Western District Floods
Six months ago, the western districts of NSW experienced a significant flood that affected a number of regional cities. Places like Molong, Eugowra, Cudal, Forbes and others. The Baptist churches across the country responded with generosity and raised over $103,000. We were able to mobilise some of those funds and support our local churches in those areas to be the hands and feet of Jesus. With multiple crises in that region over the last several years, the needs were compounding, especially around mental health. A few months ago we were able to appoint a community chaplain and, a couple of months ago, Marbuen Diaz (Team Leader – Church Witness & CALD Lead) and a consultant were able to visit the region. They ran workshops with Molong Baptist Church and other church leaders as they shift from immediate relief projects to also including projects that look to recover and build resilience. Check this video to see a summary of that field visit.
Lismore Floods
February marked one whole year since the Lismore floods in 2022. On the most part, a lot of progress has been made. But in some significant ways, there has been a lack of progression – especially in the matters of housing. As a Baptist family we responded in community relief and recovery… and we continue to do so today. Currently, we are embarking on a ‘narrative therapy’ project that captures their story and promotes community resiliency. Research shows that in any disaster space, matters of resilience need to be intentional and resiliency is also critical to how communities respond to future hardships. We are currently halfway through this project so please continue to pray for it.
