Author: Jayson Larson

‘God will continue the work He began’: SBTC DR reflects following Hurricane Helene response

Exactly where Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief teams would deploy in the wake of Hurricane Helene was a mystery on Oct. 3, until a call for assistance in mass feeding came from Send Relief.

“A charitable entity contacted Send Relief and said they wanted to help with mass feeding after Helene, including one at Spruce Pine, N.C.,” said Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director. The town, with a population of about 2,200 nestled in the Appalachians off the Blue Ridge Parkway, had been devastated by Helene. Businesses, homes, and the town’s wastewater treatment plant were destroyed by flooding.

At 3:30 a.m. the next day, SBTC DR associate Wally Leyerle left his home in Flower Mound for Flint Baptist Church near Tyler, where volunteers had readied the SBTC DR mass feeding unit housed at the church. The team of 19, plus drivers who would deliver the DR trailers to the disaster area and return home, caravaned northeast toward western North Carolina.

There they met another SBTC DR team headed north to join the Spruce Pine effort after completing two weeks on a feeding crew in Florida.

What should have been less than a one-day trip took two. North Carolina greeted them with impassable roads, multiple detours due to damage, and near escapes.

“Later that week, we found out that one of the bridges we had traveled on with 40-foot trailers collapsed two days after we passed over it,” Leyerle recalled.

After arriving at the parking lot of a major Spruce Pine retailer, they set up camp with five 40-foot trailers, a kitchen trailer, two support trailers, a 30-foot tent, a 20-foot tent, a forklift, two generators, and two 48-foot food storage trailers.

“Our footprint spanned one whole side of the parking lot. The retailer allowed us to block off a whole section just for DR,” Leyerle added.

Appalling conditions

“When we got to Spruce Pine, we found a community with no power, no potable water, no functioning bathrooms, no trash service, and an entire population still in shock from the storm,” Leyerle said.

The first meals went out Sunday, Oct. 6.

“At 11, we opened up our feeding lines by holding hand-lettered signs announcing, ‘Free Hot Food,’” Leyerle said.

The people came … in cars, in trucks, on tractors. They came, thankful for the hot meals available at lunch and dinner.

“In all, we served 1,200 meals that day. Not bad for zero publicity except for some social media and word of mouth,” Leyerle said. Counts steadily grew until one day the team distributed more than 2,400 meals.

“The people were very receptive. We stationed chaplains and counselors near the head of a drive-thru feeding line. The chaplains initiated conversations with all drivers and passengers, asking politely if there was anything specific they could pray for them about. Most everyone was eager to be prayed for and our chaplains did it, right there in the middle of the parking lot,” Leyerle said, adding that no one was forced to pray.

“The storm had taken out all their ability to communicate with the outside world. There was no news, no electricity, no internet. Many felt like nobody knew about them and they were going to have to get through this disaster all on their own. When the people looked at the logos on our vehicles, trailers, and our yellow DR shirts, they were shocked to discover that we had driven all the way from Texas with all this equipment just to serve them some hot food. We told them that we came here because they were here and we wanted them to know that God still loved them. Often, they cried,” Leyerle said.

By the time the deployment ended, SBDR volunteers from New Mexico, Arkansas, and Indiana had joined the Texas team to help.

A disaster relief volunteer (right) counsels with one of the survivors of Hurricane Helene, which hit North Carolina in late September. SUBMITTED PHOTO

God provided every step of the way

This disaster came with challenges, but God proved faithful, Leyerle noted.

Unseasonably cold weather, with frost and snow, took a toll on volunteers. When the need for six additional helpers arose, Leyerle asked his church to pray God would send laborers into His harvest. The next day Stice called to say 11 volunteers were coming from two other state Baptist DR teams.

Portable toilets proved problematic. There was no one to clean them and without bathrooms, the kitchen would have to shut down. People prayed. A man driving a septic clean-out truck just “happened” to stop by and agreed to help.

Another day, a man drove into the feeding line and noticed trash piling up due to a lack of garbage service. He offered to haul it off, explaining he had prayed and asked the Lord to use him in some way like he had seen the yellow shirts being used.

“It may seem silly to pray to the king of the universe about trash and sewage, but God cares about every little detail of our lives,” Leyerle said. “We could have waited to respond to this disaster, but instead we came depending on our God who promised to provide all our needs. And guess what? He did.”

Healing hearts

The SBTC DR team served hot meals not just to survivors, but also to linemen repairing power lines and search and rescue crews still at work. They listened to heartbreaking stories.

One man shrugged in agreement when a chaplain asked if she could pray for him. After she finished a brief prayer, the man looked at her blankly and said, “My brother died.”

“Why don’t you pull over here in this parking place and let a few of us talk to you for a while and then we’ll pray for you again?” the chaplain asked. The man agreed.

A woman drove through the food line with her sister, praying with the chaplain. When they moved forward to the place in the line where water was distributed, the woman told that volunteer, “My husband died right after the storm.” Her husband, a local contractor, slipped when descending a ladder after cutting a fallen tree off their roof. These ladies, too, were invited to pull over and receive additional counseling.

“Sometimes people just need to talk,” Stice said. “That’s a big part of what we do.”

