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Archives For November 30, 1999

The (real) Person of the Year

Meredith Flynn —  December 19, 2013
Disaster Relief volunteers served across the state after several tornadoes Nov. 17, including one in Brookport in southern Illinois.

Disaster Relief volunteers served across the state after several tornadoes Nov. 17, including one in Brookport in southern Illinois.

COMMENTARY | Eric Reed

When Time magazine announced the new pope as its person of the year, we were reminded that sometimes the publication has not chosen an individual, or even a person.

Time named “the computer” as its entity of the year in 1982, and in 2011, following the Occupy movement and the “Arab spring” uprisings in the Middle East, the “honor” went to “the protester.”

So it’s not surprising that the village of Sturgis, South Dakota, chose not a single person to receive its annual Volunteer of the Year award, but a group. And that group is Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers.

When Sturgis was hit with a winter storm in October, SBDR sent 110 relief workers in five teams to help them dig out. About 50 of those volunteers were from Illinois.

The town council noted in their announcement last week that many of the people receiving assistance were elderly or disabled, and the time given amounted to 576 days of work. Sturgis is grateful.

So are many others.

“Thank God for you all showing up to Mary Lou’s house in Rapid City, SD, to help with all the trees and branches due to the snow storm,” one couple who look after their elderly neighbor wrote to the Illinois team that aided them. “We are praising God and thanking Him for each one of you who made it all possible to come out to South Dakota and serve God.”

And when Rex Alexander, IBSA’s DR mobilization director, summed up the recent response to tornadoes in Illinois, he said there were more volunteers and offers of assistance than he had ever seen. Just before Christmas, 250 relief workers finished up their service in Washington and other communities laid waste by twisters in mid-November.

A new NAMB video shows Illinois residents picking through the remnants of their homes, weeping not so much at their loss, but in gratitude for the aid of strangers in yellow shirts.

“It’s raining, it’s cold, it’s nasty,” said a tearful Melissa Helfin outside her home. “And all these people – they’re here with chainsaws and pulling limbs and – it’s amazing…. I don’t know what we would have done, honestly. And it’s such a blessing.”

If we offered a “Person of the Year” award, it would be to the whole group who share Jesus Christ with a Bible in one hand and a spatula, mop, or chainsaw in the other.

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New video highlights Disaster Relief work after tornadoes

Meredith Flynn —  December 17, 2013

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

The images in a new video produced by the North American Mission Board serve as reminders of how devastating were the tornadoes that ripped through Illinois, Indiana, and other Midwest states Nov. 17.The two-and-a-half minute clip also tells how Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers and local churches, like FBC Washington, helped residents begin to pick up the pieces.

“I don’t know what we would have done, honestly,” says one storm victim helped by DR volunteers. “And it’s such a blessing.” Read more about tornado relief efforts in the Dec. 16 issue of the Illinois Baptist, online here.

Other stories:

Race, religion and Santa Claus
Fox News’ Megyn Kelly stirred up controversy when she said on air that Santa Claus is white – and Jesus is too. Her comments, made in response to a story on Slate.com, have revived a national conversation on the intersection of faith and race. Kelly’s reference to Santa got plenty of press, probably more than her statement about Jesus’ race. But culture writer Jonathan Merritt says it’s important to remember the Bible is mostly mum on the Messiah’s appearance.

“As some historians and theologians have posited, the silence of the Scriptures on the issue of Jesus’ skin color is critical to Christianity’s broad appeal with people of various ethnicities,” Merritt wrote for The Atlantic. “In a world where race often divides communities and even churches, the Biblical depictions of God’s son positions him as one who can bridge those divides.”

View Kelly’s response to the controversy on foxnews.com.

Bible reading tips for everyone
“Stress the simplicity of the Bible, and the people you are hoping will read the Bible next year may begin to wonder if they’re just too dumb to understand it,” says LifeWay’s Trevin Wax. On his blog, he offers advice on “How to get people to read the Bible without making them feel dumb.”

