Television Program Focuses on the Ministry of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team Chaplains in the Devastated Country
Contact: Erik Ogren, Media Office, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), 704-577-2109,
eogren@bgea.org
CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 15 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Less than 24 hours after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook the impoverished country of Haiti on Jan. 12, chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team were on the ground in Port-au-Prince. The next Billy Graham television program, which airs beginning March 17 on national Christian networks, will follow their ministry in the immediate aftermath of the terrible tragedy as they reach out and offer hope and comfort in the midst of the disaster.
The program chronicles the work of Chaplains Phil and Pam Rhodes of Tracy, Calif., as they minister in a camp of displaced survivors and assist with food distribution. "The compassion is so great," says Pam in the program. "It's greater than anything I've ever felt. I have never seen what seems like millions of people homeless and hungry."
Chaplains Jack and Becca Dowling of Franklin, N.C., are shown as they minister to the hurting in the Baptist Haiti Mission hospital nearby Port-au-Prince, where hundreds of wounded began arriving immediately after the earthquake. "We just want to make sure that we have an opportunity to pray with each person," says Jack.
As the Dowlings worked with the survivors in the hospital, they ministered to a mother named Rosemay who lost her only child in the earthquake. The chaplains accompanied her to the wreckage of her home for the first time, not knowing if her child was still buried inside, and comforted her as she coped with the tragedy.
Viewers will also see a new music video recorded by Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant and other top Christian artists. The song "Come Together Now," is part of a benefit album called "Healing 4 Haiti," that is available on iTunes and at
www.healing4haiti.org.
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is a nationwide network of chaplains who are specially trained to deal with crisis situations. Since the ministry was launched in 2002, it has deployed following dozens of natural and man-made disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and shootings.
To watch the program online or to find dates, times and networks for television airings, please visit
www.billygraham.org/tv.
About BGEA
The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) proclaims the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the world by every effective means available. From its headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., BGEA directs a wide range of domestic and international evangelism ministries, including: large-scale Festivals led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; Dare to Be a Daniel, a youth evangelism training project; My Hope World Evangelism Through Television; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, offering the hope of Jesus Christ in the midst of tragedy; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.billygraham.org.