By the time teams left Spruce Pine, the team had prepared 19,561 meals over two weeks. They also gave away hundreds of Bibles, presented the gospel 292 times, prayed with 4,018 people, and made 11,196 ministry contacts.

“As we were serving our last meal, people who had been getting food only for their family asked for multiple meals and water to give away to those who lived around them,” Leyerle said, adding, “I am confident that God will continue the work He began through us when we obeyed His command to go to a little town in North Carolina and minister to people we had never met.”

Stice added that an SBTC laundry team remains in Asheville, supporting a shelter there, while a chainsaw team is at work in Georgia and a recovery team has been sent to Roswell, N.M., in the wake of recent flooding.

 

13 ways to encourage your pastor beyond Pastor Appreciation Month

I recently texted nearly 150 pastors asking them one question: What are the things that are most meaningful and encouraging in your role as a pastor? The sample size was broad—from men serving their very first church to seasoned, retired pastors. Church size ranged from membership around 100 into the tens of thousands. From their 20s to their 80s, current pastors and retired pastors, bivocational and full-time, church planters and legacy church pastors, rural and urban, men you’ve never heard of and household names, senior pastors, student pastors, worship pastors—the one thing they all held in common was experience in pastoral ministry.

Some of the answers I expected and some were brand new. But all of them were good. Here is a distillation of the most frequent answers with a few specific quotes to illustrate:

1. Encourage him specifically

Verbal or written encouragement was far and away the most frequent answer. But not just any encouragement; almost to a man, each of them said that the most meaningful encouragement was specific.

  • “Don’t just say, ‘Great sermon, pastor.’ Say, ‘The way you explained the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing conviction of sin changed my view on the Spirit’s role in my life.’ Or ‘when you gave up your Saturday to visit that person in the hospital, it moved me. Your sacrifice for the church is inspiring, pastor!’ The more specific the encouragement, the more your pastor is going to believe it!”
  • “Intentional words of affirmation. Intentional meaning not just a general compliment, but specific things you appreciate, or specific ways you have been impacted, specific things that you love about the church, the mission, the vision/direction. As a pastor, one of the challenges is, I don’t always know where people actually stand or how they are receiving things, where they think the church is. So intentional words of affirmation is a huge blessing!”

2. Compensate him generously

As someone who isn’t a pastor but has the benefit of having lots of friends who are, I can say with confidence that the vast majority of pastors are underpaid. Whatever your pastor is making, he almost certainly deserves more. Pastors don’t clock out at 5 p.m., and the job is harder than you’ll ever know if you haven’t done it. Sleepless nights, tears, the burden of caring for others in their most difficult moments—these are the things you’ll rarely hear your pastor talk about. A workman is worthy of his wages, and elders who lead well are worthy of double honor (1 Timothy 5:17-18). Be the person in the church advocating for generous compensation—and this includes health insurance, retirement matching, and housing allowance, in addition to salary.

  • “Most pastors are underpaid, the market is tough right now, and there’s no opportunity for commission. Wives often feel this pinch more than the husbands.”

3. Offer no-strings-attached friendship

Pastors need men who will be their friends without any expectations beyond that of someone who isn’t a pastor. They need people with whom it’s safe to share their own burdens and those they can be around without constantly talking about work. Be the person who, when you reach out to plan lunch or coffee, they immediately know it will be a time of rest and refreshment rather than being lobbied about a church issue.

  • “When men come alongside me as ‘low maintenance’ friends. When they don’t pry for information about the church, when they don’t angle to feel connected to power—but rather—when they are true, low maintenance friends that just care about me as a man. Like my golf buddies. Guys that say more about my golf game than they do my ministry—these are my best friends in the church.”
  • “Let him be a real person. That’s the best way for a pastor and his family to be a part of the church, be prayed for, have friends, and be mentally healthy.”

4. Love and care for his family

If you want to honor and encourage your pastor, honor and encourage his wife and children. I had a pastor tell me last week that a church member had openly critiqued his wife in a recent meeting. Please, be the opposite of that guy! Cherish his wife and the quiet, often unknown ways she is supporting him. Look for ways to recognize and honor his children. One of the things I heard most frequently was to offer to babysit his kids (or pay for it) so he and his wife can get away for dinner.

  • “Most pastors are far away from family, so go to their kids’ sports events, remember their kids’ birthdays with cards or gifts, and be his kids’ family. The deepest love you can show is being involved with their family and loving on their children the same way you would with your grandkids or your own kids.”
  • “One member this year has given $200 gift cards or cash to each of my kids. The kids felt really special.
  • “If you want to encourage a pastor, then bless his kids. Find out their birthdays and do something special for them or give them a gift. A pastor’s family pays a big price and rarely gets credit for it.”
  • “Don’t project expectations of pastoral responsibilities on a pastor’s spouse and/or kids. Simply be kind and love them well.”

5. Pray for him creatively and in-person

Hopefully we all spend time praying for our pastors (if not, this is a great reminder to start). Think of some ways you can do that creatively and intentionally.

  • “Often people say they are praying for their pastor but rarely do pastors ever have people pray with them. When people stop me and say, ‘I know you pray with people a lot but I want to pray for you right now,’ it is always an encouragement.”
  • “Commit to pray for him for 30 days and send him your journal of how you prayed for him. Another one is to create a group where one person will text the pastor each day for 30 days with an encouraging verse and a prayer.”
  • “A church member took it upon herself to schedule people to pray for me in my office before every worship service. She scheduled every dynamic of the church. Children through senior adults. Singles, couples, Sunday School classes. It is such a treat every week. It has blessed me so much.”