Thousands leave jobs for restaurant gigs
Not really, but @tipsforjesus probably has some considering a change of vocation. Across the country, people are leaving huge tips for restaurant servers under that tag line. The gratuities – some for thousands of dollars – haven’t yet been linked to a specific group or organization, but some believe former Pay Pal executive Jack Selby is behind the generous tips. Read the full story at ChristianPost.com.

Jesus is most successful meme ever
Two researchers have named Jesus the most successful meme in history, based on an analysis of Wikipedia entries about Him. Wondering exactly what a meme is? We were too. Merriam-Webster (via Wikipedia) defines is as “an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.”

Steven Skiena and Charles Ward have compiled their findings in a book, “Who’s Bigger? Where Historical Figures Really Rank.” Following Jesus on their top 10 list: Napolean, William Shakespeare, Mohammad, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Adolf Hitler, Aristotle, Alexander the Great and Thomas Jefferson.

Read the full story at ChristianityToday.com.

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Twinkies: A sweet spot in tornado recovery

Meredith Flynn —  November 26, 2013
Disaster Relief volunteer Dave Weger from Sullivan, Ill., clears debris from a backyard in Washington.

Disaster Relief volunteer Dave Weger from Sullivan, Ill., clears debris from a backyard in Washington.

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

In Washington, Ill., Disaster Relief chaplains were struggling to know exactly how to minister to residents digging their homes out of the devastation left by an EF-4 tornado Nov. 17.

Until someone thought of Twinkies.

“By faith we sent a team of chaplains to walk the streets and try to engage people in conversations and prayer,” Illinois Disaster Relief coordinator Rex Alexander wrote in an e-mail update. “They quickly found that homeowners were not really in the mood to talk because they were busy with their work and very cold.”

But the chaplains broke the ice with a surprising treat, Alexander added.

“They first offered water and were usually turned down. Then they followed up with the question, ‘Would you like a Twinkie?’ Repeatedly the homeowners replied with, ‘Twinkies! You really have Twinkies!’”

Washington, which had been closed for security reasons, opened Nov. 23 to volunteer agencies like Disaster Relief. Braving daytime temperatures in the 20’s, chainsaw teams worked there and in East Peoria over the weekend. A childcare team also served at the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) set up by the Red Cross. The volunteers minded kids while their parents signed up for recovery assistance.

A feeding team at Woodland Baptist in Peoria continued to prepare 1,700 meals a day for storm victims and responders.

Disaster Relief also staffed a table at the MARC, where they took orders for jobs over the next several days. The areas that sustained the heaviest damage were closed again Monday and Tuesday for debris removal.

Alexander said Disaster Relief is currently planning for an active response in the area through Dec. 7. If the work slows, teams could be told to stand down. “Right now, we still think there’s going to be quite a bit of work in Washington and even the outlying areas for the next two weeks,” he said.

Additional volunteers are welcome to join with the teams currently on the schedule. Contact Rex Alexander at (217) 391-3134 or RexAlexander@IBSA.org.

Disaster Relief volunteers and local churches also responded in other parts of the state affected by severe weather in mid-November. For more on the recovery efforts in Brookport and other areas, read the new issue of the Illinois Baptist, online here.

Other news:

Poll: Pastors favor immigration reform
A new poll finds 58% of Protestant pastors favor immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for people who currently are in the U.S. illegally, but far fewer – only 15% – say their churches are hurt by the current system. The LifeWay Research study also says 51% of pastors believe immigration reform will help their church, denomination or movement reach Hispanic Americans. Read more at LifeWayResearch.com.

Mind your manners when talking Calvinism, leaders on both sides say
Two Southern Baptist leaders on opposite sides of the Calvinism debate sat down this month to demonstrate good “table manners” to seminary students. Southern Seminary President Albert Mohler and Mississippi pastor Eric Hankins engaged in a public discussion on Calvinism before students and faculty, modeling how people who disagree on the topic can still work together.

“We have to learn the table manners of denominational life,” Mohler said. “There is a certain etiquette and kindness that is required, just like in the family reunion.” Read the full story from Towers, the news service of Southern Seminary.

