Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief

05/28/2026

May 31 is Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Sunday!
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers will be honored May 31 for their dedication to offering Hope, Help, and Healing to victims of all types of disasters. SBDR volunteers serve through providing physical, emotional, and spiritual help to all. Services offered include Flood Recovery, Chainsaw, Feeding, Showers, Laundry, Chaplaincy, and Family Care. For more information, please call Janet Sheley, Illinois Baptist State Association, at 217-391-3126, or email Glen Carty at [email protected].

05/05/2026

Message from Tom Clore: There is still time to sign up for the North Carolina mission trip, focused on serving families impacted by Hurricane Helene. We will leave Sunday, May 24, and return Saturday morning, May 30.

Volunteers will help with home remodeling or new construction and will have opportunities to pray with residents, encourage them, and share the Gospel. Construction skills are helpful, but we also need chaplains and volunteers willing to minister through conversation and presence. The slots for cooking volunteers have been filled.

Technically this is not an Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief trip, so no DR training is required. Those who have yellow shirts, please do wear them, as the people there recognize the shirts.

We will stay in a remodeled facility with beds, showers, and laundry provided. It is located at 308 Harris St., Spruce Pines, NC 28777. Meals during workdays will be furnished.

Please be in prayer about going—this trip is a meaningful opportunity to serve, love others, and share Christ.

For questions, contact Tom Clore at 618-841-4010.

04/06/2026

Registration is working!!! -

This is a two-day training event. DR 101 must be completed prior to participation in specialized trainings.

04/06/2026

We are having technical difficulties. As we try to fix the registration link for DR training in Carlinville, please contact Janet Sheley to register. You can reach Janet by email at [email protected] or by phone at 217-391-3126.

03/31/2026

Dear Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Family,

Please be in prayer for Tom and Chloe Ann Clore as they grieve the death of their son. Andrew Thomas Clore, age 42, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Visitation will be held at Watson Funeral Home in Eldorado on Friday, April 3, 2026, from 4 to 7 pm CT. A Celebration of Life service will be held at Eldorado First Baptist Church on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at 11 am CT.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:18

03/25/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief (IBDR) is now on Stand Down with the Kankakee Tornado Response. Thank you to everyone who participated and prayed for our Disaster Relief volunteers over the past ten days as they provided hope, help, and healing.

Don't forget we have an IBDR Training event coming up next month, April 10-11, at Emmuanel Baptist Church in Carlinville. Find out how you can register and get information about which courses will be offered at https://www.ibsa.org/events/ibdr-426-carlinville/.

Glen Carty
Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Interim State Director

This is a two-day training event. DR 101 must be completed prior to participation in specialized trainings.

03/18/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief is currently deployed to Kankakee, IL, doing chainsaw work in response to an EF3 tornado that struck the area on Tuesday, March 10. We've also been asked to provide a feeding team to serve the week of March 22-28. If you are available to volunteer, please call Tom Clore.

Volunteers are being housed at Bethel Baptist Church in Bourbonnais.

See your IBDR email for further details.

Glen Carty, IBDR Interim State Director

03/13/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief has been placed on "GO" Status to assist with the March 2026 Tornado response efforts in Kankakee, IL. Travel will begin Monday, March 16 with work commencing Tuesday, March 17. This may be a multi-week callout.

The team will be housed at Bethel Baptist Church in Bourbonnais.

If you plan to go, please call your Blue Hat or me, and sign up on Formstack. Cooking team members, call Tom Clore.

Please see your IBDR email for further details.

Glen Carty, IBDR Interim State Director

03/12/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief is still on STANDBY status, but we have been in contact with officials in Kankakee, IL, where we plan to deploy. We are just waiting for further directions.

At this time, a church has been secured for housing and arrangements are being made for feeding. Please begin preparations for deployment and I will update everyone as soon as I receive additional information.

It is important to check your email or Facebook frequently as this seems to be the best form of communication for all IBDR volunteers. It is also very important that everyone has a current Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief badge.

- Glen Carty, IBDR Interim State Director

03/11/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief has been placed on STANDBY status as we continue to assess the damage from the storms in Illinois on 3-10-26. Further details will follow as information becomes available.

Journey Church in Kankakee suffered severe damage from a tornado that tore through the community on Tuesday evening. The church, located on the south side of town near the Aroma Park area, lost two thirds of its roof, with the remaining portion receiving significant damage. Illinois Baptists are asked to pray for church members and their community.

Kankakee, IL | Journey Church in Kankakee suffered severe damage from a tornado that tore through the community on Tuesday evening (March 10). The church, located on the south side of town near the Aroma

03/11/2026

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief has been placed on STANDBY status as we continue to assess the damage from the storms in Illinois on 3-10-26. Further details to follow as the information becomes available.

Glen Carty, IBDR Interim State Director