Tornadoes swept through areas of Texas and Oklahoma on Nov. 4, leaving at least one person dead and causing significant destruction. The church building of Trinity Baptist Church in Idabel, Okla., was heavily damaged in the storm.

As the sun rose on Nov. 5, Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) teams were onsite to help in Idabel and elsewhere with chainsaw teams and damage assessors.

Other areas were affected by the storms in southeast Oklahoma. The building of First Baptist Church Calera was also damaged by the storm.

Oklahoma Baptist DR Interim Director Sam Porter is asking people to pray for those impacted by the tornadoes and consider making a financial donation to the DR Ministry as they assist those impacted by the storms.

“We have teams already serving by Saturday morning,” Porter said. “On Friday, I was called by the Oklahoma Emergency Management leader. I told him ‘We were on it’ and would be on scene to help. We serve people in need to share the love of Jesus with them.”

Porter noted that Oklahoma Baptists will collaborate as part of a multi-faceted response of trained DR volunteers from various areas, including Bryan Association, Enon Association, Frisco Association, Baptist Collegiate Ministries and others.

DR work will include feeding units, shower trailers, chainsaw teams, debris clean-up and more.

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Oklahoma Baptist Messenger staff compiled this report.)