Disaster Relief

LAYMAN SEES DOMINICA FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector LA PLAINE, Dominica — Jeff Gilliam of Tulip Grove Baptist Church in Old Hickory is no stranger to Dominica. He has led five missions trips to the country since 2007. In mid-March he led his sixth trip, although in a totally different role. His first five trips were basically with teams that led conferences and did evangelism projects with Deliverance Baptist Church in

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THE REASON BAPTISTS DO WHAT WE DO

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Tennessee Baptists are once again living up to their reputation as residents of the Volunteer state. Since January, Tennessee Baptists have been hard at work on the tiny island of Dominica in the Caribbean. And, let’s be clear. Dominica is not the Dominican Republic. They are easy to confuse because of the similarity in name. Last September, Hurricane Maria slammed Dominica hard. It

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REBUILDING DOMINICA: ONE ROOF AT A TIME

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector LA PLAINE, Dominica — It’s been more than six months since Hurricane Maria hit shore in La Plaine, Dominica, leaving behind a trail of devastation and destruction. Yet, not much has changed for the better for the majority of Dominicans. Most of the homes in the country still do not have electricity. Those that do are dependent upon gas-powered generators. Many homes have

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COORDINATOR DESCRIBES NEEDS IN DOMINICA

By Lonnie Wilkey Editor, Baptist and Reflector Editor’s Note: You can listen to Phillip Hardee discuss the rebuilding efforts of Tennessee Baptists on the island of Dominica during Episode 14 of Radio B&R, the official news podcast of the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board.   FRANKLIN — The devastation caused by Hurricane Maria on the island of Dominica was “eye-opening and jaw-dropping,” said Phillip Hardee, a disaster relief volunteer from Bellevue

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GOTM, DR RESPONSES TOP 2017 NEWS

Past year’s biggest stories include record-breaking totals for Golden Offering, tireless work by DR teams Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — Record gifts through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions and disaster relief responses were among the top news stories in 2017 throughout the Tennessee Baptist Convention Tennessee Baptists gave $1,843,511.03 through the Golden Offering for Tennessee Missions for 2016-17, just barely falling short of the $1.85 million goal. It’s the

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TENNESSEE BAPTISTS TO HELP DOMINICA RECOVER

By David Dawson Baptist and Reflector FRANKLIN — Although two months have passed since the Caribbean island of Dominica was besieged by Hurricane Maria, the after effects are still visible and prevalent. It is estimated that 90 percent of Dominica’s structures were damaged or destroyed in September by the Category 5 hurricane, which claimed at least 28 lives and caused billions of dollars in damage. The storm produced winds of

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PUERTO RICO RELIEF NEEDS ONGOING VOLUNTEERS, FUNDING

Baptist Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (BP) — Southern Baptists continue to serve Puerto Rico’s residents after Hurricane Maria’s devastation in September, creating a nationwide response from the ground up. “Though the plight of Puerto Rico has started to fade from the headlines,” Porter said, “there are still plenty of needs and places to serve.” NAMB’s Send Relief outreach has attained warehouse space in Puerto Rico for the collection of

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SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHAPLAINS RESPOND TO TX COMMUNITY

by Josie Bingham Baptist Press SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas (BP) — “It’s a pretty somber place,” Scottie Stice said of the community left behind after Sunday’s horrific mass shooting at a Southern Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Stice, disaster relief director for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC), reported teams of Southern Baptist chaplains and other DR volunteers are ministering however they can among those devastated by the “senseless”

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BANNER BAPTIST GIVES BACK

by David Dawson Baptist & Reflector GATLINBURG — Pastor Pete Lamon and the members of Banner Baptist Church have come full circle. Last year at this time, they were receiving assistance. This year, they are helping provide it. Banner Baptist, located just outside the Gatlinburg city limits, is one of several churches that suffered substantial damage during the wildfires that swept through the area in November of 2016. Banner Baptist

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