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In the 1994 blockbuster movie, Forrest Gump makes his fortune by fulfilling his fallen, Vietnam War buddy’s dream of being a shrimp boat captain in the Gulf. Many real-life shrimpers, however, are wondering now if their own dreams have been spoiled by the spill.
This past Thursday, there was welcomed news that the 75-ton cap atop a runaway oil well more than a mile and a half below the ocean’s surface appeared to be holding, effectively corking the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Some 800 miles away, Kentuckians could almost hear worried Gulf Shore residents collectively sigh, “Finally!”
For nearly three months, we anxiously have watched nightly news reports showing oil endlessly pouring from the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig and felt helpless to stop an unfolding ecological nightmare. As much as 200 million gallons have gushed into the Gulf. A steady, black river of crude stretching hundreds of miles still threatens to coat the emerald-green waters along the Gulf shores and its marshlands sanctuaries with reddish-brown sludge. By even the most conservative estimates, it is enough oil to fill at least 190—and possibly as many as 330—Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The industrial accident could potentially devastate the ecosystem of birds, shrimp, oysters, crabs, pelicans, turtles and other marine life. Scientists, biologists, veterinarians and wildlife agents are frantically attempting to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife. Southern Seminary Dean Russell Moore insightfully observes: “Does God care about shrimp? I would argue, yes; God cares for the sparrows that fall to the ground (Matthew 10:29). But, even if you disagree with me on that, consider how God loves those who are ‘of more value than many sparrows’ (Matthew 10:30).” Moore, a native of Biloxi, Miss., adds, “Shrimpers here in Biloxi are mourning the potential loss of more than just an industry but a way of life handed down, at least to some of them, from multiple generations before them.”
Everyone recognizes that the Gulf Coast will be dealing with the environmental impact for the long term. The catastrophe—now the largest oil spill in American history—prompted the governors of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas to issue a call for a Day of Prayer. On June 27, they urged citizens to pray for those hurt by this disaster and those who were working in response to it and “to seek God’s wisdom for ourselves and our leaders, and ask Him for His merciful intervention and healing in this time of crises.”
The disaster also is affecting families and livelihoods. Tourism has waned with media warnings of closed beaches and tar balls washing ashore. And, the fishing industry, from which the nation gets much of its seafood, has been crippled for months to come. As a result, countless stores, gas stations, restaurants, hotels and other enterprises are struggling. “For the rest of the world, everything is normal. For the folks down here, it’s a reality that life is not going to be the same anymore,” Joe Arnold, director of missions for Bayou Baptist Association in Louisiana told Baptist Press. “These are people who are losing their heritage and losing their future,” he said. Steve McNeal of First Baptist Church in Venice, La., explained, “A lot of these folks have been shrimping all their lives, and now they’re going to have to do something else. All they’ve ever wanted to do is shrimp, so there’s an emotional trauma.”
If there is any good news in the midst of this disaster, it is that local churches have opened their doors for ministry, providing meals and care for those in the community. “It’s funny how God opens doors,” a pastor in Point-Aux-Chene, La., said. “It (the oil spill) is good in that the Lord has opened doors for us to speak with people about Christ and share our faith in Christ, so it’s been very good in that respect. There are people we’ve been able to interact with and share Jesus with that we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.”
And we can rejoice that Southern Baptists have launched two other significant ministries. As of July 11, the North American Mission Board has deployed six disaster relief chaplains, who will work at three sites, assisting those who have been affected emotionally, spiritually and financially. A new team of chaplains will rotate in each week for 12 weeks. These counselors will listen as “people talk about the uncertainty, the dashed hopes and dim future,” but, even more importantly, they will “remind people that with the strength of Jesus in their hearts, this too they can get through,” noted Karen Willoughby of the Louisiana Baptist Message. A “Bucket of Hope” initiative also has begun. “We’ve made the plea for people to stop and realize there is a need,” said Gibbie McMillan, disaster relief director for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. “With the Buckets of Hope, we’re providing a way for God’s people to be involved in giving an offering that hopefully will restore hope.”
Though media attention inevitably will wane, Southern Baptists must continue to show we care and assist in the coast’s recovery, all the while testifying of a God who is greater than any storm or disaster that may assail us.
Western Recorder issue date July 20, 2010
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After Thought
By Todd Deaton
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