Leaders of three denominations convened a meeting in Baton Rouge, La., in fall 2005 to strengthen the American Baptist response and ministry to hurricane victims. Representing about 5 million Baptists in the United States, the conveners sought a means to pool resources and support ongoing work of hurricane recovery. Their initiative laid the foundation for Baptist agencies and churches, intent upon rebuilding Gulf Coast areas, to form a coalition called Baptist Builders.

Early organizers were: Rev. Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts, general secretary, Progressive National Baptist Convention; Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley, general secretary, American Baptist Churches USA; Rev. Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III, executive director, National Ministries, American Baptist Churches USA; Rev. Dr. Daniel Vestal, coordinator, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship; and Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, executive minister, District of Columbia Baptist Convention. As the coalition took shape, organizers invited the Alliance of Baptists to be a sponsoring organization, with leadership from its executive director, Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey.

Once its purpose was established, Baptist Builders appointed Rev. Elmo Winters to serve as program coordinator on a monthly stipend and with an office at New Sunlight Baptist Church in Baton Rouge. Rev. Winters is pastor of Faith Bible Church of Baton Rouge, which is aligned with the Progressive National Baptist Convention.

American Baptist Churches USA already has committed $100,000 in One Great Hour of Sharing donations to a fund, administered by the American Baptist Extension Corporation, that will support the work of Baptist Builders. And in January, National Ministries’ Wright-Riggins gave approval for Baptist Builders to purchase a van to transport people to and from work and to coordinate volunteer services.

Baptist Builders has the primary advantage of on-the-ground management in addition to its role as a clearinghouse. Already in step with the work of local churches, Baptist Builders immediately assisted hurricane victims with finding jobs, obtaining housing and completing paperwork to receive state, federal and insurance assistance.

By January, Baptist Builders had helped 13 families with deposits and monthly rent and four families with employment. It assisted seven people who are mentally impaired obtain housing. Additionally, Baptist Builders completed renovations on one house and began renovating two others. It located another 20 houses in New Orleans that need repairs and started scheduling workers.

As it extended services, Baptist Builders located 46 pastors displaced from New Orleans and began making $500 grants to them for immediate needs. A total of 11 churches and ministries have also received grants for providing meals, housing and clothing to people who relocated to Baton Rouge, and for managing distribution of various goods and services.

Affirming the Alliance of Baptists’ involvement, Hastey said, “From my perspective, this coalition has the potential to make a difference in the lives of those most affected by the recent storms and, beyond that, to mark a new day in intra-Baptist collaboration. Indeed this is one of those rare kairos moments for Baptists in our country, an occasion to reach across lines of race and geography in a common objective. It is surely a God-given, Jesus-centered, Spirit-inspired opportunity for us all.”

Give Now to help those devastated by Hurricane Katrina by giving through One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS). After specifying the OGHS gift amount and logging in, please specify “Hurricane Katrina” in the instructions field. OGHS enables emergency relief, refugee work, disaster rehabilitation and development assistance in the name of Jesus Christ, on behalf of the American Baptist Churches, USA, around the world and in the United States

For more information on Baptist Builders, visit www.baptistbuilders.org or contact Baton Rouge program coordinator Elmo Winters at (225) 775-2053 or info@baptistbuilders.org