First Baptist Church Rome pastor Joel Snider delivers a challenge to church members and the community during his sermon Sunday.

ATLANTA – In response to relief needs in Southeast Asia, First Baptist Church of Rome, Ga., has donated $50,000 from its budget to purchase five water purification systems that will provide tsunami survivors in Indonesian refugee camps with clean drinking water.

"We can’t imagine a more Christ-like project than to give fresh water to these who have suffered so much," said Tom Bennett, chairman of deacons.

The church’s donated funds came from an unprecedented budget surplus. Deacon officers unanimously voted to channel the money to meet relief needs. "Instead of sticking that money away for a rainy day, we realized [tsunami survivors] were having their rainy day now," said Phil Smith, the church’s minister of students and missions.

Launching a campaign Sunday called "Water for Life," First Baptist Church pastor Joel Snider said the church has challenged its members and the community to meet the need for an additional five water purification units to be purchased. Each unit can produce 10 gallons of fresh water a minute.

"Water has taken away. Water can also give life," Snider said.

Through the fundraising effort, church members can aid relief efforts despite being thousands of miles from the destruction. "You are not helpless when you see the news," Snider told the crowd of approximately 600 people.

The church collected a love offering for tsunami relief following Sunday’s worship service.

Snider said this is the largest missions offering the church has embarked on to date. Following the service, the church collected a love offering and will continue to collect until the goal is met, Snider said. Church members contributed $26, 692.95 to the love offering on Sunday. The church doesn’t want to redirect funds other churches are collecting, but rather provide an outlet for people who have no other organization through which to funnel donations.

The church coordinated the effort with David Harding, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship’s international coordinator for emergency response and transformational development.

The tsunami relief donations have been a supplement to the church’s contributions to the Fellowship’s Offering for Global Missions. Recently the church surpassed its goal by more than $1,500, contributing a total of nearly $23,200 to support Global Missions field personnel worldwide.

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.