6. Give him the benefit of the doubt

There are some pastors out there who have acted abusively or sinned in ways that disqualify them—but they are the exception, not the rule. Your pastor is trying to love Jesus and the flock that has been entrusted to him with integrity. Don’t be skeptical or cynical because other pastors have earned a bad reputation.

  • “You won’t agree with your pastor all the time. But a pastor will see and appreciate someone they trust to be honest behind closed doors, but publicly will remain committed and supportive.”
  • “Give him charity when you don’t agree, and trust when you don’t understand.”
  • “Tell him you’re on board. Unfortunately, pastors often hear more from those who are unhappy than from the majority who support his vision and leadership. If you’re on board, don’t be afraid to tell him.”

7. Encourage his hobbies

You have hobbies, and so does your pastor. What does he like? Offer to take him hunting if that’s his thing. Invite him to play golf if that’s what he loves. Speak his language.

  • “Do something that encourages a hobby he already has. My deacons bought me a bull, you know.”
  • “Buy him ammo.”

8. Surprise him financially

People don’t get into ministry for the money. You should be compensating him generously (see #2), but surprise him every now and then—and not just in October. I lost count of the number of pastors who said that gift cards for a date night or family night was one of the most encouraging things to them. Have each home group or Sunday School class sign up for a month of the year to give a nice, unprompted gift to the pastor and his family. Pass the boot for a love offering. Give him a cash handshake. It means a lot.

  • “On my first anniversary, the church sent our family on an all-expenses paid vacation. We felt appreciated!”
  • “Offer to babysit for a free date night. Maybe a gift card for them to go out too.”
  • “Money—that’s my idea. It could be specific. Nice dinner, sporting event, or some other fun activity. Or just cash.”

9. Recognize the toll his job takes, and say so

Shepherding a church is a hard, often thankless job. Don’t let it be that way for your pastor. Acknowledge the burden he is carrying as an under-shepherd of Jesus and thank him.

  • “Recognize the hard work and stress they deal with and simply say thank you. Sometimes pastors feel like no one cares or knows the weight of responsibility and it means a lot when someone genuinely acknowledges it.”

10. Block gossip and ungodly criticism

Be the first to encourage and the last to criticize. If you have a concern, deal with it directly rather than spreading it around to others. If it warrants a conversation with the pastor, arrange a time to talk to him and be specific about what you want to discuss—don’t send a vague text or email that you need to talk to him about “something.” When you hear others criticizing him or his family, rebuke gossip and point them toward an in-person conversation, if necessary.

  • “Be a blocker rather than a conduit for less-than-mission-critical complaints and questions.”
  • “Never criticize him to others. If you have a concern, find a time during the week to discuss it with him. Don’t ever go to him in an angry way. Always have your desire to encourage him, not condemn him.”
  • “Be quicker to share what you appreciate about him rather than where you disagree with him.”

11. Make sure he rests

From weekly sermon prep to hospital visits, administration and budgeting to weddings and funerals, pastors are often overworked. I talked to a friend last month who has been a senior pastor for 30 years and has never spent more than two weeks in a row out of the pulpit and never had a sabbatical. Pastors need rest. Make sure your church’s policies support this, and facilitate getaways where possible.

  • “Give them a sabbatical every 5 years or so. Just had my first one this past summer and it was really refreshing.”
  • “Obviously most pastors don’t make a ton of disposable income, so it’s such a gift when folks that have access to ranches/ski lodges/etc let them take their families to use them.”

12. Take him out for a meal

Bless your pastor with your time, presence, and a good meal—no strings attached. Ask about his favorite sports team. Get to know him as a person. Avoid church talk.

  • “Perhaps my favorite is when people take me out to eat. They generally give me an option or two based on what I like and then take me. Typically it’s just hang out time. Very little church talk and always a time of great encouragement.”
  • “Take him to lunch without controversy – just checking in and saying, ‘I’m thankful for you.’”

13. Communicate to him that you’re willing to serve

Tell your pastor that you’re willing to bat utility and serve where the need is greatest. Show him by your actions that you’re ready—this includes having a servant’s attitude and a willingness to show up consistently.

  • “When there are more needs than servants, the pastor feels it most acutely. Serve with a joy that makes walking through the halls of the children’s ministry a blessing for the pastor rather than triggering.”
  • “Tell him you would like to lead a short-term mission trip. Churches that are going are churches that are growing. Every pastor is encouraged by his people doing the main thing.”

This list could continue with more ways to encourage your pastor—tithing, leading in evangelism in missions, bringing friends to church, singing loud in worship, pursuing personal holiness (one of my favorite responses was “I don’t have much beyond stop sinning and disciple someone”).

At the end of the day, ask the Lord to cultivate a grateful heart for the work your pastor does and a willingness to not just show him on your own, but to be a leader in helping the church display that gratitude. And though October is generally celebrated as Pastor Appreciation Month, let it extend all year long. A good pastor is a gift from God—make sure he knows it!

