summer missions Alaska disaster relief

Attention: Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers

Annual Spring Picnic and Workday

Saturday, May 20. 2023

Work begins at 9 AM. One of the first tasks of the day is to put up an 18'x 37' Disaster Relief tent. We need practice! We will furnish the gloves and all tools needed for additional assignments, including power tools and equipment clean-up, and lots of other preparation essentials for disaster response.

Our DR Rapid Respond Feeding Team will be serving lunch at 12:30 PM. Join us for great food and fun. Bring your entire church family! During lunch, we will introduce DR Volunteers and potential volunteers to several new ways to promote DR Preparation in your church and ways we help more volunteers receive the training and certifications needed to serve with us, how you can recruit others to serve on our team, how untrained volunteer will serve with us when a disaster happens, and how we can work together on special ministry projects from time to time during the year. see the letter below for more details

Dear Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief Volunteers and Pastors,

Let me urge you to join us for a team event and great fellowship with DR co-labors! Remember, Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief exists to assist your church to share the love of Jesus Christ during very difficult times! Even during Covid we were able to maintain an annual outdoor picnic! Now, as we seek to strengthen our "ministry/recovery" team efforts it is important that we come together. Let me ask you to bring others from your church family to the 2023 DR Volunteer's Picnic on May 20, held at the Disaster Relief Barn, on the property of CrossCountry Church, 7010 E Fireweed Road, near the Mat-Su Hospital in Wasilla. Actually, a number of work sessions and one training opportunity takes place at this location on this day! At 10:30 AM you'll actually have at least three options to choose from, and we may add a couple more!

• 9:00 AM Tent Erection - Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief actually owns two 37' x 18' Rapid Deployment military tents. First, we are putting these big fabric and aluminum structures up for "tent erection training" since they are needed as a kitchen and/or community relief center during DR deployment; second, we're putting them up so that we have a place for lunch and for the afternoon class, and third they will be used for a DR Tool Sale (DR fundraiser) and for a mission team Vacation Bible School in the following weeks! Our two tents are very heavy, and require a team of heavy lifters, and some know-how in order to set them up to withstand Alaska's winds, rain, and snow!

• 10:30 AM Engine Start-ups – James Braise, our Transportation and Set-up Blue Cap, will guide this session. Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief actually owns about 10 gasoline and propane engines used for generating electricity and pressure washing at DR clean-up sites! Every spring all of these engines get a fresh start, and a tune-up, if necessary, to make sure that they're ready to go when we need them in the field! This work session will continue at 2 PM if necessary.

• 10:30 AM Tool Trailer Cleanup – Our tool trailer is central to everything we do in disaster recovery! It stores and transports most of our engines plus all of our rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, shop brooms and the sifting screens that are essential for home cleanup after a fire or flood! This trailer requires some spring cleaning! If you're not into engines, join us here!

• 10:30 AM Food Preparation - Blue hat, Marilyn King, is overseeing the rapid response kitchen's preparation for lunch! Join her as you set up the rapid response kitchen and grill some great food for the picnic! This work session will include some restoration of the kitchen trailer, putting it all back, at 2 PM.

• 12:30 PM DR Fellowship Lunch! During lunchtime, we will provide an update on Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief and share information about how you can schedule Disaster Relief training in your church or how you could schedule a community outreach event at your church that could introduce your community to home emergency preparedness and Disaster Relief organizations including FEMA and Alaska Emergency Management. This event hosted by your church could be one of the most successful outreach opportunities your church has ever undertaken! At Lunchtime we will also talk about trained volunteers responding to disasters out of state and internationally. We will also give you the opportunity to join Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief so that you can wear gold! Oh, did I mention great food and fellowship? Invite some friends who need this Disaster Relief information.

• 2:00 PM Shower Unit - Blue cap, Dawn Gagnon, will host a preparation session with our shower and laundry trailer! Again, Alaska Baptist have one of the nicest shower and laundry units available when a disaster strikes in Alaska. First, it is a ministry to first responders who have worked for hours in smoke and mud, and then it is available to homeowners who just lost everything! It is one of our greatest ways we demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ and so we work hard at making sure it's clean and ready for ministry.

• 2:00 PM Training - Disaster Relief coordinator, Gary Bearce, will offer Introduction to Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief! This 2-1/2 hour session taught in the tent, is essential for every person who wears gold (yellow shirts)! It is the basic class that every one of the 60,000+ Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers must attend in order to wear the Disaster Relief colors. Anyone, 18 and up, is welcome to take the class! To receive the shirt, hat and ID badge there is a $40 fee.

Thank you so much for your involvement in this ministry, and especially for your help with disaster preparedness! Thank you for helping us to be ready to care!

Serving with you, Gary Bearce, Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief Coordinator

PS: A week following this picnic, Alaska Baptist Disaster Relief will host a yard sale! Mainly we are selling tools and estate items that have been donated to Disaster Relief. 100% of the funds go to buying new tools and power equipment for the Disaster Relief trailer. Do you have tools you'd like to donate to this fund raiser? Contact Gary via the Alaska Disaster Relief website – www.abcdr.org