The Master’s Men Disaster Response Team (DRT) is
happy to announce the purchase of several items of
much-needed heavy equipment. One of the most valuable
tools for disaster relief is a skid steer, commonly referred
to as a Bobcat. Thanks to a grant from Free Will Baptist
Foundation, the DRT was able to purchase a Bobcat™
skid steer.
With the heavy machinery, DRT will be able to move
large trees and brush blown down during a hurricane or
tornado. After crews cut trees into smaller, manageable
pieces, the skid steer can move in a few hours what might
take several men days to do. In addition to the Bobcat,
the team purchased a tandem trailer to haul it, and using
additional generous gifts, a Ford F-350 truck to pull it.
Director Ken Akers expressed his gratitude: “We are so
grateful to all who have supported DRT through going
and giving. We are better equipped to serve our denom-
ination and our Lord during times of disaster through
what Free Will Baptists have done to support this ministry.”
When Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast in
August 2005, Free Will Baptists responded by giving
hundreds of thousands of dollars to help those devastated
by the storm. Churches across the nation sent many vol-
unteers to repair, rebuild, and relieve storm victims along
the Gulf Coast.
Though Master’s Men was already involved in disaster
relief, the response to the storm made it clear Free Will
Baptists needed an organized national plan for relief
efforts. The following year, delegates to the 2006 Na-
tional Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, approved a
Disaster Response Plan, and tapped Master’s Men to head
up relief efforts for the denomination.
With the high number of natural disasters over the past
decade, Master’s Men expanded the DRT to include re-
gional directors to guide more localized disaster response
efforts. Currently, the DRT has fully equipped teams
and trailers in Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky,
and Tennessee. Master’s Men additionally partners with
leaders in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and
Illinois—states with their own trailers and equipment.
“The best time to prepare for disaster is before a disaster,”
Director Akers says with a smile. “Thanks to the Foun-
dation and the generosity of individual Free Will Baptists
and churches, this year we have taken a significant step in
our ability to respond when people need us most.”
To learn more about becoming a part of Free Will Baptist
disaster response, visit www.MastersMen.org or email