Latest study offers hope regarding church’s opportunity to reach ‘Nones’

PHILADELPHIA—The percentage of U.S. adults not affiliated with a religion has flatlined at 26% since 2022 after decades of growth, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in its latest release from the 2024 State of the Bible.

But the diverse group of 70 million Americans designated as ‘Nones,’ 10% of whom say they’ve made a personal commitment to Jesus, are reachable by the church, said John Plake, ABS chief innovation officer and State of the Bible editor in chief.

“One of the things that we think is really useful in ministering to people with no religious affiliation is just to recognize that they’re not against you,” Plake told Baptist Press. “And they’re not against the church, or God or the Bible. They’re in this place in between.

“It’s this liminal place in between for a lot of Americans, and that gives us hope that we can reach out to those people and we can communicate the gospel clearly and biblically.”

Researchers aren’t sure why the Nones category grew steadily in the last quarter of the 20th century, spiked three percentage points from 2021 to 2022, and now appears to be stabilizing, Plake said, but he cited a trend of American becoming less religiously brand affiliated, which ABS has documented since the late 1990s.

ABS explored Nones in the seventh chapter of its latest State of the Bible, released Oct. 10. ABS links to an audio interview with Ryan P. Burge, whose groundbreaking 2021 book “The Nones” traces public data from the General Social Survey back to 1972, when only 5% of U.S. adults said they were religiously unaffiliated.

“Dr. Ryan Burge has helped us understand that just because someone says they have no religious affiliation, that kind of doesn’t tell us enough about them,” Plake said. “They’re not all the same group of people.”

Along with the 10% of Nones who’ve accepted Jesus are 25% who are open or curious about Jesus or the Bible. Conversely, 64% of Nones are not curious about the Bible or Jesus, and 40% are hostile to the Bible.

“We’ve been concerned that this movement towards no religious affiliation would then become a further movement towards becoming atheist or people who are really opposed to the gospel,” Plake said, “and we’re not really seeing that.”

Rather, many Nones are still exploring their faith, and others will come to a place of exploration, researchers believe.

Churches can reach out to Nones by recognizing they’re receptive to the gospel at key areas in their lives, including during periods of disruption or when they’re struggling with anxiety or emotional needs.

“As a former pastor, I’m thinking, ‘OK, how can we do church in a way that reaches out to our community,’” Plake said, “’and welcomes people who might be struggling with these issues.’”

Among other characteristics of Nones:

  • 7% read the Bible three to four times a year.
  • 3% agree “the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it presents,” compared to 38% of the general public.
  • 8% say their religious faith is very important in their life today, compared to half of the general public.
  • 40% believe the Bible was written to control or manipulate people.

State of the Bible is based on a nationally representative survey conducted for ABS by NORC at the University of Chicago, using the AmeriSpeak panel. Findings are based on 2,506 online interviews conducted in January 2024 with adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

This article originally appeared on Baptist Press.

State Board of Education to consider traditional curriculum offering for Texas students

AUSTIN—The Texas Education Agency, which oversees the state’s primary and secondary public education, has developed a new curriculum for students that supporters say can return public education to “rigorous academic learning.”

The curriculum is called Bluebonnet Learning (formerly TEA Open Education Resource). Last year the legislature passed  House Bill 1605 into law, directing the TEA to create its own free-to-use textbooks to help teachers with planning their classes.

“The materials will … allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.

The first offering will be reading/language arts for K-5 students and will be ready by August 2025.

One prominent feature of the curriculum is the explanation of biblical content used as a source reference for certain historical events, including famous works of art and music, important to understanding the development of Western civilization. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, referred to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, from the Book of Daniel in his well-known “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” The use of biblical references has been controversial and drew critics to public hearings who expressed concern about schools “teaching religion.” The curriculum’s developers and advocates have responded that the use of biblical material is not for purposes of proselytizing.

The curriculum is optional, but a financial incentive is offered from the state for classes that use Bluebonnet Learning. It is offered free to homeschooling families, as well. Once ready for use, the material will be online in PDF form, allowing parents to see all that their children will be studying.

Cindy Asmussen, policy advisor to the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, has reviewed the proposed curriculum and is enthusiastic about the chance to turn away from radical ideology in classrooms and back to a more classical model of learning.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she told the Texan. “We have all the pieces together to get something monumental done for Texas students.”

The State Board of Education has held public hearings on the new curriculum and received comments from the public online. The board will vote regarding approval of Bluebonnet Learning during its November meeting. Asmussen strongly encourages Texans to speak with their board members in favor of its approval.

You can contact your State Board of Education member by clicking here if you’d like to share your opinion on the subject.

As SBTC DR responds to disasters on multiple fronts, ‘our greatest need is for volunteers’

SPRUCE PINE, N.C.—Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Disaster Relief volunteers on the morning of Oct. 5 headed for Spruce Pine, a historic riverfront town of 2,000 hit hard by Hurricane Helene.

The hurricane wiped out Spruce Pine’s water treatment plant, leaving sludge-filled streets, ruined businesses, and collapsed buildings in its wake.

On a normal day, the trip from the Nashville area, halfway between Texas and North Carolina, where volunteers were guests of Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief, would have taken a few hours. Instead, the journey grew to seven hours, involving travel on four interstate highways, three state highways, and multiple narrow roads as the 26-volunteer caravan—including a mass-feeding trailer, two bunkhouses, a command post, and shower and refrigeration units—motored on, greeted by the Smoky Mountains as mist rose in nearby fields and forests.

