Memorandum to Association Directors of Mission

Date: 1/27/10
From: Fritz Wilson, Director, Disaster Relief and Recovery Department & Craig Culbreth, Director, Partnership Missions Department

Subject: Buckets of Hope Project for Haiti

We wanted to alert you to a Haiti earthquake relief effort project that will be announced by the Florida Baptist Convention, the North American Mission Board, and the International Mission Board very soon. This will be a project that churches in your association will be able unite to be a part of the Southern Baptist response efforts as we seek to minister to Haitian earthquake survivors in a tangible way.

The project will be called Buckets of Hope. The project will work a lot like the Christmas Shoe box drive that many of our churches participate in through Operation Christmas Child.

Here is a basic outline of how it will work.

• Starting February 1st - March 15th churches across Florida and the SBC will be asked to purchase a specified list of food items, place them in a new 5 gallon plastic bucket with a lid. (They will need to purchase the bucket as well) All items can be found at most Wal-mart’s across the state. Cost of the bucket, lid and food items are under $30 if you purchase store brands.  
• We are also asking that people attach $10 in an envelope on the top of each bucket to cover shipping cost from FL to Haiti.
• It is yet to be determined if we will place tracks in the bucket or add a gospel presentation on the label.
• Buckets will be distributed by Southern Baptists primarily through Haitian Baptist churches in Port-a-Prince and across the country in refugee areas.
• The convention website will have details about the project. The website will eventually have pictures and a downloadable video file describing the project, what items to purchase and how to pack the bucket.
• Each association is asked to recruit a church to serve as collection points for buckets. Metro associations may need 3 sites.
• The convention’s Disaster Relief and Recovery Department will arrange to pick up the buckets from the association’s designated collection point the week of March 15-22.
• The buckets will be brought to the DR warehouse, labeled, and shipped to Haiti from Ft. Lauderdale.

Here is what we need your association to do.

• Decide if your association wants to participate as an association. (This is a great way to unify churches within your association.)
• Inform the Disaster Relief Department if you will participate as an association. (Churches may choose to participate even if their association does not.)
• Recruit a church or churches (Maximum of 3 for metro associations) to serve as collection sites.
• Collection sites will set drop off dates and hours so that they receive buckets in an orderly fashion.
• Collection sites will need a secure place to receive buckets
• Collection sites will be responsible for removing the $10 shipping envelop from the bucket and getting the money to the Disaster Relief Department either by church check or by sending the cash when the buckets are picked up.
• Collection sites should visually check buckets for the correct items. Extra items should be removed from the bucket. This is to insure that each bucket has the same item.
• Collection sites will need to work with the Disaster Relief Department to schedule pick up of buckets.
• Collection sites will need to recruit volunteers to help load the buckets on the truck on the day of pick up by Disaster Relief.

• Recruit a person to serve as the Bucket of Hope Coordinator for your association. We recommend that it be someone from the church serving as the collection site. That person will serve as the contact for churches wanting to produce buckets and the association contact for the Disaster Relief office.
• Promote the project. Ask people to follow the directions completely. Ask them to not add items to the bucket.

FLORIDA BAPTIST DIRECTORS OF MISSION RETREAT
Mon., May 17- Wed. May 19, 2010
Orlando, Florida
Begins at 1 p.m. on Monday and ends with the lunch on Wed.
Location is FBC Sweetwater, Longwood, Florida (Located in the northern part of Orlando off I-4)
Host Hotel: Hampton Inn
Cost - Free if you share a room with another DOM; $40 per night if you want a private room (no charge for wives)
Wives are welcome and encouraged to come. We will have a special time for them on Monday night.
We have great meals planned. Some local caterers in Orlando are doing it up BIG for us.

We will not have a theme but we will seek to do three things:
Give you INFORMATION- We will seek to improve your skills
Give you INSPIRATION - We plan to give you some hope and maybe adjust your attitude about opportunities, not obstacles
Give you INTERACTION- We will have time for you to interact with other DOM's
Speakers are being recruited. Some who have agreed are David Uth, Pastor First Baptist Orlando; Jason Dukes, Pastor, West Point Church; Bob Bumgarner, Cecil Seagle, and Lewis Miller
YOU DO NOT want to miss this.

We will mail out a formal letter in January where you can tell us if you are coming or not. If you have more questions do not hesitate to call me. As you can see we have changed the location. Here were some great reasons for doing this. We are convinced that this may be the BEST ONE we have ever had!!!
Craig Culbreth

Our Officers

President  › David Drake Northeast Florida Assn.

President- Elect › Coba Beasley Chipola Assn.

Vice President › Bill Faulkner Greater Orlando Assn.

Secretary/ Treasurer › Pete Menendez Marion Assn.

Florida Baptist Association Web Sites

Florida Baptist Convention Liaison with DOMs

Craig Culbreth, Director, Partnership Missions, Fla. Baptist Conv. 800/226-8584, ext. 3133

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