Many times, God uses the effects of a disaster to soften the hearts of those who minister in His name to later share a message of hope with those who are suffering from their own tragedy. Such was the case 25 years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, as the Lord used the heartbreak of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah bombing on April 19, 1995, to prepare hundreds of Oklahoma Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers to bring solace to residents of the shocked city reeling from the destruction of the World Trade Center.
On that fateful day, two commercial jetliners were flown intentionally into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, collapsing both 110-story twin towers in less than two hours. A third jetliner was crashed into the west side of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a fourth plane was hijacked with the intent to fly it into the U.S. Capitol, but that attack was averted when passengers joined together in a heroic attempt to regain control of the plane, which ultimately crashed into rural Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, including all 227 civilians and the 19 terrorists aboard the four planes.
The attacks resulted in 36,000 units of blood donated to the New York Blood Center. Jobs lost in New York City totaled 146,100; 23,000 apartments in lower Manhattan were eligible for asbestos clean-up, and 422,000 residents of the city were estimated to be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The first people North American Mission Board (NAMB) disaster relief (DR) coordinator Mickey Caison thought of when he heard the news of the attacks were Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) DR Director Sam Porter and FBI chaplain Joe Williams, a specialist in trauma response.
Caison knew Oklahoma DR volunteers—who had ministered in the aftermath of the Murrah Building bombing—would be able to relate on a personal level to their Big Apple counterparts.
Porter hustled to assemble a response team from Oklahoma to help get the job done. Also packing their bags for New York were Leslie Sias, BGCO chaplaincy specialist; Paul Bettis, BGCO prison chaplaincy consultant and Jack Poe, chaplain with the Oklahoma City Police Department. Accompanying the group was Baptist Messenger managing editor Bob Nigh, who later became the third North American Mission Board (NAMB)-endorsed disaster relief chaplain in the U.S. and the first in Oklahoma.
Porter’s group of five chaplains got to New York three days after the towers fell and manned the temporary morgue at Ground Zero for almost two weeks. The ministry at Ground Zero generally involved caring for and praying with first responders and serving food in partnership with The Salvation Army.
One of their main ministries was connecting with first responders and simply asking them to tell them their story. Often, a connection was made when volunteers said they were from Oklahoma and were acquainted with some of the trauma that can result from terrorist attacks.
Porter said the work included many difficult things, such as praying over the remains of every person who was uncovered from the wreckage before the remains were moved on for attempted identification. Still, the team was grateful for the opportunity.
“We knew God had us there for a reason to make an impact. … It was a great honor for us to be there and tell people about the hope of Christ Jesus,” Porter said. “I’ve never prayed as much or cried as much in my whole life, but God made a big difference.”
Anthony Jordan, who was serving as BGCO executive director-treasurer at the time, announced Sept. 14 that the state convention had sent $20,000 to the New York convention to help after the attacks. The unprecedented terrorist attacks by the hijackers on commercial jetliners left untold numbers of people dead and injured. Authorities went on alert from coast to coast, halting all air traffic, evacuating high-profile buildings and tightening security at strategic federal and military installations.
Oklahoma’s Southern Baptists again showed caring hearts, donating $237,526.85 by Oct. 31, 2001, to help victims of the terrorist attacks. Baptists at the Sept. 15-17 single adult conference at Falls Creek added $12,000 through a love offering. Ultimately, Oklahoma Baptists donated $383,577.62 after the attacks, all of it going directly to survivors and victims’ families. They also quickly put their feet to the task.
Beginning in December 2001, four Oklahoma Baptist teams served food to recovery workers at the Salvation Army-run kitchen at Ground Zero. In all, more than 70 Sooner State Baptists served police officers, firefighters, Port Authority officers, National Guard personnel and construction crews clearing the site. The final Oklahoma crew served in May 2002 at the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island, where debris from the twin towers
was taken.
As the 25th anniversary nears, the impact of Oklahoma Baptists’ service and generosity is still felt in our state and by New Yorkers, and the evidence of God’s grace amid tragedy remains as clear today as it was then.
