by Keith Bassham
I had intended to use this space to reflect some on the May Graduation Fellowship Week (see pictorial in this issue) when word came about the massive tornado in Moore, OK. We, of course, are gratified at the near-immediate outpouring of support and relief. The winds had not yet died down when my Facebook screen began to fill with offers of help from fellow Christians. And while we are not taken aback at the spontaneous testimonies of God’s goodness and mercy some of the victims are voicing on national media, I am curious when I hear media journalists expressing openly their admiration for the faith-based relief systems who seem to have appeared from nowhere.
Moore, OK, is not far from a church I pastored in the 1980s, just east of Oklahoma City. I had many friends and colleagues nearby, and still do, and so I had more than a passing interest in the storm. As I heard and saw reports (much of it live on the Weather Channel as it happened), I could see the places, intersections, and landmarks in the path of the tornado. Naturally, I was concerned about my friends (I have family a little to the north of the tornado’s path as well), and about the community. Fortunately, I lost no one dear. Unfortunately, 24 lost their lives and about 30,000 are said to be affected.
We should pray for those affected, and we should do what we can to help. We have churches and people ready to make a difference, and our Fellowship can give anyone the means to help. The BBFI Mission Office has a disaster relief fund in place at all times ready to receive gifts at www.bbfimissions.com. The Oklahoma BBF has had people on the scene since day one, and BBFI President Linzy Slayden of Owasso, OK, is making preparations to duplicate the BBF’s response when Joplin was hit two years ago. If your church is interested in sending supplies or personnel to help, please contact Oklahoma BBF Chairman Mike Smith at (405) 670-2900 or BBFI Oklahoma State Director Paul Foster at (918) 693-4605 or paulkfoster@me.com. Financial donations can be sent to BBFI, PO Box 191, Springfield, MO 65801, marked, “Disaster Relief Fund.” You can also donate online at the BBFI Mission Office website. For more information, contact Associate Mission Director Jim Smith, (417) 862-5001 or jsmith@bbfimissions.com.
Fellowship is a dear but often unappreciated commodity, but in times like this … well, knowing others are near and ready to lend a hand, give money, and offer prayer on no other basis than to follow the Lord’s commandment to love one another, we can be thankful for the opportunity to show the world that the Father has indeed sent the Son.