Baptist Convention of New England

"God is our refuge and our strength, an ever-present help in trouble.Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 46, 1-3, NIV)

There is a sleeping giant of ministry evangelism among Southern Baptists in New England and elsewhere across the country. It is Disaster Relief. There are awakening events that God uses to transform lives, lives that at any other time would not have opportunity to encounter Christ.

It is a sleeping giant in New England because:

• Few churches yet understand the impact of what working together through this strategic ministry is doing or has potential to accomplish, so in some ways it is an unrecognized evangelism tool.
• In the absence of a strong Disaster Relief organization, there is greater reliance on State Conventions that have had this active for years and have greater numbers of volunteers that can be mobilized no matter the size or location of the disaster.
• Disasters occur less frequently than weekly ministry and do not get as much exposure as other ministries.
• It is difficult to measure the spiritual impact and effectiveness of this ministry as new believers are quietly connected to local churches.

It is time to awaken the church to the real needs of disaster relief ministry in New England and how God can use our servanthood through the power of the Holy Spirit to open hearts to Christ.

Real Disasters, Real Lives, Real Spiritual Impact

They happen every year in various ways and locations. Disasters strike. We can either take a reactionary attitude wishing they do not effect us or our neighbors or we could take a proactive preparatory stance in order to harness the power of God through Christian servants in order to impact lives at the greatest hours of need.