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ATLANTA – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship has given $5,000 for relief in Georgia, where the recent conflict with Russia has resulted in the death, injury or displacement of thousands of Georgians since August 8. CBF of Georgia, which has a partnership with the country, has sent $2,000 in relief funds.

The Fellowship contributed to relief efforts through Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, which has also given funds to aid Georgian Baptists.

“All of us feel …devastated,” wrote Malkhaz Songulashvili, the archbishop of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, who reports that thousands are without shelter, food and medicine. “A humanitarian disaster is inevitable. Something has to be done.”

The Betheli Humanitarian Association in Georgia, a 10-year-old charity founded by Georgia’s Evangelical Baptist Church, has been reaching out to victims. In the capital city of Tbilisi, Betheli is providing temporary shelter for children and mothers, as well as distributing food, medicine and water.

Songulashvili said the most urgent needs are for shelter, food and water, though the need for medical assistance and counseling are also significant. With a cold winter looming, blankets, clothes and fuel for heat will also be needed. 

In the United States, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Georgia has had a partnership with the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia since 2006. The partnership has included prayer, dialogue and exchange to promote cultural understanding, and CBF of Georgia’s support of several ministries including a care center for the elderly, an orphanage, a theological school and an organization that supports and ordains women to ministry.

“We need to pray that the war will cease and that the troops will return to Russia. We need to pray that the oil and natural gas lines will be restored in time for the winter. We need to pray for the wounded and the families of those who have died. We need to pray that sufficient aid from governmental and non-governmental sources will arrive in time,” said Frank Broome, coordinator of CBF of Georgia. 

First Baptist Church in Columbia, Mo., a CBF-affiliated congregation, also has connections to the country. For 12 years, the church has been connected with Georgia’s Peace Cathedral, the country’s first Baptist church. In response to the conflict, First Baptist hosted an Aug. 19 ecumenical and interfaith prayer service that attracted individuals from throughout Columbia, which has a sister city relationship with a city in Georgia. 

While prayers for peace and safety continue to be important, the need for physical assistance can’t be overlooked, according to John Baker, pastor of First Baptist in Columbia.

“There are 120,000 internally displaced persons [in Georgia],” said Baker, who has traveled to Georgia eight times. “The people need everything. The homes that they had have been burned and destroyed. It’s going to be a longstanding relief effort. This is going to take years for this country and these people to return to a sense of normality.”

To contribute to the relief efforts, send a check payable to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, P.O. Box 101699, Atlanta, GA. 30392, indicating fund No. 17025 "Georgia Response" in the memo line, call (800) 352-8741 or go to https://www.thefellowship.info/Give/Donate.aspx?fund=GARLF. One hundred percent of donations go directly to rebuilding and restoration efforts.

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.