Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief is a cooperative, volunteer ministry of the Tennessee Baptist Convention and its affiliated churches. It is totally dependent upon volunteers who give of their time, energy, talents and finances to assist others in a time of disaster. The ministry is led by the State Director, an employee of the Executive Board of the Tennessee Baptist Convention. He and one administrative assistant are the only employees working primarily with Disaster Relief.
Within Tennessee, there are over 11,400 trained volunteers from churches and associations who are ready to respond to a disaster of any size any where. Many of these churches and associations own and operate their own equipment. Beyond Tennessee, our state cooperates with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and 41 other state conventions that have similar ministries. At the national level, Statements and Memorandums of Understanding are in place with American Red Cross (ARC), The Salvation Army (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Angels of Mercy (AOM) and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD). Because of these agreements, TN Baptist Disaster Relief is normally one of the first to respond with Disaster Relief services during a time of crisis. Services that can be provided during a disaster response: Recovery Teams (Over 99 units with equipment)
Chainsaw Teams
Clean-up Teams
Flood Recovery Teams
Mass Feeding
1 state unit capable of preparing up to 50,000 meals per day
2 associational units capable of preparing 10,000 – 20,000 meals per day
2 associational units capable of preparing 5,000 – 10,000 meal per day
5 associational units capable of preparing up to 5,000 meals per day
Childcare Services
1 state unit with equipment to utilize in caring for 80 children at one time
Chaplain Services
Unit Chaplains
Community Chaplains
Rebuild and Recovery
Damage Assessment
Rebuild and repair
Water Purification Unit
1 State Unit capable of purifying 8 gallons of water a minute
Showers
10 Association / Church Units with a total of 48 shower heads and 6 washers and 7 dryers
Laundry for Victims
6 units with a total of 15 washers and 20 dryers and 4 showers
Transportation
2 Refrigerated trailer units with 2 road tractors
Communication Services
Command and control unit with satellite phone technology
Trained ham radio operators with equipment
Volunteer Requirements: Because of agreements with national agencies and organizations, Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief has the following requirements for volunteers:
Must be a member of a cooperating Tennessee Southern Baptist Church.
Must be at least 18 years of age.
Must have satisfactorily completed the training course, “Introduction to Southern Baptist Disaster Relief” and specialized training.
Must complete an application and be approved for service.
Must have a servant heart.
Must be ready to show Christ’s love in action
Must be flexible.
Must be trained by TBC-certified instructors.
Certain units may require criminal background checks (e.g. Childcare unit).
Certain responsibilities may require background checks, motor vehicle checks and special licensing requirements. (e.g. driver for any state equipment)
Volunteer Responsibilities:
Responsible for own insurance coverage and medical expenses if injured or ill during activation.
Responsible for own transportation to and from activation site.
Must be able to follow instructions and guidelines from DR officials during a response. Failure to do so will result in volunteer being instructed to return home.
Cash Point Baptist Church has several disaster relief groups that are on call by the State of Tennessee Southern Baptist Convention. These teams can be called when there is a disaster or other emergency exists and provide direct support to the disaster recovery effort. SouthBears The SouthBears primary goal is to provide logistical communications for our state disaster relief activities and the disaster relief activities of the North American Mission Board (NAMB) and our secondary goal is to provide communications for others as the situation dictates. The SouthBears meet every Sunday afternoon at 2:30pm on 7,620 KHz in the 40 meter Amateur band. If you are a licensed amateur, you are invited to check in the group. The SouthBears website is: southbears.org/