responded to 5 disasters last year serving in 4 states. In January, 19 volunteers from 8 churches returned for the second time to Skiatook, Oklahoma for Ice Storm damage. A total of 26 homes were cleaned up from the costliest disaster in Oklahoma’s history. In February over 185 volunteers served in the West Tennessee area after tornadoes struck the state. The volunteers split up into 5 teams and served in the counties of Madison, Hardin, McNairy, Perry, and Macon. There were 28 homes worked on which included removing personal belongings, chain saw, and applying “blue tarps” which is putting  a heavy tarp over the roof to prevent further damage. After a straight line wind that caused damage in Henderson, Tennessee 11 volunteers from 3 churches responded in May removing tree debris from 2 homes while the majority of the team was in Gulfport, Mississippi for a rebuild project. The next response was to Reedsburg, Wisconsin in June to help with the Midwest Floods. There were 12 volunteers from 6 churches who made the 750 mile trip. The team removed mud from flooded out basements. They also removed personal belongings and tore out molded sheetrock in 25 homes. The last disaster relief response in 2008 was in September to Vidor, Texas where 11 volunteers from 6 churches responded after Hurricane Ike hit the Gulf Coast. During the week 6 homes and 1 church were mudded out doing the same kind of work as in Wisconsin.

The newly formed Baptist Builders team was even busier during the year. The team was able to complete a wide range of projects which by year’s end totaled 35 homes and churches. In April 68 volunteers from 10 churches built a home for a Hurricane Katrina victim in Pass Christian, Mississippi start to finish. Over 80 volunteers from 16 churches started helping the House of Worship Baptist church in Henderson County in June building their new building. The team supplying the labor for framing, wiring, sheetrock, and heating/air. At the request of the Madison/Chester Association of Jackson the team was asked to help build a home for a tornado victim in the Denmark, Tennessee area in July with 125+ volunteers from 20 churches participating. For 2 different weeks in September and October the team worked on a home for a Katrina victim in Gulfport, Mississippi with 19 volunteers from 10 churches. Also in September, 11 volunteers from 6 churches painted Crossroads Baptist church in Decatur County. In October Mt Pleasant Methodist Church in Henderson County asked the team to help build their new addition. To date over 30 from 8 churches has taken part in the construction. The Oak Grove Presbyterian Church in Decatur County was roofed by the team in October as well. In November the team was asked to assist in the remodel of a home in Hardin County for a woman with 3 children who for 6 months had been living in a tent until receiving a home that had been vacant for over 4 years. For 14 days the team gutted and remodeled the home. The team in December helped a member of Sardis Baptist Church who had been living in a small storage building for months while trying to build their new home after moving here from Florida last January. Some of the work included framing, hanging doors and windows, house wrap, plumbing, metal roofing, and pouring concrete. During the year several more projects were completed on one day projects such as fence construction, plumbing repairs, parsonage mold removal, replacing vinyl siding, landscaping, repair wiring, and floor removal. Also 8 handicap ramps were built for needy residents of Henderson and Decatur Counties. The number of days served during the year totaled over 175 and countless man-hours.

Three new trailers were equipped during the year Parsons First Baptist (Chainsaw and Rebuild), Union Grove Baptist (Rebuild) and Sand Ridge Baptist (Concession) which brings the total to 5 Equipment Trailers, 1 Support Trailer, 1 Concession Trailer, and the Skid Steer Trailer. The Concession trailer was donated to the team by the Gulf Coast Baptist Association. This trailer used to be the Tennessee state shower trailer that was taken out of service after the Hurricane Katrina response. It was given to the churches on the Gulf Coast but they did not want to refurbish it so they gave it to the Beech River Association which is group of 44 Baptist churches in Henderson and Decatur Counties. There has been many days spent gutting and refitting this trailer.

In the last 4 years the team has served 425 homeowners or churches in 14 states with over 400 people who are trained in Disaster Relief or part of the Baptist Builders team including 8 other Tennessee Baptist Associations who has joined in doing the LORD's work. Many lives have been changed. Not only have some of the homeowners and churches been changed but several members of the team lives have been changed as well. The Disaster Relief team from the Beech River Baptist Association has three goals it seeks to meet whenever it is called to a disaster site. The team attempts to bring the victims HOPE, to share our FAITH and most of all to show Gods LOVE.