DESOTO—All it took was a phone call.
Oscar Epps, pastor of Community Missionary Baptist Church in DeSoto, phoned Lelious Johnson, pastor of St. Paul Baptist Church in Dallas, and Michael Evans, pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Mansfield and president of the African-American Fellowship of Texas. When he asked about the possibility of their churches raising money to help with disaster recovery after a devastating explosion in West, their answer was an emphatic “yes.”
W.C. Wright, pastor of Bold Springs Baptist Church in West, receives a check from Gerald Davis, Texas Baptists’ disaster recovery and development specialist.A few days later, the congregations gathered for a Saturday night service and collected more than $11,000. The Baptist General Convention of Texas disaster recovery office connected them with Bold Springs Baptist Church in West, which had some members affected by the fertilizer plant explosion there.
The pastors presented all the funds to the West church, and they were overwhelmed by the congregations’ response.
“We saw a people whose lives were transformed instantaneously by something they could do nothing about,” Epps said. “We want to come together as a people and respond.”
The three congregations chose to work through Texas Baptists’ disaster recovery ministry because they knew all the money would go to help in West.
“We believe in Texas Baptists,” he said. “We believe in the work here. We wanted to make sure the money will go where it was meant to go.”
Chris Liebrum, who leads Texas Baptists’ disaster recovery ministry, praised Epps for his leadership and desire to help survivors of the West explosion.
“God touched Pastor Epps and led him to organize this effort to help the members of the Bold Springs Baptist Church,” Liebrum said. “We are honored to work with Pastor Epps in this effort. Because of his leadership, many will be helped who have experienced a great loss.”
To support Texas Baptists Disaster Recovery efforts financially, click here. Opportunities to serve in West are posted here.
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