By Glenn Maddox 

“The best thing our church ever did for discipleship was get involved in Disaster Response – more than any revival or Bible study we ever held.”  

That was the experience of Steve Collins, pastor of First Baptist Church in Nickelsville, Virginia. His church eventually earned the name “Strike Force One,” because they were often the first to deploy when a storm would strike. But serving alongside one another to meet physical needs has become much more than something they only do after a storm; they’ve developed a robust ministry as part of the Southwest Virginia Partnership, which “advances the kingdom of Christ by putting God's love into action – one person, one family, one community at a time.” 

In the 50+ years of disaster response in Virginia, we have seen volunteers respond all over the US and to other parts of the world when a disaster strikes. And in the times between disasters, we are discovering that the principles and training that serve us so well after a storm have equipped many to serve in our own communities. Kristen Curtis, the training coordinator for Impact Missions, says that while the opportunities to serve during the big disasters may only come once or twice a year, “opportunities to bless people in our own communities who are in need of the skills we have honed through our DR training and experience happen every day – to repair a home, to offer a listening ear and encouraging presence, to share a meal with someone who is lonely or hungry. . . this is kingdom work in our own backyards.”   

The future of disaster response involves church teams working together and finding ways to use the principles we learn in disaster response training in our local communities for ministry there.  In Disaster Response we form partnerships that offer a wide variety of resources to churches for ministry after a disaster, support for their local community, and funding and training for securing their own facility.  

During the Disaster Response and Security Track at BGAV’s annual meeting this November, your church can learn more about these resources, how to invest in partner relationships for better ministry, and how to use these resources to become the center of your local community. We hope you will join us in November.  

Glenn Maddox can be reached at glenn.maddox@bgav.org.