Following the wildfires that burned across Los Angeles County destroying thousands of acres, Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers continue to have boots on the ground.
In mid-January, Southern Baptist’s Send Relief also had a chaplain team serving at each of the area’s two Disaster Recovery Centers that were set up for organizations such as FEMA to aid survivors. According to Send Relief’s Keturah Quimby, “We have been given a table as emotional and spiritual care providers at these.” A feeding team also provided meals at one of the centers.
In an email update to state disaster relief directors, Quimby stated Send Relief was in consultation with Hawaii Baptist Disaster Relief Directors John and Gay Williams, formerly of Granite City, Illinois. The Williamses, who attended Grace Baptist Church, navigated disaster relief ministry following the Lahaina fire. That fire, on the Hawaiian island of Maui, killed at least 100 people in early August 2023.
“We are following the Lahaina fire timeline pretty closely as far as response goes,” Quimby noted. “John and Gay have been very helpful by sharing their experiences with me.” The Illinois natives moved to Denver and were active in recovery after wildfires there. Then they moved to Hawaii after retirement.
Read full story.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lisa Misner and originally published by the Illinois Baptist.
