ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering with numerous organizations to expedite relief efforts in areas of Southeast Asia affected by tsunami destruction.  

“No one of us can provide the necessary relief by ourselves. The needs are simply too great. So we must partner with one another to do more together than we can individually,” said national CBF coordinator Daniel Vestal.  

Because the Fellowship is not primarily a relief organization, such a massive relief effort requires partnering with organizations that have experts. “Partnering is vital to what we do,” said Barbara Baldridge, CBF Global Missions acting coordinator.

The Fellowship and its partners share coordination of relief efforts and resources like shelter and food, according to David Harding, the Fellowship’s international coordinator for emergency response and transformational development.

In India, the Indian Evangelical Mission is the Fellowship’s main partner, helping primarily with volunteer coordination. CBF Global Missions field personnel are also partnering with Church of Christ in Thailand. In Sri Lanka, the Fellowship is partnering with organizations such as World Vision and Baptist World Aid. Other partners in the affected region include Habitat for Humanity International, Buckner Orphan Care International, and Baptist Medical and Dental Fellowship.

By accessing the Fellowship’s Web site, http://www.thefellowship.info, individuals can read up-to-date dispatches from the field, learn of the latest prayer needs or make a contribution online.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.