More than 200 leaders and volunteers representing 37 Southern Baptist state conventions – Canada and Puerto Rico included – gathered at Shearer Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, for the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Roundtable Jan. 28-30.
By Jane Rodgers for Baptist Press
SAN ANTONIO – More than 200 leaders and volunteers representing 37 Southern Baptist state and regional conventions — Canada and Puerto Rico included — gathered at Shearer Hills Baptist Church in San Antonio, Texas, for the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Roundtable Jan. 28-30. They came to the Alamo City in the yellow shirts and caps recognized nationally and internationally by survivors of disasters, both natural and man-made.
“It was an honor to host such an amazing group of servants of our Lord,” said David Wells, director of Texans on Mission, the Baptist General Convention of Texas DR team handling onsite logistics. “Our volunteers were extremely excited to meet these leaders and serve them during this special event.”
Coy Webb, Send Relief crisis response director, called the meeting a “celebration” following an “extremely active year of disasters” in which SBDR offered “help and hope during times of crisis.” SBDR holds two national roundtables per year, one in January and one following the SBC Annual Meeting in June.
The three-day event resembled an extended family and friends reunion with ample opportunities for attendees to acquire advanced training in the latest DR best practices.
Continuing education to meet crises
Participants chose among training sessions on mass feeding, incident management, data reporting and electronic asset protection. Some opted for instruction in the safe operation of man lifts and the latest methods of using ladders and tarping roofs. Others received training in shower and laundry operations or emergency first aid.
Kentucky’s Karen Smith, chair of the SBDR national feeding committee, conducted special training for a new position in DR: feeding operations chief.
A Tuesday session featuring state Baptist DR directors addressed questions from last June’s roundtable.
On Wednesday, a panel discussion among Salvation Army and SBDR representatives explored the successful cooperative relationship between the two groups in mass feeding efforts, most recently showcased in the response to Hurricane Helene.
Dennis Belz, Colorado Baptist DR director, presented Resiliency in Disaster Relief, a workshop on preparing DR teams to recognize the signs of stress and trauma precipitated by disaster work. Belz offered coping strategies and resources for DR volunteers and leaders often thrust into challenging, emotionally and physically draining situations on the field where they may witness large-scale destruction and sometimes loss of life.
Wednesday’s agenda also included committee and regional meetings among SBDR leaders and teams, involving representatives from regions 1 (West), 2 (Midwest), 3 (Northeast), 4A, 4B, and 4C (South, Oklahoma, Missouri).
Awards
The popular annual awards banquet on Wednesday evening featured recognition of the following men and women:
Joel W. Phillips Outstanding Achievement Award
Gary Smith, Texans on Mission, Baptist General Convention of Texas
Wendell Romans, Texans on Mission, Baptist General Convention of Texas
Jim Furgison, Kansas/Nebraska Convention of Southern Baptists
Robert E. Dixon Award for Lifetime Service
Ellen Udovich, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware
John Scoggins, Baptist Convention of New England
Distinguished Service Awards
Ann Stevenson, Missouri Baptist Convention
Larry Hunt, Kentucky Baptist Convention
Terry Hall, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
Mark Hinson, Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
Carl Brown, State Convention of Baptists in Ohio
Kelly Tam, Louisiana Baptist Convention
Send Relief continuing national and international efforts
Thursday’s Roundtable featured the annual directors meeting, kicked off by the Send Relief report from Webb and Send Relief vice president Josh Benton.
Send Relief supports SBDR with resources, assistance in coordination and administration, national partner relations and advocacy, the report noted. Benton highlighted some accomplishments of Send Relief in 2024:
- Mobilized 53,503 volunteers
- Engaged 6,117 churches
- Served 2.2 million people
- Presented the gospel to 1.01 million people
- Supported ministry centers serving communities and saw the development of 37 affiliate ministry centers in the last 18 months
Webb offered the following SBDR-specific 2024 statistics:
- 109 responses to disasters
- 110,603 ministry contacts
- 42,472 gospel presentations
- 4,204 professions of faith
- 120,396 volunteer days
- 83,239 homes helped with recovery
- 1,430,938 meals provided
- 50,604 showers provided
- 26,061 laundry loads washed
Praising SBDR’s work during hurricanes Helene and Milton, Webb said that SBDR workers have been noticed at a “national level” for “consistent work in times of disaster.” Send Relief provided needed supplies and grants to the SBDR network for relief during Helene and Milton, he added.
SBDR workers during the 2024 hurricanes made 2,602 Gospel presentations, saw 261 professions of faith, initiated 51,584 ministry contacts, served more than 1 million meal and completed 55,373 recovery jobs, Webb said.
SBDR continues to serve the survivors of Los Angeles area wildfires, with California and Arizona state teams engaged in chaplaincy and feeding, with fire clean-up anticipated to begin this month, Webb said, noting that Send Relief is supporting DR efforts with funds and supplies.
Webb shared that over the last 12 months across the globe, Send Relief International has done some 420 projects in 78 countries, resulting in 933 new areas being opened to the Gospel, impacting 1.54 million people and involving more than 3,600 church partners. Food assistance has been provided to 686,000, and 684,000 have heard the Gospel.
International aid has been provided in the Sudan, where more than 40,000 have heard the Gospel and 833 have come to Christ; the Middle East, where 11 new areas have been opened to the Gospel and 2,400 have heard the Gospel with 20 coming to faith; and Cuba, where 26 new areas have been opened to the Gospel, more than 943,000 have heard the Gospel, and 821 have responded in faith. Send Relief has also supported relief efforts following flooding in Kenya and Brazil and wildfires in Chile.
Directors meeting
Following the Send Relief presentation, DR leaders heard reports from representatives of SBDR partners including Bobbi Geery and Jeff Jellets of the Salvation Army, Laurynn Myers of the Red Cross, Justin Harris of Home Depot, and April Wood and Bethany Piehl of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).
Webb introduced new state DR directors Bill LaFolette of Michigan and Keith Myer of Maryland/Delaware.
Highlights from the committee and regional reports included information on the establishment of the feeding chief position and the adoption of a new SBDR Incident Management Team manual. Other major issues addressed included updates in financial policy and reporting, plans to develop materials offering long-term rebuilding guidance to states, technology, and regulations covering drone and other unmanned aerial vehicle use during disasters.
Regional reports summarized the disasters each state faced, often involving multi-site responses.
John Heading of Ohio was elected national SBDR steering committee chair with Tom Beam of North Carolina elected vice chair for one-year terms.
The January 2025 meeting closed with an address by Gaylon Moss, current chair of the SBDR steering committee and Missouri Baptist DR director. Moss, who also served as presiding officer of the Roundtable, urged leaders to “Hold the Net,” reminding them that SBDR is “not an entity” but a “network of Southern Baptist state conventions working together to bring help, hope, and healing to people in crisis.”
State directors can both “act cooperatively and think nationally” and “think cooperatively and act nationally,” Moss proposed, adding that, “SBDR brings “order to chaos” and “mobilizes people for mission.”
SBDR will assist in Crossover events at the national SBC in Dallas this June, which will be followed by the second SBDR Roundtable of the year scheduled for June 12 in Grapevine at the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention offices, with SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice and SBTC DR hosting. The June 2026 Roundtable will take place in Orlando, Florida.