Texas Baptists support California Baptist wildfire relief, recovery

Texas Baptists is providing funds to Baptists in California to support ongoing disaster relief and recovery efforts among churches and communities due to the wildfires spreading in that state.

Recent reports estimated that 28 lives have been lost due to the fires. Some 15,000 structures and 63 square miles have burned.

Texans On Mission deployed

Texans On Mission (TXM), the disaster relief ministry of Texas Baptists, began ministering on the ground in California on Monday, January 13, just days after the Palisades fire began. 

Church partners asked TXM to establish on-site services. Since that time, various units have been deployed and supplies shipped.

John Hall, chief missions officer for TXM, said the group had worked for more than a year to connect with California churches to support just such a disaster.

“It’s a beautiful image of the body of Christ,” he said.

Texans ‘loving California’

Representatives from Texas Baptists, Texans On Missions, and Baptist leaders in California communicated last week to make additional connections and assess emerging needs.

Victor Chayasirisobhon, director of missions for the Orange County Southern Baptist Association (OCSBA), shared that many pastors lost their homes and church facilities in sweeping wildfires.

One church in the association was raising funds to buy $500 gift cards for fifty teenagers who’d lost all their belongings.

Pete Ramirez, executive director of the California Southern Baptist Convention, estimated the state convention would spend approximately $500,000 in relief and recovery efforts. 

That convention’s disaster relief team was assembling crisis buckets filled with emergency supplies to assist those in the Los Angeles area.

Julio Guarneri, executive director of Texas Baptists, informed leaders that Texas Baptists would provide funds to the Orange County Southern Baptist Association (OCSBA) to aid their ongoing fire response.

Ramirez and Chayasirisobhon expressed their appreciation for the generosity of Texas Baptists.

“We in the OCSBA are proud to be a conduit for resources that will truly help bring relief and care to fire victims throughout the Southern California region,” said Chayasirisobhon.

“Texas Baptists continue[s] to lead the way in their generosity and effort to love people with the love of Jesus Christ, and I am proud to be a part of it,” he said. “Thank you for loving California, and we hope to continue the effort for the duration of the journey.”

Initial gift of $20,000 to support Orange County Baptist relief efforts

Because of the generosity of affiliated churches and individual donors, Texas Baptists is providing an initial $20,000 gift to the OCSBA for relief efforts. Churches and individuals are welcome to provide additional support by giving through the Texas Baptists Missions Foundation. 

To designate a gift, write “Texans On Mission” or “California Baptists” in the comment box provided. One hundred percent of the funds given will be used according to donor designations.

The Palisades and Eaton fires continued to burn at the time of publishing, with new blazes, including the Hughes fire, beginning to spread.

Guarneri called for prayer in the midst of the disaster. 

“We invite you to pray for these recovery efforts as human needs are met for pastors, Baptists, and all others who were affected,” he said. “May the love of Christ be shared with people who are hurting in deeds and words.”