“Not long after we turned south and entered North Carolina, the lush, beautiful countryside began to be punctuated by evidence of devastation,” said Wally Leyerle, SBTC DR associate and team leader.

A blessing to see how the Lord provides

The DR team had another problem: With Spruce Pine’s water treatment facility gone, it needed bottled water delivered to the parking lot where it would set up operations off Highway 226 South.

An SBTC DR volunteer and her husband pulling a refrigeration trailer paused at a roadside rest stop shortly after learning that a vendor could not supply sufficient bottled water until the middle of the following week. As the volunteer got out of the tow vehicle, a truck driver approached. He had seen the SBTC DR logo on the refrigeration unit and asked what the couple was going to do.

“During the conversation, she mentioned our need for bottled water,” Leyerle said, adding that the truck driver thanked them for serving the community before departing in his rig.

“About 20 minutes after our volunteers arrived at the disaster site and began setting up, that truck driver showed up in an 18-wheeler, delivered 20,000 bottles of water from his employer, and left,” Leyerle said. “It’s always a blessing to see how the Lord provides.”

Drive-through food distribution is giving SBTC DR volunteers exponentially more contacts with storm survivors. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Pilot program

SBTC DR volunteers are following a new Southern Baptist Disaster Relief model being piloted during the Helene response. Feeding teams are preparing 3,000-5,000 meals daily in Spruce Pine, placing the hot food in clamshell containers, and handing the meals directly to survivors in a drive-through operation.

The advantages of the drive-through system are many.

“Our contacts with survivors are off the charts,” said Scottie Stice, SBTC DR director. “We ask, ‘Can we pray with you?’ If the answer is yes, the door opens for spiritual conversations. If the answer is no, we simply greet them warmly, hand them the needed meals, and they drive away. We don’t force the issue.”

Stice said many locals have tearfully thanked volunteers, sharing with them that the hot meal they received was their first in 11 days.

“God is with us. We couldn’t do this without the support of our Southern Baptist churches,” he noted, explaining the partnership also includes Send Relief and corporate entities. “Always, our primary support is Southern Baptist churches that contribute.”

Also responding to Hurricane Helene, SBTC DR feeding volunteers deployed to Live Oak, Fla., in support of the Salvation Army, where they prepared 32,201 meals distributed to survivors and first responders and nearly 800 meals for DR workers. SBTC DR volunteers provided shower and laundry service, too—contributing more than 1,900 total hours before the Live Oak deployment ended Oct. 6. An SBTC DR shower unit set up operations in Blackshear, Ga., on Oct. 8 where volunteers remain as needed.

Earlier in the month, volunteers ended a deployment to Morgan City, La., following Hurricane Francine, contributing 670 volunteer hours to complete chainsaw jobs and debris removal.

The busy hurricane season that started with Beryl in early July continues into the fall.

“We’re getting lots of opportunities to serve,” Stice said. “We just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus. … Our greatest need is for volunteers. We are short-handed in North Carolina and Georgia right now and the needs are great.”

He added that Hurricane Milton intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday, Oct. 7, and is projected to make landfall on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Like other DR leaders, Stice said SBTC DR is monitoring the progress of the latest storm and preparing resources to assist.

To donate to Hurricane Helene relief efforts, visit sbtexas.com/disaster-relief/donate.

 

Florida Baptist churches, relief workers brace for yet another hurricane: ‘Everyone is getting tired’

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—As Florida Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers continue to come alongside community residents impacted by Category 4 Hurricane Helene—and with Hurricane Milton now setting its sights on Florida’s west coast—all Florida Baptists are being encouraged to join relief efforts by giving, going and praying.

Less than 12 hours after Hurricane Helene’s Sept. 26 landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region, David Coggins, FBDR director, said that volunteers began transporting and setting up equipment and resources at First Baptist Church in Perry, which is serving as the disaster relief command center. From that command center, hundreds of volunteers have been working with partners, such as The Salvation Army and Southern Baptists’ Send Relief, to provide meals, damage assessment, clean-up and recovery, and spiritual care and witness as they help community residents address immense needs in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.

Already, FBDR volunteers have prepared 23,963 meals, completed 247 jobs in clean-up and recovery, shared the Gospel 169 times, with 10 individuals making professions of faith.

Because of Hurricane Helene’s strength and size, recovery will be a long-term effort throughout the state. Disaster relief teams will continue to serve “as long as needed,” Coggins said.

Now, less than two weeks after Helene’s landfall, Hurricane Milton, which intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday (Oct. 7), is threatening Florida’s west coast with life-threatening storm surge and strong winds. Hurricane Milton’s landfall is projected to be Wednesday (Oct. 9), and residents in the storm’s path are being urged to prepare and evacuate if possible. Disaster relief leaders are monitoring the progress of Hurricane Milton and will be prepared to respond as needed.

If Hurricane Milton makes landfall as projected, it will be a major blow to Floridians who have already experienced three hurricanes in the past 13 months: Hurricane Idalia, Aug. 30, 2023; Hurricane Debby, Aug. 1; and Hurricane Helene, Sept. 26, with all three hurricanes making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend.

