CBS News screen capture of Haiti damage from Baptist Press.

I am sure everyone is already in prayer for the people in Haiti and the chaotic situation there today but let me give you a few specific items to add to your prayer list in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

First, pray for the Southern Baptist assessment teams that are going into Haiti this weekend and on Monday to determine how our disaster relief volunteers can best be of help in the coming weeks and months. Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief Associate Coy Webb will be part of a team of five that is flying in on Jan. 18 and will spend four to six days on the ground.

Additionally, the Florida Baptist Convention has an assessment team going in this weekend. Please be in special prayer for this team as 18 of the 21 Haitian employees of the Florida Baptist Convention are still missing. The Convention has received word from a third party that the FBC’s mission center there has been destroyed. Florida Baptists have a 15-year partnership with Baptist in Haiti and have helped plant 890 churches during that time.

“They are like our family,” Craig Culbreth, director of Florida’s Partnership Mission Department who has traveled to Haiti for the past 11 years, told Baptist Press. “They have been in our homes and we have been in theirs. We have laughed together and we have cried together, we have walked side-by-side and shared our vision for the nation of Haiti to come to Christ. They are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and they are hurting right now. Many of them have small children. Some of their homes may be damaged and they are sleeping in the streets. It is a desperate situation there.”

Thirdly, be in prayer for Haitian congregations here in the United States as their members worry and seek to contact loved ones. We have four Haitian congregations in the Kentucky Baptist Convention. The Convention has been in touch with each pastor and there are numerous families still awaiting word on the fate of family members and friends.

Finally, be in prayer for God’s leadership in how we can best respond in the months and years ahead to bring physical and spiritual healing to this incredibly poor nation. Right now the effort is still on finding survivors in the rubble, getting water and food to a people still in shock, helping people find shelter and dealing with the public health issues that are associated with so much death and destruction. The U.S. military, the United Nations and relief agencies around the world are responding in massive ways to deal with this initial situation.

But we all know that this outpouring of emergency aid will be only the beginning of what is needed in the months and years to come. This is where Kentucky Baptists and Southern Baptists will be able to do the most good. We are known for being there not only when the cameras are rolling but when the hard work of rebuilding goes on and on. Pray that God will use us for His glory and that many will come to find new life in Him out of this tragedy.

Here’s the latest release about the assessment team’s trip from the Kentucky Baptist Convention:

Webb Scheduled to Leave for Haiti Jan. 18

Coy Webb

LOUISVILLE – Kentucky Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Associate Coy Webb is one of five team members scheduled to travel to Haiti on Jan. 18 to assess how Southern Baptists can help those devastated by the Jan. 12 earthquake.

According to Webb, the team is planning to stay four to six days. Their primary goal will be to “determine when Southern Baptist teams can arrive and what they can do to help once they are there,” he said.

Webb will joined by four other representatives from a variety of Southern Baptist organizations, including: Jim Brown, U.S. office director for Baptist Global Response; Don Gann, disaster relief coordinator for the Mississippi Baptist Convention; Bruce Poss of the North American Mission Board; and Ralph Shealy, medical consultant for the South Carolina Baptist Convention.

Two additional representatives from the Florida Baptist Convention are scheduled to travel separately and coordinate with the team’s efforts upon arrival in Haiti.

According to Webb, the entire effort is being led by the Florida Baptist Convention, which has had ministry relationships for more than 20 years and has staff members stationed in the country.

After the assessment takes place and a more detailed plan is in place, Webb said Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers will be needed to help with the disaster recovery. Teams could potentially be needed within a few weeks, but there is no way to know for certain at this point, he said.

Kentucky Baptists desiring to help are encouraged to give monetary donations through the KBC’s fund designated for the Haiti relief effort. While many have already offered to donate supplies and goods, Webb said “there is no good way to get those items into Haiti right now, so monetary donations really are the best way to help immediately.”

Contributions may be sent to the KBC, P.O. Box 856300, Dept. 124, Louisville, KY 40285-9900. Please note “Haiti Earthquake” in the check memo. Online donations are also being accepted at www.kybaptist.org/dr.

Trained Kentucky Baptist disaster relief volunteers interested in serving on a team once opportunities become available are being asked to express their interest by emailing baptistmen@kybaptist.org. Volunteers should indicate their availability, contact information and what type of volunteer work they are able to do.

Kentucky Baptists are part of a larger network of Southern Baptist volunteers trained to respond to disasters by manning mass feeding operations, using chainsaws to clear downed trees and limbs, clear mud out of flooded homes and more. Together, Southern Baptists comprise the third largest relief organization in the United States.

To learn more about Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, go to www.kybaptist.org/dr.

The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2,400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, Ky. including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more.  For more information, visit www.kybaptist.org.

– Robert Reeves