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Oklahoma Wildfire Relief
Once you have confirmed a date, for their protection, please make sure each volunteer knows they need the following to be able to work:
- Thick-soled boots
- Leather gloves
- Goggles or tight fitting sunglasses
- Dust mask
- Hand sanitizer for your group
- Arrive at 7am with the above gear
- Go directly into First Baptist Mannford, past their office, into their gymnasium/fellowship hall/family life center, and sign in. That is where Disaster Relief has set up their Incident Command Center and Processing Station.
Special Note: For those bringing teenagers, they will be the total responsibility of the sponsor.
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Oklahoma Wildfire Relief
Urgent Request
Sam Porter
Director
Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief
Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma
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Posted August 14, 2012
In the aftermath of the recent Oklahoma wild fires, the total number of families needing ash-out help has risen to 282 across the state.
We really need an army of volunteers on the ground everyday for the next month to accomplish this task. I am calling upon every able bodied Oklahoma Disaster Relief team member to prayerfully consider assisting in this effort.
You can help for one day, a full week or all month. No special training is required. You may bring church members that are not DR members. They will get a safety briefing before working and they must sign a liability release. Non-trained volunteers are used at times when we need debris removed after tornadoes and now fires.
If you can serve please be at one of the three listed areas by 7am each morning. Bring a bed roll if you need to stay overnight. If you are coming as a group, also call the site closest to you to let them know. Then the feeding crew can plan ahead and the leadership can have enough group leaders each day.
Mannford, First Baptist Church
105 Greenwood Ave, Mannford, OK
Wes Johnson - 405/258-8801
Noble, Twelve Corners Baptist Church
15601 E. Etowah Rd, Noble OK
Dave Karr - 405/420-6460 or Doris Perryman - 405/210-8351
Arcadia, First Baptist Church
605 Anderson Rd, Arcadia, OK
Randy Smith - 405/408-3061
Thanks for your prayerful consideration in responding.
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#okfires #wildfirerelief
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We received an all-out call for help from Sam Porter, our State Disaster Relief Coordinator! Please announce this need to your people this Sunday! ASH-OUT teams are needed in the Mannford area! The need is great!
Folks who do not have experience in ash-out work (which is hot and dirty) will be placed with experienced teams. Please read the notes below and call the number(s) provided so the work can be coordinated before you send your people out to Mannford. This is very important!
In Him,
Men, we will need every person that we can get to work in ASH OUT in the next three weeks.
We will have two Incident Command locations:
If you have never worked Ash out/mud out we still need you to respond whenever you can. In reality--it is just practical sense and hard dirty work.
We can house 100 or so in Mannford and probably about 50 in Twelve Corners.
If you live in the OKC metro area or the Tulsa metro area, you could sleep at home each night.
Below, you will see what was sent out by NAMB to all the Disaster Relief states to invite them to come help. Some of them will come and want to join some of the teams that have experience in ASH OUT so that they can learn.
It looks like we have over 350 Oklahomans who have lost their homes and many of them are uninsured, and we MUST help them as many as we can.
Be willing to be a "whatever it takes" disaster relief member to step up and help us knock this response out as fast a we can.
I am sending this to the disaster relief leadership so please forward to as many of your teams as possible.
We already have over 100 requests and we have not officially begun our ICS team and have not turned on the "go phones."
When ash-out starts in full production Monday (August 13), we will need every person possible.
If you know of an available skid steer in your community we will be able to use it.
Praying for those who have lost so much,
Message from Bruce Poss
Sam Porter, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma, has asked the NAMB DOC to assist him by coordinating the deployment of ash-out teams from other conventions. He is asking for 7 teams of 8-10 volunteers to work in the Manfred area (near Tulsa) and an additional 5 teams to work in the Noble, OK area. Sam reports that there is ample work for experienced ash-out teams. In addition, this is a GREAT opportunity to get your DR volunteers some ash-out experience. Sam says that he will pair them with experienced ash-out volunteers.
- Housing will be in local Baptist churches
- OK feeding volunteers are providing meals
- What to bring:
- Ash out trailer if they have one
If not:
- Wheel barrows
- Rakes
- Scoop shovels
- Work clothes
- Heavy boots
- Heavy gloves
- Goggles
- Dust masks
Please note: Beth and the rest of the NAMB DR team will be traveling to Des Moines, IA on Saturday afternoon. Our hope is to fill this request before then.
In His Service,
Bruce Poss
North American Mission Board
Disaster Relief Coordinator
770-410-6301
www.namb.net/dr
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| #okfire #okfires |
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Special Message from Dr. Anthony Jordan, Executive Director-Treasurer, BGCO |
Also, you can send funds directly to two of our churches in Mannford that are ministering in Jesus' name to so many families and individuals through the area. What is needed as much as anything right now are cash donations. Please designate "Benevolence" on your check. This would greatly help and encourage these churches and pastors as they care for the scores of people who have been scarred by these fires.
Thank you for your generosity! Tulsa Metro Baptists are some of the most generous people I have ever known! Our Disaster Relief Teams have been right in the thick of the devastation, helping in so many ways! We thank God for our unselfish DR volunteers! They are the presence of Jesus to so many people who are hurting.
Oklahoma Fire Relief -- Need Help?August 8, 2012
3:02pm
Message from Mike Maxwell:
We are temporarily moving the entire Baptist command center to First Baptist Church, Mannford (map). The direct call in number has been changed to 918-865-7569. Individuals needing assistance can make requests at these locations:
August 8, 2012 Message from First Baptist Church, Mannford, OK (map)
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team will be serving hot meals at FBC Mannford to those who lost their homes and to the clean up volunteers in our area. Meals we be served for lunch and dinner. If you need assistance call FBC, Mannford at 918-865-4276.
August 7, 2012
Message from Sam Porter, Disaster Relief, BGCO
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Sam Porter with the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma writes:
We want to help you and your pastors seize the day of opportunity to minister to their communities. Ash-out is a tough emotional operation--helping the home owner discard all of their personal belongings. We have seen many people saved in Colorado this past month as our relief crews have worked with families that are non-evangelized. We have four major burn areas in Oklahoma that we could see people be born into the kingdom after this disaster. Help us find those in need of assistance and the Savior. We will give the emergency funds to church members and assist physically anyone in need. Praying for those who are hurting,
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The Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma has established a Disaster Relief Fund to assist victims of disasters.
1. The attached form is to be used to request help for individuals and families who lost homes in recent fires. More information is on the form itself. Request for Financial Aid -- INDIVIDUAL
2. Also, we are currently assessing individuals that may need ash-out assistance. Actual ash-out cannot begin until the Environmental Protection Agency gives instructions on handling the debris. |
Pastors who are aware of families needing ash-out should email Sam Porter at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with name and address of those needing help.
You Can Help!
August 8, 2012
The Baptist General Convention has setup an Oklahoma Wildfire Relief Fund. Donations of any amount can be made online by going towww.bgco.org/WildfireRelief or mailed to:
BGCO
Attn: Wildfire Fund
3800 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK 73112
To find out more about this fund please read this message from Dr. Anthony L. Jordan - http://baptistmessenger.com/oklahoma-wildfire-relief-fund/
- First Baptist Church of Mannford--designate "Benevolence" on your check and mail to P.O. Box 674 Mannford, OK 74044
- The Baptist General Convention Oklahoma Wildfire Relief Fund (see above)