Coggins understands that Florida residents are hurricane-weary, and he also knows firsthand how responders are growing fatigued in recovery efforts. Still, he said, “We stand ready to share the hope of Christ.”

Steven Ruff, senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Perry, acknowledged, in an online video, that three hurricanes in Florida’s Big Bend region in 13 months “does take its toll … Fatigue has set in around here. Everyone is getting tired.”

In an online prayer, Stephen Rummage, Florida Baptists’ executive director-treasurer, prayed for churches and residents who have been “hit so hard three times in 13 months by storms,” asking God to “strengthen them when they are just worn out and stretched thin. God, give them your supernatural strength.”

This article originally appeared at flbaptist.org.

Shepherding well in the midst of a storm

We know the story: Jesus is asleep in the stern of a boat as a great storm rises. His disciples wake Him up, asking if He cares that they are perishing. So Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind, and simply says, “Peace! Be still!” The storm stops and there is great calm.

We know this story and find comfort in the power and authority of our Lord. However, I believe there is another story we know too well as shepherds: The wind and waves surrounding your life are causing you to take on water, and you may even be wondering if you are going to capsize. You, too, cry out to Jesus—knowing He cares—but the wind continues, the waves beat, and the end of the storm is not in sight.

How do we shepherd in this place—in the midst of a storm?

1. Kiss the wave 

Charles Spurgeon once said, “I have learned to kiss the wave that slams me into the Rock of Ages.” What a statement! The Prince of Preachers is saying that even in an active storm, we can find the Prince of Peace. In fact, the storm itself often slams us against the Rock of Ages. James 1:2-4 says, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” It is often through the storms we draw closer to the Lord. We must learn to kiss the wave.

2. Set the anchor

Hebrews 6:17-19 brings encouragement during our storms: “Because God wanted to show His unchangeable purpose even more clearly to the heirs of the promise, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.”

We have an anchor in the storm. We do not have to be tossed around with no security. We have something firm and secure—the hope we have in Christ. Our hope is not in our ability to weather the storm, but rather, our hope is in the fact we are heirs of the promise. Romans 8:17 adds, “and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

 3. Trust God’s providence even in a shipwreck

God never tells us the boat won’t go under. There are times in life when the storm wreaks havoc and there is a lot of damage. But even if you become lost at sea or become a castaway, we know this is not our home. Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “ … For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; He will not leave you or abandon you.”

Always remember that God’s providence is always backed by His promises. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.” In James 1:12, James writes, “Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” And Psalm 23:4 proclaims, “Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.”

4. Care for those on your boat—including yourself.

In Acts 27:24, Paul is shipwrecked, but God told him, “Don’t be afraid, Paul. It is necessary for you to appear before Caesar. And indeed, God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.” God, in His providence, had a plan for Paul and was going to be faithful in seeing it accomplished. Paul becomes a mighty instrument used to care for those on the boat with him.

Be intentional with caring for your own health, consider your family’s health, and be mindful as you shepherd a body of believers that are affected by storms, as well. Be intentional with physical, mental, emotional, and especially spiritual health. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

 

3 tips to help Christian college students thrive (not just survive!)

There are many excellent articles and books written with the goal of helping Christian students survive the temptations of college life. This is important, because a recent study by Lifeway Research found that two-thirds (66%) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.

Surviving is not enough though. In my 20 years discipling college students, I have found that casting a vision for thriving spiritually and transforming your campus is far more compelling than surviving. With that in mind, here are three tips I wish someone would have shared with me when I started college.

1. Pick your friends, pick your future

The most important piece of advice I can give you is to choose wisely who will be your closest friends. Unfortunately, most students develop their closest friendships with those who happen to be the most convenient. 1 Corinthians 15:33 gives sobering advice: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.'” It may be easy to justify doing life with less than godly people if you have similar interests or if you connect with them on a relational level. Don’t be deceived; if Christ is not the top priority in their lives, they will not push you toward Christlikeness. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm” (Proverbs 13:20).

That is why it is so crucial that you make plugging into a healthy collegiate ministry your top priority. Good college ministries will often host a flurry of social events the first month to help welcome new students. Make attending those events a top priority even if the particular event doesn’t spark your interest. At these events, you are likely to connect with peers who are genuinely pursuing Christ. Look for fellow believers who will take God and the Word seriously and lock arms with them.

In addition to a college ministry, joining a solid local church is essential for your spiritual life and development. Plug in deeply to a church in your college town.

2. Have fun, but act like an adult

Welcome to adulthood—now it’s time act like an adult. Don’t hear me wrong. I am a huge fan of having plenty of fun during this season of life. Especially the first few months, invest plenty of relational time with solid Christian friends who will draw you closer to Jesus. But at a certain point, staying up until 3 a.m. playing video games with your Christian friends no longer counts as “fellowship.”

I find myself often telling the young men that I disciple, “Be a serious person. Not only will this help you become who God wants you to be, it will make you more attractive to a godly woman! Just sayin’.” If you are going to grow into the person that God has called you to be, you will need to learn to embrace a life of discipline. Discipline is not legalism. Godly discipline is motivated by the grace of God in Christ and puts you in the path of God’s power.

