For the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, 2014 got off to a slow start but ended with one of the most unique and powerful deployments in the history of the ministry.
The day before Thanksgiving, crisis-trained Rapid Response Team chaplains arrived in Ferguson, Missouri, where rioting and unrest had been present in one form or another since August, peaking after a grand jury’s decision in November.
Through divine appointments and a welcoming community, 72 crisis-trained chaplains prayed with more than 1,200 people in Ferguson. They developed relationships with residents from all walks of life, offered emotional and spiritual care and even took part in a community wedding.
The Ferguson deployment wrapped up a year of sharing hope in crisis, as chaplains prayed with more than 11,000 people in the aftermath of tornadoes, floods and shootings in the U.S. and around the world.
The Rapid Response Team also held its first annual National Law Enforcement Retreat in 2014. The October 13-15 event at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, was attended by more than 240 law enforcement officers and their spouses from 17 states, Canada and the UK.
2014 Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Deployments
Ice Storms; Augusta, Georgia and Moncks Corner, South Carolina
Feb. 14 – March 15, 2014
When an ice storm struck parts of Georgia and South Carolina, Rapid Response Team chaplains deployed on Valentine’s Day to share love and hope with residents struggling with damaged homes and power outages. Working alongside sister ministry Samaritan’s Purse, 37 crisis-trained chaplains prayed with more than 1,500 people in the two states.
Ice Storms; High Point and Burlington, North Carolina
March 10 – April 1, 2014
Following debilitating ice storms in central North Carolina, 33 chaplains met and prayed with more than 1,100 residents dealing with extensive damage and power outages. The deployment happened in conjunction with Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief.
Landslide; Oso and Darrington, Washington
March 25 – April 24, 2014
When a deadly landslide left several small communities in Washington state devastated, crisis-trained Rapid Response Team chaplains deployed to two of the hardest-hit communities, Oso and Darrington. Over the course of the one-month deployment, chaplains offered emotional and spiritual care to hundreds of people and prayed with more than 200 residents.
Tornado; Baxter Springs, Kansas
April 29 – May 15, 2014
A springtime tornado killed 16 people and caused millions of dollars in property damage. To help grieving residents through emotional and spiritual care, 11 crisis-trained chaplains deployed to Baxter Springs. They had the privilege of praying with more than 300 people.
Tornado; Louisville, Mississippi
April 29 – May 28, 2014
The same storm system that ripped through Baxter Springs left 12 people dead in Louisville, Mississippi. Tornado damage was extensive. Working alongside Samaritan’s Purse, 29 chaplains were able to pray with more than 1,600 residents.
Tornado; Mayflower and Vilonia, Arkansas
April 29 – May 17, 2014
While other Rapid Response Team chaplains served in Mississippi and Kansas, two other teams deployed to Arkansas following a tornado that killed 16 people and caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Crisis-trained chaplains were honored to pray with more than 1,200 tornado survivors throughout the deployment.
Tornado; Athens, Alabama
May 1 – May 21, 2014
At the beginning of May, 16 Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains served in Athens, Alabama, following a tornado. They prayed with more than 500 residents as they offered emotional and spiritual care to the community and worked alongside Samaritan’s Purse volunteers.
Typhoon; Philippines
May 2 – November 17, 2014
On Nov. 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Typhoon Yolanda) devastated the Philippines, leaving more than 6,200 people dead, with thousands more injured and missing. As the Filipino people continued the long process of picking up the pieces of their homes and lives, four American Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains—two husband-and-wife teams—traveled to the Philippines for a long-term deployment. Over the course of more than six months, the chaplains traveled throughout the country assisting local pastors and praying with typhoon survivors from all walks of life. In total, the four chaplains were able to pray with more than 1,600 people in the country. They are asking for continued prayer for the people of the Philippines, who still have a long road to recovery.
Flooding; Pensacola, Florida
May 11 – June 22, 2014
On April 30, more than 20 inches of rain drenched Pensacola, Florida, in just 24 hours, flooding more than 1,000 homes, businesses and churches. In total, 49 Rapid Response Team chaplains served in the area and were able to pray with more than 1,200 residents.
Tornadoes; Pilger, Nebraska
June 17 – 29, 2014
Twin tornadoes ripped through the town of Pilger, Nebraska, killing two people and causing millions of dollars in property damage. A dozen chaplains responded to the area to offer emotional and spiritual care. They prayed with more than 300 residents.
Flooding; Oakland County, Michigan
August 20 – September 20, 2014
Late-summer rainstorms soaked the Metro Detroit area in August, leaving thousands of homeowners dealing with damage. The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team deployed to the area alongside Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief. Over the course of the month-long deployment, 32 chaplains prayed with more than 900 residents.
Campus shooting; Florida State University
November 20 – 23, 2014
On Nov. 20, a gunman opened fire at the Florida State University Library, wounding three people before he was shot and killed by police. Four chaplains, including a former Tallahassee Police officer, responded after the shooting to offer emotional and spiritual care to the shaken community.
Shooting; Tallahassee, Florida
November 22 – 26, 2014
On Nov. 22, just two days after the FSU shooting, a gunman ambushed law enforcement officers after luring them to his home by setting it on fire. Leon County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher L. Smith was killed before a Tallahassee Police officer shot and killed the gunman. Four crisis-trained chaplains, including a retired Tallahassee Police officer, responded to offer emotional and spiritual care to law enforcement officers and the community.
Rioting; Ferguson, Missouri
November 26, 2014 – January 4, 2015
The day before Thanksgiving, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains arrived in Ferguson, Missouri. They were responding to rioting and unrest in the wake of a grand jury’s decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting 18-year-old Michael Brown in August. From the moment the chaplains boarded a plane from Charlotte to St. Louis, they experienced God’s perfect timing and divine appointments. Chaplains had daily opportunities to share God’s love with law enforcement officers as well as members of Michael Brown’s family and the Ferguson community as a whole. In total, more than 81 chaplains took part in the deployment and prayed with more than 1,200 people as of New Year’s Eve. The chaplains were privileged to be part of many stories of hope and redemption as preachers, police and gang members visited the Rapid Response Team’s mobile command unit, set up in a parking lot in the heart of Ferguson. Some of the chaplains even took part in a wedding after meeting a family of seven that had survived a house fire and wanted a new start. The chaplains time in Ferguson is scheduled to come to a close just after the start of the New Year.
