Damage Control
I would hate to have this guy's job...
I had
posted earlier about a food and supply distribution site run by Pastors from the Southern Baptist Convention who denied water to clients because it came from Beer manufacturer Anheuser-Busch who had used one of their canning lines to can nine million cans of fresh drinking water.
This post received a comment today from Mr. Keith Hinson, public relations associate from the Alabama Baptist Convention State Board of Missions in Montgomery, Alabama. Keith's comment was:
Volunteers working with the Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief Unit honored the request of the host pastor to set aside canned water with an Anheuser-Busch logo. At no time was anyone deprived of water. In fact, there was a huge surplus of bottled and canned water available at the Clewiston relief site. There was never any disruption in the supply of water being given out to members of the public who continued to receive food, water and other types of assistance from Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief workers.
It is an absolute falsehood to suggest -- as many irresponsible bloggers have -- that the Baptist volunteers withheld the basic needs of life from Floridians impacted by the hurricane. Contrary to misinterpretations of news reports, no one was denied access to water.
One may disagree with the strong stand that many Southern Baptists take against the consumption of alcohol. One may even regard such opposition to alcohol as offensive.
But it's impossible to say truthfully that this conviction caused any inconvenience or shortage for victims of Hurricane Wilma. The facts are exactly the opposite.
The fact is that virtually all of the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers serve selflessly -- taking time away from employment and family to minister in the name of Jesus Christ. Churches such as First Baptist Church, Clewiston, graciously serve as host sites -- providing a place where food, water and other necessities of life may be obtained by anyone in need -- without regard to religion or any other demographic consideration.
Get some bad press and then have to spend the next couple days Googling and posting to try to correct this.
Two sides to every story...
Posted by DaveH at November 1, 2005 11:06 PM