Dear N.C. Baptist Churches,

I am writing to give you a Disaster Relief Update. Hurricane Harvey devastated many parts of Texas.   Because of your support and involvement, NC Baptists are serving in Nederland, TX right now helping people affected by Hurricane Harvey. NC Volunteers have been working tirelessly this week to provide thousands of meals, as well as providing showers, laundry and doing mud-outs and tear outs of homes for Hurricane Harvey survivors.

We are also preparing to respond to Hurricane Irma. Irma is a massive storm that will cause catastrophic damage. It is extremely rare to have two deadly storms hit the United States within two weeks.  Right now, we are preparing volunteers and equipment to respond to the need in NC and to our southern neighbors. 

We have two large kitchens with combined capacity of 50,000 meals per day ready to respond to Irma when needed.  Recovery units, shower units, generators and additional support equipment stand ready to help. We have great trained and untrained volunteers who are also ready to respond.

How can you help? By praying, giving, and going.  We appreciate your support for Hurricane Harvey and we ask you to do the same for Hurricane Irma response.

Right now, we ask you to pray for those in the path of Hurricane Irma. Pray that we will be the hands and feet of Jesus to hurting people. Pray also for the volunteers who will be going to assist. Please consider taking a few minutes this Sunday to pray for people affected by Hurricane Irma.

Second, Give. There will be many financial needs related to Hurricane Irma, and we have set up a Hurricane Irma fund. Give to help those in need. If you would like to make a contribution, please make your check payable to NCBM/Baptists On Mission, designated for Hurricane Irma Disaster Relief, and mail to: NCBM, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, P.O. Box 1107, Cary, NC  27512. You may also give online. Also, please support the North Carolina Missions Offering (NCMO). All of NCBM’s regular budget comes from the NCMO.

Third, Go. Thousands of homes and many thousands of people will be affected by Hurricane Irma, and we need volunteers to assist with cleanup over the long term. We will need many recovery volunteers for many months and even years to come. Please share this at your church. You can sign up to go as a volunteer through our website. We will need many trained and untrained volunteers for many days and weeks to coming. If you are interested and able to go and help, please visit www.baptistsonmission.org/hurricaneirma  to sign up. You can also get updates on our website and on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ncmissions

Lastly, Consider downloading this Disaster Relief Update video and showing it during your service this Sunday https://vimeo.com/233019497. It is less than two minutes long, but it is a powerful way to show the need, what God is doing and how we can help.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Richard Brunson
Executive Director
N.C. Baptist Men/Baptists On Mission
www.baptistsonmission.org