Bear one another’s burden, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2

     It has been three weeks since the flooding came to eastern Kentucky and the disaster relief efforts are still ongoing.  I have talked to several pastors and responders in that area and I feel burdened because of all that they are trying to deal with in their communities.  Last week, Jamie Reynolds, Associational Mission Strategist at Three Forks Baptist Association, shared some prayer needs.  Jamie’s association covers three counties that were impacted by flooding, including 13 churches and 8 pastor’s homes.  He mentioned physical fatigue from working 16-18 hours a day with flood relief and ministry needs.  He mentioned compassion fatigue because of the widespread nature of the flooding and the associated needs.  He mentioned spiritual endurance as they try to love, witness, and minister to people.  He also mentioned the need for wisdom and discernment.  It was apparent that he was heavy burdened, emotional, and yet thankful for the strength the Lord was providing.

       Thank you again for continuing to support eastern Kentucky through your prayers, giving, and all the supplies you have brought.  We have taken 4 loads (3 full pickups) already and more supplies are coming in every day.  We will continue to get those supplies to where they are needed.  There is a big need for more disaster relief volunteers.  Our KBC disaster relief workers have to take a break after serving 10 days in a row.  This has been such a big response that more volunteers are needed.  If you can go help, let us know and we will help get you connected.  We are thankful to have 17 states (of Southern Baptist) assisting with the disaster relief.  Sadly, the financial support for KBC’s Disaster Relief for eastern Kentucky has only been a small percentage of what was given for western Kentucky’s tornados.  The tornados in western occurred in December which is a time of year where people are very generous.  People tend to give more for tornado relief than flooding.  Having two major disasters within a year also makes giving more difficult.  Bottomline, there are so many needs in eastern Kentucky and very few people had any flood insurance.  Please pray for all the clean-up and recovery efforts and especially the people trying to help. 

       The last few weeks we have been talking about 4 types of church members and how we can help them take the next step to finding fulfilment and encouragement in serving.  We talked about those who are “Sitting – Passive” and how these folks need to be educated in regards to God’s gifting and desire for His children to serve His body (the church).  Last week we talked about the second group that might be classified as “Trying – Frustrated.”  They are serving in some capacity but often feel ineffective and frustrated.  These folks need to be better equipped for the area they are serving.

           A third group could be classified as “Waiting – Wondering.”  This is the group that are just waiting for somebody to ask them to serve in a ministry area.  They might have said to someone, “I’ll help wherever I’m needed,” but nobody has even taken the time to plug them into a particular ministry.  These people need to be enlisted.  Face to face conversations and personal invitations are the most effective way of enlisting volunteers.  When I announce from the pulpit that we have a particular area of need, the response is usually not that good.  Pastors, ministry leaders, and the nominating committee members need to prayerfully consider who would be good in a particular ministry position and then go to that person(s) and specifically enlist them. When we enlist a person, we want to be able to tell them a little about the position and the expectations of the position.  We want the person to know why we think they would be good for the position and how we could help them succeed in the position.  Most people respond favorably when asked to serve in a specific capacity. 

         You can help us with people in this category.  Let us know if you think somebody would serve well in a particular ministry.  Keep your eyes open and affirm the gifting of others when you notice it.  If you want us to help you find an area of service, please don’t hesitate to let us know.  We love helping people find an area where they can use their gifting and find fulfilment in serving the Lord.

Bro. Harold