Three of the most important areas of discipline that college students need to develop are sleep, studies, and spiritual disciplines. Sleep because I am convinced that a contributing factor toward many of the mental health issues and sinful habits students develop are partially due to unwise choices when it comes to sleep patterns. Studies because if you are a college student, part of your stewardship is to be diligent in this area. And spiritual disciplines because college is a great time to learn how to feed yourself. Don’t let anything distract you from spending unhurried time alone with God daily.

3. Your mission starts now

Sadly, many students see college as a waiting room where they can mess around, and the choices they make don’t really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. The real world starts now. Right here, right now, you have an unprecedented chance to not just get an education but to grow deep roots in your walk with Christ and to make an eternal impact by reaching people for Christ.

Your time in college could be one of the best opportunities you ever have for personal evangelism and discipleship. Don’t waste it! The best person to reach a college student with the gospel is another student. They are waiting for you to invite them into the grand story of redemption that can transform their lives.

Think through the groups of people on campus that you are naturally a part of or could easily connect with. How could God use those existing networks of relationships to spread the love of Christ through you? Focusing your relational energy on caring, serving and sharing the gospel with a group of people who are already in community with each other can create a multiplication effect, making it easier for you to reach more people, foster community and make disciples.

What people group on campus is God calling you to engage with the gospel during your time in college? Use this Personal Ministry Impact Worksheet to help craft your strategy for reaching your peers with the gospel. Don’t wait until summer to go on a mission trip. Every day can be a mission trip if you learn to live with intentionality and bold faith. I sincerely believe that God has providentially placed you where you are to love lost people all around you.

Not all opportunities are created equal. Don’t waste your time as an insider on one of the most strategic mission fields on earth—the college campus!

SBC is a cooperative ‘force for good,’ Iorg says during installation

NASHVILLE (BP)—The Southern Baptist Convention is a diverse, cooperative “force for good” that is poised to move forward on mission, Jeff Iorg said at his installation as the eighth president of the SBC Executive Committee Sept. 16 in Nashville.

Whether in Christian youth education and discipleship, church planting and development, pastoral and ministerial preparation, evangelism, national and international missions, women’s ministry or financial giving, Southern Baptists have excelled through cooperation, Iorg said, proving his assertions with numbers.

“Southern Baptists, cooperation around God’s mission is a convictional mindset worth preserving,” Iorg said. “My willingness to serve as president of the Executive Committee rests on God’s call, my gratitude to Southern Baptists and my bedrock conviction that Southern Baptists are a force for good.”

He described himself and his wife Ann as “a product of Southern Baptists at their best,” who accepted his leadership role at the EC in appreciation for all Southern Baptists have done for the two of them.

“Southern Baptists are a compassionate, devoted, sacrificial people who obey the Great Commission in the spirit of the Great Commandment. We are on mission to share the gospel with every person and express God’s love in every context,” Iorg said at his installation at the September EC meeting.

“We believe the Bible is truth—and while we argue often over how to interpret the Bible, we are uncompromising in our commitment to it as our absolute authority.”

He pointed to a Southern Baptist “force for good” that:

  • Operates the largest missions sending agency, with more than 3,500 international missionaries deployed.
  • Operates the largest domestic church planting movement with a network of nearly 47,000 churches, and
  • Gave $10 billion in tithes and offerings in fiscal 2023, with more than $457 million of that forwarded to the Cooperative Program to support national and international missions.

Iorg pointed to a Southern Baptist “force for good” that:

  • Has 270,000 students enrolled in more than 50 Southern Baptist affiliated colleges and universities.
  • On a typical Sunday, has more than 4 million people gathered churches for worship and 2.5 for Bible study, and
  • Enjoyed more than 3,500 confessions of faith in Christ among 114,000 teenagers and children at Lifeway Christian Resources summer camps in 2024, with 1,500 of them expressing a call to ministry.

In 2023, Southern Baptists responded to disasters through the strength of 32,000 volunteers, and supported those in need globally by giving more than $43 million to Send Relief, the SBC’s international compassion ministry arm.

Through entities, state conventions, and partners, Southern Baptists provide such services as residential care for children, adoption facilitation, collegiate ministries and financial aid to widows.

Iorg implored Southern Baptists to reject the “debilitating myth” that we must be perfect in order to persuasively spread the gospel, but must instead work on our shortcomings while pursuing God’s mission.

“Spiritual maturation and missional advance are parallel, not sequential, experiences,” he said. “Our gospel integrity rests on humbly and honestly acknowledging our sins, not eliminating them before we can share the Gospel with others.

“Unbelievers are willing to receive a clear witness about Jesus from authentic, imperfect believers. When our attitude is right, unbelievers are far less judgmental of us than our critics claim.”

He defended cooperation as “the best way for thousands of autonomous churches to work toward the common good of sharing the Gospel with the entire world,” despite the process “being under attack from both external critics and internal detractors.”

Continue to cooperate, he encouraged, because it works, because the Bible says we can do more collectively than by ourselves, because it expresses unity and because while our churches are autonomous, they are not independent.

“While other denominations strain to preserve loyalty through top-down control, experience doctrinal error when power is vested in a heretical few, demand financial support through assessments, and struggle to produce leaders loyal to their movement,” Iorg said, “our cooperative efforts have excelled and expanded for more than 175 years.