Are we having the wrong conversation?
Caleb Kaltenbach, the California pastor who found Bibles labeled as fiction in Costco, tells his side of the story on Ed Stetzer’s blog. He writes that he wanted to start conversations about the Bible; read why he says most of the outraged posters missed the point.

Pen pals with C.S. Lewis
As a child, Kathy Keller exchanged letters with C.S. Lewis, who died 50 years ago this month. Christianity Today interviewed Keller, wife of Redeemer Presbyterian Church Pastor Tim Keller, about how she remembers the author.

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Reporter’s Notebook: Yellow shirts on the move

Meredith Flynn —  November 25, 2013

HEARTLAND | Eric Reed

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Disaster Relief volunteers got to work in southern Illinois just two days after a tornado hit the area Nov. 17.

It’s a clear day in Springfield. The storms have passed. But in the third floor conference room of the IBSA Building, the effects of the tornado-band that killed six people in Illinois are real and present in the minds of those at the table. By this time on Monday morning, IBSA’s Rex Alexander has been working since just after the first storms touched down on Sunday, gathering reports from the Illinois Disaster Relief field teams on the scene, taking calls from across the nation with offers of help, and readying the response of Southern Baptists in Illinois.

In the “situation room,” the leadership team shares news of churches and members affected by the tornadoes, discusses their emergency needs, and our actions. Illinois Baptists are already headed to hard-hit communities. In at least two churches, DR workers prepare meals – more than 2,000 a day. And chainsaw teams from 13 associations are on standby for their assignments.

The yellow shirts are on the move.

What many people don’t know is that Southern Baptists nationwide have 82,000 trained volunteers. Our state conventions and associations have 1,550 mobile units for every need that arises after disaster, from childcare to showers to mobile kitchens, and more. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is the third largest relief agency, after the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army. And a lot of people don’t know that.
But they do know in the northeast U.S., where our teams are present still in the wake of Hurricane Sandy and mission teams are planning return visits this summer.

And they know in New Orleans, where mission teams from churches and colleges and Campers on Mission are still helping devastated residents muck out, tear down, and rebuild eight years after Hurricane Katrina. A recent letter to the editor decried the fact that certain Catholic churches are still not repaired. The Catholics should ask the Baptists to help, the writer said, because Baptists could get the job done.

“You have changed the image of Southern Baptists in New Orleans,” SBC President and New Orleans pastor Fred Luter told Illinois Baptists during a visit here in April.

And they know in South Dakota and Colorado, where Illinois teams served last month. And they know in Moore, Oklahoma. National news anchor (and Methodist) Harry Smith said at the time of the tornado there, “…if you’re waiting for the government, you’re going to be in for an awful long wait. The Baptist men, they’re going to get it done tomorrow.”

And they know in Peoria, where spring floods drove hundreds from their homes, and Illinois Baptists were there mudding out, feeding hungry people, and sharing Christ.

And now they know in Washington and Brookport, and wherever help is needed.

The yellow shirts are on the move.

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Tornado Recovery: Adams visits Disaster Relief volunteers

Meredith Flynn —  November 21, 2013

IBSA Executive Director Nate Adams visited Disaster Relief volunteers working today in storm-damaged areas of the state.

“Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, including those here in Illinois, work very hard year-round to be prepared when disaster strikes,” Adams said. “It is their love for Jesus that compels them to stand ready like that, and it’s that same love that they deliver with every act and word of kindness as they serve victims and relief workers.”

Crews are meeting needs in Washington as they can, but access is limited to the areas that sustained the worst damage. Pekin and other communities in the Peoria area also have received Disaster Relief help since tornadoes and severe storms tore through the area Nov. 17. At Woodland Baptist in Peoria, volunteers are cooking several hundred meals a day for storm victims and responders.

The Disaster Relief team from Sullivan Southern Baptist Church, with Nate Adams (center).

The Disaster Relief team from Sullivan Southern Baptist Church, with Nate Adams (center).

Kitchen volunteers starting preparing meals Monday evening, working out of Woodland Baptist in Peoria. The church has graciously rearranged schedules and plans to accommodate the storm response teams.

