A few weeks ago I sent a letter to all Georgia Baptist pastors requesting that a special offering for Katrina disaster relief be received on the following Sunday.

In the letter I commented that Georgia Baptists have always responded in a big way when there was a great need. Though I knew that to be true, I was not prepared for the incredible response of our churches.

Thus far, your offering for Katrina disaster relief has exceeded $2.8 million and continues to climb. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

Because we are able to cover any administrative costs through the Cooperative Program, every bit of this offering will go to meet the needs created by Hurricane Katrina.

Georgia Baptist disaster relief volunteers have been hard at work in southern Mississippi ever since the storm moved inland. They are joined with other Southern Baptists from across the country in serving 500,000 hot meals a day. In fact, you need to realize that when the Red Cross reports the meals they have served, 80% of those meals were prepared by Southern Baptists.

Many of you have expressed an interest in volunteering to assist in the disaster relief ministry. This is going to be a long process as so much needs to be done in clean up and recovery. I am told through our disaster relief ministry leadership that the greatest opportunity for most volunteers will come through the re-build process.

If you are one who has interest in helping, and if you have the ability to do construction type work, even if it is to serve as a helper on a construction site, I encourage you to contact your associational missionary or call the Men's Ministry Department at the Georgia Baptist Convention to volunteer. Our number is (800) RING GBC.

Already, we are seeing great interest among our associations in partnering with associations and churches in the affected areas to help them rebuild. This is a powerful witness of the love that exists between brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.

You may be confident that the Christian witness being expressed among those so devastated by the hurricane is leaving a lasting impression of what a Christian looks like and acts like in a time of real need.

Already, disaster relief funds are being released to the disaster sites in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The executive directors of these state conventions are deeply grateful for the faithfulness of Georgia Baptists in rising to the occasion.

Certainly, one of the finest things you can do to help is pray. Pray for God's protection for all who have experienced the disaster first-hand. Pray also for those who are on site to minister to their needs. This is dangerous work and we pray for the safety of everyone involved.

I want to express appreciation for the North American Mission Board, and specifically Jim Burton, for their incredible leadership of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministry. Without a doubt, it is one of the finest things we do as Southern Baptists to demonstrate the love of Christ. Numerous people have already come to faith in Christ through the witness of disaster relief ministry.

At our own Georgia Baptist Conference Center at Norman Park, where Bill Townes and his fine staff have been serving over 250 evacuees, six evacuees made professions of faith in Christ the first evening they were in the shelter.

The Conference Center, which Bill Townes dubbed "Camp Hope," has helped these evacuees literally put their lives back together again. Governor Perdue chose our Conference Center as the site he would visit on the National Day of Prayer for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Our prayers are expressed daily for those who have been affected by Katrina and others who will likely be impacted by Hurricane Rita and other storms of this season. We must be prepared to seize this time as a moment of opportunity to help those in need, and in so doing to give witness of the love of Christ.