The Duncan Banner

Local News

April 12, 2009

Church, volunteers respond to emergency

Jayne Boykin

DUNCAN — Mullins Baptist Association’s emergency response team was activated at about 4 p.m. Thursday to assist with the needs of both the victims of Thursday’s raging grass fires in the Velma area and the firefighters who were in the field.

Shelley Morcom, a spokesperson for the MBA, said volunteers from the Cowboy Church that meets at the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center pitched in to make sandwiches both for those who took refuge at the fairgrounds and to take to the fire scene.

“Because of the heavy traffic, we did not take our feeding trailer, but 12 to 15 people responded in their individual vehicles. Dan Fuller, our zone coordinator from Oklahoma City, came down to help direct our efforts.

“We went first to the fairgrounds, then later to the Velma Town Hall. Dan and some of the other volunteers actually went out into the field to supply food and water for the firefighters. The scene was horrible — fires blazing on both sides of the road. Most of us left around midnight, but Dan and some of the others were still on the scene after that,” she said.

The MBA and its trained disaster volunteers were called on again Friday afternoon to go to back to Velma Town Hall, Morcom said, this time, taking their fully equipped feeding trailer with full kitchen facilities.

“We plan to start feeding supper about 5:30 p.m. They told us to prepare for 250 or more people,” she said at 2:45 p.m.

The volunteers are able to mobilize on short notice after they are activated by a call from the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma. In addition to training and supplies for feeding large crowds, the MBA also has a chainsaw unit ready to help with rescue efforts or to clear debris from roads in areas hit by disasters of any kind.

In time of crisis, churches have traditionally provided assistance to communities in need, not just to their own members.

Thursday afternoon, the flames got within a couple of miles of Ray of Hope Church at U.S. Highway 81 and Refinery Road in the Meridian Community, but did no damage to the building. Smoke was heavy in the area, however.

The church opened its doors to about 27 residents of Meridian Nursing Home, along with staff members and some residents’ families after flames threatened the nursing home, said Melonie Fisher, office manager and secretary to Mike McCord, pastor.

“We were glad we could help. They left about 7:30 or 8 p.m., when it was safe for them to go back to the nursing home,” Fisher said Friday morning.

The Passion plays the church was presenting Saturday and today would go on as scheduled, she said.

As of mid-morning Friday, she had not heard of any members of the church family who had lost their homes, but the congregation’s prayers were with the community, she said.

Text Only
Local News
  • DALC gets grant from Dollar General

    Duncan Area Literacy Council will be able to buy some more curriculum for its program with a $3,000 grant it was awarded by Dollar General Literacy Foundation this week.

    May 23, 2012

  • Library prepares for summer reading program

    It might be called a reading program, but there will be far more to do this summer at the Duncan Public Library than just reading.

    May 23, 2012

  • Fame Academy students Nathan Self, Mallory Anderson, Hayden James, Keeton Ruiz, Brianna Coria, Jordan Abbe, Stefeno Ruiz, Adam Baldwin and Leroy Newcomb show off the mural they helped create at the school. They’re gonna live forever

    Through art, the students of Fame Academy made a colorful impression on the town of Meridian.

    May 23, 2012 2 Photos

  • Empire FFA chapter holds awards banquet

    Empire FFA held its annual awards banquet May 8 with a buffet provided by FFA families and the entire chapter.

    May 23, 2012

  • Council discusses property buffer for hotel

    To counteract the removal of a buffer of trees, the Duncan City Council on Tuesday approved a site development plan for the Apollo Estates to create a new kind of buffer.

    May 23, 2012

  • Commission tables water district items

    The board of Stephens County Commissioners tabled bids on two services for the Stephens County Rural Water District 4 for the second consecutive week at the request of the water district.

    May 22, 2012

  • Weekend storm left many in area without power

    The city at large lit up Sunday morning around 8 a.m., with lightning strikes illuminating areas for a split-second at a time.

    May 22, 2012

  • Fire department fundraiser raises more than $12,000

    The Duncan Fire Department raised more than $12,500 during its Fill the Boot fundraiser May 17-18. Funds go to the Muscle Dystrophy Association in Wichita Falls and helps local patients.

    May 22, 2012

  • Dean Backr, left, and Joseph Lujan Carnival crews

    Warmer weather and school letting out means more time for fun in the sun. One of the season’s first opportunities is with the Duncan Lion’s Club Carnival.

    May 22, 2012 2 Photos

  • Arrest made in hit and run

    A Marlow man is in police custody after admitting to law enforcement he was involved with a hit-and-run accident that left the victim with major injuries.

    May 22, 2012