KERRVILLE, Texans — Joey Tombrella’s cellphone has been in a constant buzz over the past few days.

Tombrella, pastor of First Baptist Church (FBC) Kerrville, has fielded calls, texts and emails from countless people asking how they can help in the wake of historic flooding in the Texas Hill Country that, to date, has left more than 100 people dead with many still missing.

FBC Kerrville’s facility was not damaged — a blessing, as it is now serving as an operations hub for Southern Baptists of Texas Convention (SBTC) Disaster Relief (DR). Even so, the still-unfolding catastrophe is deeply impacting the congregation. One member is still unaccounted for, and families in the church are grieving the deaths of loved ones, friends and neighbors.

“Our people are just processing all that,” Tombrella said. “It’s just so fresh and so new. …It doesn’t feel like we’re living this. I just got off the phone with someone, and it’s like, ‘Is this really happening?’”

A hushed hesitation has set in among some flood survivors, the pastor said. Many who sustained property damage may be conflicted about whether to ask for help because their problems seem minor in comparison to the staggering loss of life that has included at least 28 children, he added. Identifying and meeting needs will be part of the challenge in the days and weeks to come for church members who are eager to help people begin the recovery process, as well as for DR volunteers who are ready to help in any way needed.

“I can tell you this: This (disaster) is pulling on the heartstrings of people across the country,” SBTC DR Director Scottie Stice said Monday afternoon. “I’m literally getting calls from people all over the country. I just did an interview with someone from Atlanta.”

SBTC DR teams began arriving in Kerrville on Friday, July 4. That day, the city had planned to host its annual Independence Day celebration, “Fourth on the River,” at Louise Hays Park. The park, located about a mile from the church on the west bank of the Guadalupe River, has been, for the most part, washed away, Tombrella said.

SBTC DR has sent chaplains and damage assessors to get a more detailed understanding of the short- and long-term needs that will exist in the area. In the meantime, a quick response unit mobile kitchen, also known as a QRU, has been activated and can serve hundreds of meals at a time. Volunteers fed FBC Kerrville members on Sunday morning, July 6.

That morning, Tombrella canceled the church’s regular community group meetings in lieu of a prayer meeting.

“I didn’t have time to prepare, so we said, ‘Let’s just start praying,’” he said. “We started praying for the victims and praying for families in need and praying for first responders. It just kind of turned into this spontaneous time of prayer where people began to pray out loud — without asking, without prompting, without anything. People just began to pray and pour their hearts out to God.”

Later, a church member texted Tombrella and said the prayer meeting was a healing experience that she needed badly. He added, “People just needed to come together and pray and seek God’s face and just worship Him in the midst of all this.”

Mobilizing to respond

Not long after word spread about the flooding, the SBTC began receiving a large volume of calls, emails and messages on social media from churches and individuals asking how to help.

For those requesting assistance: Call 855-728-2374 or fill out the SBTC DR Property Owner’s Request for Assistance.

Those who wish to donate — “our most urgent need,” according to Stice — can do so here.

In-state individuals or churches that want to serve are being directed to complete the SBTC’s online Intro to Disaster Relief course to begin the process of becoming a credentialed DR volunteer. Volunteers must be 18 or older and a member of a Southern Baptist church.

Uncredentialed volunteers may also be considered with limitations through Texas Relief. Contact Texas Relief Task Force Director Wally Leyerle at 214-460-6311 or email [email protected].

Out-of-state teams are encouraged to contact their state’s Baptist disaster relief team.

SBTC DR volunteers with current certifications/badges are asked to fill out the SBTC Disaster Relief Deployment Form.

In addition to the response in and around Kerrville, DR volunteers from Oklahoma are expected to arrive early this week in San Saba, about 95 miles to the north, to begin mud-out work from storms in that area that also led to historic flooding, Stice said.

As flood survivors receive the practical help of repairing homes and clearing debris, Tombrella said people also need to hear about the hope that is only offered through a relationship with Jesus Christ. He said he’s been encouraged to see church members so willing to reach out and contact not only each other, but their friends and neighbors, to check on them and be a continuing source of hope.

That’s something he knows his church — and community — will need long after the media attention subsides.

“I would just (ask churches) to pray for endurance and that we stay focused on giving out the hope of the gospel,” Tombrella said. “We need to be bold and we need to proclaim and give grace …because it’s going to be a journey.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the Southern Baptist TEXAN.)