An IBDR volunteer at work outside Journey Church of Kankakee County. (Facebook photo)
Kankakee, IL | After 10 days on the ground in Kankakee, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) volunteers have wrapped up their work following an EF3 tornado that struck the area March 10.
Forty-three volunteers completed 36 jobs in the wake of the storm, which left a path of destruction and killed two people after crossing the border into Indiana.
Teams from around Illinois arrived with chainsaws, Bobcats and other heavy equipment to clear trees and debris from homes and other structures. IBDR feeding and shower and laundry teams were also part of the response.
Glen Carty, interim state director for Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief, said he expected the callout to take longer. However, “a team from Kaskaskia Association brought several pieces of equipment with them,” he said.
Between the Kaskaskia team and a team from Three Rivers Association, the work moved quickly, Carty said. “They just did fantastic work. We had a lot of other fantastic organizations that came in, and between them and us, we did a whole lot of work.”
Describing how quickly the disaster response came together, Carty said, “God always is amazing.”
IBDR volunteers from Kaskaskia and Three Rivers Baptist Associations worked at Journey Church. (Facebook photo)
The teams worked together on what Carty described as the most difficult job — Journey Church of Kankakee County — which took nearly three days to complete. The Illinois Baptist congregation sustained heavy damage when the tornado tore off a large section of its roof, rendering the building unusable in its present condition. The church is awaiting word from its insurance company regarding the building’s structural viability and the possibility of rebuilding.
Dan Eddington, associational mission strategist for Three Rivers Baptist Association, worked closely with IBDR as the response efforts began. Carty expressed appreciation for Eddington’s partnership and coordination. “It’s great that we have an AMS up here that wants to be involved,” he said. “I bet that we’ve talked to him two to three times every day.”
While working at the church, Carty saw Journey Church leaders, who he said were “getting rejuvenated” after the emotional upheaval caused by the tornado.
Following the storm, Journey Church initially met for worship at Bethel Baptist Church in Bourbonnais but has since moved services to the south auditorium of River Valley Christian Fellowship in Bourbonnais. Announcing the move on Facebook, Worship Pastor Jon Thill wrote, “This is truly a blessing and an answer to prayer.” With the larger space, Journey Church is now able to meet at 11 a.m. instead of Sunday afternoon.
An IBDR volunteer walks past where an EF3 tornado took out the trees surrounding Journey Church of Kankakee County and heavily damaged church. (Facebook photo)
Those interested in becoming an Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer, or current volunteers who would like to learn another skill, can attend a training event April 10‑11 at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Carlinville. More information is available at www.ibsa.org/events/ibdr-426-carlinville/.
For more information about Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief, visit www.ibsa.org/dr. IBDR is a volunteer organization ministering through the Illinois Baptist State Association. Volunteers also serve as part of the Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief ministry, the third-largest disaster relief agency in the United States, behind the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.