Kitchen volunteers starting preparing meals Monday evening, working out of Woodland Baptist in Peoria. The church has graciously rearranged schedules and plans to accommodate the storm response teams, said IBSA’s Mark Emerson.

Adams visits with Linda Blough, a Disaster Relief volunteer from Dayton Avenue Baptist in Peoria.

Adams visits with Linda Blough, a Disaster Relief volunteer from Dayton Avenue Baptist in Peoria.

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Tornado recovery efforts continue in Washington, Pekin, Brookport

Meredith Flynn —  November 20, 2013

People in Washington, Ill., say two things when they talk about the tornado that stunned this city of 15,000 on Sunday: Pictures don’t accurately capture the destruction. And, this is the kind of thing that happens to other people. But on November 17, it happened here.

“You see it, and you think, ‘I’ve seen this on TV before.’ It’s always on TV. But this is real. This is us,” says Susan Schildt as she sat with a bowl of soup in the fellowship hall of First Baptist Church in Washington. She and others working to salvage what they can came by today for lunch, prepared by church members and served buffet style. Pastor Joshua Monda publicized the free meal on Facebook.

The Schildts’ home is no longer liveable. Susan was at church Sunday morning, talking to her husband, Donald, on the phone, when the line suddenly went dead. He hunkered under an overturned couch while their son, Daniel, took cover in a walk-in closet. The family reunited soon after the storm.

“We’re alive; that’s all that matters,” she told a friend at lunch today. “It’s all stuff. I keep telling myself it’s just stuff.”

Phil Jones is another member of FBC that lost his home. He stands outside the, talking on his cell phone. He breaks away from his conversation long enough to say he’s doing OK, that he’s living on adrenaline right now. But as soon as that ends, he plans to crash, he says it with a smile.

Roland Manor Baptist Church across town is serving as an incident command center for Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief. Eight volunteers from Sullivan Southern Baptist Church and Westfield Association worked in Washington today, clearing debris and putting tarps on roofs. They’re working against the clock – rain is in the forecast for the next few days. Six more volunteers from Capital City and Sandy Creek Associations are at work in Pekin, 20 miles to the southwest, and another crew in Peoria is cooking meals for these volunteers and for other storm responders and victims.

Recovery work here in Washington is slow, as crews work to remove downed power lines and police keep the most damaged neighborhoods blocked off to everyone except residents. At the incident command center, Harold Booze and Bob Elmore are working to coordinate individual jobs for the volunteers that are here now, and another crew from Salem South Association arriving tonight.

At the other end of the state, Disaster Relief volunteers are working in and around Brookport, where a tornado Sunday killed three people and destroyed dozens of homes. First Baptist Church, Metropolis, is preparing 300 meals a day to be delivered by the Red Cross.

Volunteers from Kaskaskia Association also assisted homeowners in New Minden, Ill., seven miles north of Nashville.

To donate to Illinois Disaster Relief, go to www.IBSA.org.

A Disaster Relief volunteer in southern Illinois takes care of a felled tree in southern Illinois.

A Disaster Relief volunteer in southern Illinois takes care of a felled tree in southern Illinois.

Volunteers started serving in and around Brookport, Ill., almost immediately after the Nov. 17 storms.

Volunteers started serving in and around Brookport, Ill., almost immediately after the Nov. 17 storms.

Schildts

Donald and Susan Schildt visit with Carole Vanderburg (right) over lunch at First Baptist Church in Washington. The Schildts’ home is uninhabitable after the storm.

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A message of thanks on a store sign in Washington, Ill.

 

Volunteers get ready to serve lunch at FBC Washington.

Volunteers get ready to serve lunch at FBC Washington.

Whole neighborhoods in Washington are completely destroyed. Police have several streets blocked off to everyone except residents.

Whole neighborhoods in Washington are completely destroyed. Police have several streets blocked off to everyone except residents.

Ed_Dean

Ed Dean, a Diaster Relief volunteer from Sullivan, Ill., gathers debris from a backyard in Washington, Ill., on Nov. 20.

