Earlier this year, under the leadership of Deacon Gerry McCord, Kent Keller, and Tim Strickland, a St. Philip’s Disaster Relief Team (DRT) was created. There are about 20 parishioners on the founding committee. Our mission is to provide help, assistance, and hope to our parishioners and neighbors in times of extreme crisis. It is our plan to provide comfort and minor emergency repairs. Naturally, all volunteers are welcome!

Currently we are still in the creation phase, building a network of parishioners who are willing and able to respond when they are called via our phone tree. We have two points of the phone tree and geographic coordinators for most of the tri-county area already in place. Several of our team members have taken Disaster Relief Training this past spring through resources offered in Charleston County and SC Baptist Disaster Relief Training to become certified with post-disaster needs.

At the steering committee’s most recent meeting, M.L. Love shared the SC Department of Emergency Management’s "Preparation for Hurricanes and Tornadoes." Lots of timely information can be found at the department’s website, www.scemd.org. Their two-page Emergency Kit Checklist includes everything you need to think about now, before a crisis hits. That link is also available at stphilipschurchsc.org/disaster-relief, and we hope to post links soon to other helpful sites and important information as needed.

Our hope is that the Team will grow so that we have members throughout the tri-county area available to provide immediate assistance whenever a crisis occurs, whether it be a hurricane, earthquake, or truck through the living room.

We're here to help you!

Click here if you believe you may require assistance before or after a disaster.

If you are interested in volunteering as a toiler when needed, please contact Gerry McCord at (843) 224-1342 or gerrymccord@gmail.com.

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40.