“We cooperate because cooperation works—producing supernatural spiritual results which reflect God’s grace, power, and favor on our movement.”

Servanthood was the focus of the installation that included many who have been impactful in Iorg’s ministry, including Burtis Williams, who led Iorg to the Christ at a county fair 50 years ago in Texas—and 25 years later—led Iorg’s mother to Christ.

Victor Chayasirisobhon, associational missions strategist for the Orange County Baptist Association, spoke of Iorg’s commitment to service. David Johnson, executive director and state missionary of the Arizona Missionary Network of Southern Baptists, testified of Iorg’s commitment to partnerships. Neal Hughes, who led the search committee that recommended Iorg as EC president, shared the selection committee’s journey to Iorg as the candidate for the post.

Williams, today a retired pastor, prayed the dedicatory prayer.

“We thank You, Father, that You have faithfully guided him through many dangers, toils and snares,” Williams prayed, “so that at this critical time in our partnership with You, Father, we have a man to lead us who realizes and honors the Rock from which he was hewn.

“Thank You that by Your grace and his steadfast obedience, he comes to this crucial position a tested and proven vessel. And, Father, tonight with one heart, we pledge our faithful, unwavering support for him, for his dear wife and children and grandchildren and the team that he leads.

“And Father, we plead for your wisdom and grace in the days ahead for Dr. Jeff Iorg, for the Southern Baptist Convention, in the name of our Risen Savior, Amen.”

In their prayer orbit: SBTC church stays in touch with members aboard the ISS

PASADENA (BP)—Providence Baptist Church has an elder making a mockery of the term “remote work.” Over the last several months Barry Wilmore has proven that long distances shouldn’t keep one from being an active church member.

And we’re talking looooong distances. About 250 miles above your head.

To most of the world Wilmore is known as Butch, his Navy pilot call sign while flying A-7Es and F/A-18s from aircraft carriers. On June 5 he and fellow astronaut Suni Williams launched to the International Space Station aboard the Boeing Starliner. However, issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters have left the two stranded at the ISS until February.

NASA announced on Aug. 30 that Starliner would return, unmanned, on Sept. 6.

Wilmore and Williams will continue to work informally as part of the crew scheduled to return in February. In the meantime, Wilmore has reunited with fellow Providence Church member Tracy Dyson, flight engineer for Expedition 71 who has been at the ISS since April and is set to return this month.

Wilmore has been a member of Providence for 17 years, said Pastor Tommy Dahn; Dyson and her husband George, a military chaplain, joined about a year-and-a-half ago. Much of her time since then has been spent training for her current mission, but she has stayed active any way she can, including spending a church workday leading in updating the building’s wiring.

As someone who has designed, constructed and implemented electronics and hardware for the purpose of withstanding the unforgiving, impenetrable vacuum of space, it would stand to say she was qualified.

“Tracy has spent a lot of her time in Russia training to go up in the Soyuz,” said Dahn, “so we’re still getting to know her. Her dad owned an electrical company. She came in on the workday and said our wiring was in bad shape and needed to be fixed.”

Connectivity with their church home has remained. While Dyson still has her mission responsibilities, Wilmore’s unexpected stay has placed him in the role of an extra hand available to assist in areas like deferred maintenance on the ISS. And even though he may have some more downtime, twiddling thumbs is not in his nature.

“Barry doesn’t waste a minute,” Dahn said. “He’s a minister extraordinaire, a worker who cares about people and the elderly.”

Providence averages 265 in worship, so it’s crucial to have volunteers pitching in on different ministry responsibilities. It’s just a little unusual for them to do so from space.

That includes calls from the ISS to shut-ins, like the one Wilmore made to Dahn’s mother-in-law on her 93rd birthday. After learning his stay at the ISS would be longer than expected, he signed up for the church’s newsletter. He livestreams the service and on the second Sunday at the ISS even delivered a short devotion and sang “Amazing Grace” alongside the rest of those aboard the space station.

“We had a true international choir that Sunday,” Dahn said.

Another time, Wilmore recorded a devotion for Providence’s Sunday prayer service. With a view of the world behind him as he stood in the Cupola of the ISS, it was a backdrop that literally no pastor on earth can replicate.

Dahn and church members help Wilmore’s family while he’s away. For his wife and their two daughters, though, it’s not something they aren’t used to.

“Ever since he and Deanna have been married, he was either deployed on aircraft carriers for the Navy or an astronaut,” Dahn said. “The least five years he’s been training here for the Boeing flight, but they’re accustomed to him being gone.

“Deanna is an integral part of the church and very involved in the women’s ministry and scheduling our nursery volunteers. That’s a big job and she takes care of it. We pray for them on corporate prayer nights and make sure his girls – one is in college and the other a high school senior – are doing well. When Hurricane Beryl came through I helped Deanna find a roofer for some minor damage.”

Dahn expects Wilmore to hit the ground running the first Sunday he’s back in church.

“He’s a very zealous evangelist and defender of the faith,” he said. “He’s been to the Philippines, where they love anything about space, and into Ecuador. He goes into rough prisons in Central America and has traveled along the Amazon River to share the Gospel.

“I emailed him, and Barry told me he hasn’t learned anything new about God from being in space. It has only affirmed what he already believed. God’s Word is sufficient.”