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This is only the second callout for Disaster Relief volunteer Johnna Howard.

This is only the second callout for Disaster Relief volunteer Johnna Howard.

Bob Elmore (left), who's helping coordinate DR efforts in Washington, meets on the job site with Bob Jackson from Sullivan.

Bob Elmore (left), who’s helping coordinate DR efforts in Washington, meets on the job site with Bob Jackson from Sullivan.

Washington, Ill., Nov. 20.

Washington, Ill., Nov. 20.

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Baptists help with meals, chainsaws after destructive storms

Meredith Flynn —  November 19, 2013

Washington, Ill. | Joshua Monda stood just outside his church Sunday morning, watching a powerful tornado churn on the horizon a half a mile away. He shot video with his cell phone before calling the few other church members standing outside to get inside. Sirens sound just as the video ends.

Twenty-four hours later, Monda stands in a WalMart parking lot in a part of Washington not blocked by police and first responders. Pastor Monda made it to First Baptist Church briefly that morning, but his office is on the move as he tries to meet immediate needs in the aftermath of an EF-4 tornado that flattened parts of Washington. Several other communities all over the state suffered fatalities and severe damage from tornadoes on November 17.

A chainsaw team from Sullivan Southern Baptist Church was in Washington two days after the storm, and others are on standby to help as needs become clear. Disaster Relief volunteers set up a feeding trailer at Woodland Baptist Church in Peoria, preparing more than 1,000 lunches and dinners for responders and residents in Washington.

Volunteers also moved quickly into several other communities affected by the swath of severe weather that wreaked havoc all over the Midwest, doing its worst in Illinois. Pekin and other Peoria-area communities reported damage, as did Diamond and Coal City, 100 miles to the northeast. In New Minden, seven miles north of Nashville, Ill., officials reported two storm-related deaths.

In extreme southern Illinois, First Baptist Church in Metropolis served as a Red Cross shelter for families who lost their homes in tiny Brookport, where an EF-3 tornado killed three people. Church members cooked 300 meals a day for victims and relief workers.

Chainsaw teams also began working in the Brookport and New Minden areas last week. “I am so grateful for our volunteers who have taken the time to prepare to respond during a disaster,” said Rex Alexander, IBSA’s Disaster Relief coordinator. “When a disaster strikes there are many people with good hearts that want to help. But we primarily rely on those who have been trained to help.”

For more tornado recovery news, follow IBSA at Facebook.com/IllinoisBaptist, and look for a full report in the November 25 Illinois Baptist, online Friday here.

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Photos from Washington, Ill.

Meredith Flynn —  November 19, 2013

IBSA communications staff was in Washington, Ill., Monday, to hear about tornado recovery efforts by local churches and Disaster Relief volunteers. We talked to Pastor Joshua Monda of First Baptist in Washington, and also saw the Disaster Relief feeding unit operating out of Woodland Baptist in Peoria. Here, some photos from the day:

Joshua Monda listens to a voice mail while he waits Monday to get back into Washington, blocked off because of possible gas leaks.

Joshua Monda listens to a voice mail while he waits Monday to get back into Washington, blocked off because of possible gas leaks.

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Family and friends look for keepsakes in the pile of rubble that was a home on School Street. Tornadic winds lifted it from one side of the street and set it down on the other.

Family and friends look for keepsakes in the pile of rubble that was a home on School Street. Tornadic winds lifted it from one side of the street and set it down on the other.

Mary Boles' daughter and son-in-law had run to the store when the tornado hit School Street. Three of their children took cover in the basement. Morton and Pekin, nearby cities, have had storms like this. “We’ve usually been missed here,” Boles said. “This is our big hit.”

Mary Boles’ daughter and son-in-law had run to the store when the tornado hit School Street. Three of their children took cover in the basement.
Morton and Pekin, nearby cities, have had storms like this. “We’ve usually been missed here,” Boles said. “This is our big hit.”

Disaster Relief volunteers working at Woodland Baptist in Peoria prepare a chili dinner for storm responders and victims.

