VALLEY FORGE, PA (9/5/19)—Hurricane Dorian, which over the Labor Day weekend was one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record, pounded Grand Bahama Island for more than an entire day, killing at least twenty people. Floodwater inundated homes in the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas ahead of its advance on the U.S. East Coast.
Bahamian officials cite the destruction in the northern Bahamas as a “historic tragedy.” Communication lines on the islands have been down since the storm began, and therefore the full extent of the loss of life and property is only now being revealed.
Rev. Dr. Adalia Gutierrez-Lee, an Area Director at International Ministries, shares “I have spoken with Rev. Everton Jackson, Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, to express our prayers and solidarity with our brothers and sisters of the Bahamas during this terrible time.”
The president of the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship, Rev. Dr. William Thompson, who lives in Nassau, Bahamas advised that a comprehensive assessment will be done as soon as possible. In the meantime, the immediate response requires water, food, flashlights, mattresses and medical supplies.
IM has sent a $15,000 One Great Hour of Sharing emergency relief grant to the Caribbean Baptist Fellowship as an initial response. The magnitude of the destruction we can see already shows devastation that will require not just immediate relief, but also the long-term rebuilding of homes, lives, and livelihoods.
IM has no global servants or volunteers serving in the Bahama islands.
Gutierrez-Lee requests prayer for all the people affected by the hurricane, and particularly to lift up Baptist leaders and members as they mourn their own losses, while at the same time seeking to provide leadership in relief and recovery efforts from this devastating event.
Those wishing to support relief efforts can do so through their American Baptist church, or by sending checks directly to International Ministries, or online. Please designate your contributions “OGHS–Bahamas Relief” on the memo line of your check. If donating online, visit www.abc-usa.org and include “OGHS–Bahamas Relief” in the comments section.
Checks sent directly to International Ministries should be made payable to “International Ministries” and mailed to:
International Ministries
Attn: Gifts Processing
1003 W 9th Avenue, Ste A
King of Prussia, PA 19406
One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA. The Committee facilitates American Baptist emergency relief, disaster rehabilitation, refugee work and development assistance by establishing policy guidelines and overseeing distribution of the annual OGHS offering received by churches.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.