Disaster Relief volunteers working at Woodland Baptist in Peoria prepare a chili dinner for storm responders and victims.

The meals are loaded into red cambros and delivered to shelters and workers on scene by the Red Cross.

The meals are loaded into red cambros and delivered to shelters and workers on scene by the Red Cross.

Disaster Relief vehicles parked at Woodland Baptist Church, Peoria.

Disaster Relief vehicles parked at Woodland Baptist Church, Peoria.

Harold Booze, a Disaster Relief "blue cap" supervisor, visits the Red Cross command center to coordinate efforts between the two organizations.

Harold Booze, a Disaster Relief “blue cap” supervisor, visits the Red Cross command center to coordinate efforts between the two organizations.

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Disaster Relief volunteers on alert after tornadoes destroy parts of central, southern Illinois

Meredith Flynn —  November 17, 2013
From video posted on Pastor Joshua Monda's Facebook page

From video posted on Pastor Joshua Monda’s Facebook page

UPDATE: WLS-TV in Chicago is reporting officials have confirmed six storm-related deaths: one in Washington, three in Massac County in extreme southern Illinois, and two in Washington County, located 50 miles southeast of St. Louis. The post below originally attributed the two fatalities in Washington County to Washington, Ill.

BREAKING NEWS | Tornadoes touched down Sunday in several central Illinois communities, including an especially destructive storm in Washington, 11 miles east of Peoria.

Joshua Monda, pastor of First Baptist Church in Washington, was meeting with his church for Sunday morning services when the tornado touched down. After the storm, Monda posted updates on his Facebook page. “Church, we have to come together to care for our community and our church people,” he wrote. He also posted video of the destruction near his church; at this time, there is no known damage to the church building.

Storms also damaged parts of East Peoria, Pekin, and Roanoke, as well as other communities in the Peoria area. Brookport, Ill., on the Illinois/Kentucky border, also experienced a destructive tornado Sunday. First Baptist Church there is serving as a triage center for those injured in the storm, reports The Paducah Sun newspaper.

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are on alert for response this week, and leaders are currently assessing the damage. Pray for the communities affected by storms, for pastors and churches ministering to their neighbors, and for volunteers who will serve this week.

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One year after Hurricane Sandy, the relief effort continues

Meredith Flynn —  October 29, 2013

THE BRIEFING | Meredith Flynn

The North American Mission Board has coordinated a clean-up effort in the Northeast for almost one full year, since the super storm swept through New Jersey and New York. Watch the video below for how Southern Baptist volunteers have helped in the region, and click here for more information about how to help, including Christmas and Spring Break opportunities for college students.

Mohler bridges divide at BYU
Christians and Mormons “inhabit separate and irreconcilable theological worlds,” Al Mohler told an audience at Brigham Young University. But the Southern Seminary president added the two groups should work together to address threats to religious liberty, Baptist Press reports.

“I do not mean to exaggerate, but we are living in the shadow of a great moral revolution that we commonly believe will have grave and devastating human consequences,” Mohler said in his lecture, part of the Mormon university’s “Faith, Family and Society” series. Christians and Mormons must together “push back against this age as hard as it is pressing against us,” Mohler said. “We had better press hard, for this age is pressing ever harder against us.” Read the full story at BPNews.net.

Life is complicated, most say
Two-thirds of all adults say life is getting more complicated, and 71% of evangelicals agree. The findings by Barna may indicate evangelicals and Catholics – 71% of whom also agreed – are recognizing “a growing disparity between the rhythms and values of their faith and the demands of a rapidly changing culture,” the researchers analyzed. Read more about Barna’s “three trends redefining the information age” here.

Conference examines C.S. Lewis’ popularity in America
Author C.S. Lewis was more celebrated here than in his own country, say the organizers of a one-day conference at Wheaton College. To mark the 50th anniversary of Lewis’ death, the college is hosting “C.S. Lewis and American Culture,” a one-day seminar featuring speakers on a variety of Lewis-related topics. For more information about the conference, click here. And ChristianityToday.com recently published a really interesting profile of Lewis’ wife marriage to Joy Davidman. Read it here.

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