Randy Creamer, director of Disaster Relief for the South Carolina Baptist Convention since 2014, retired at the end of January.

“Randy Creamer has long been regarded as one of the ‘deans’ of Southern Baptist State Disaster Relief. He is well known and highly regarded, not only in his home state here in South Carolina, but around the entire Southern Baptist Convention,” said SCBC Executive Director-Treasurer Gary Hollingsworth.

“Countless thousands of people around our state, nation and world have been touched by his leadership, but even more so by his spirit. He will be missed, but his impact and legacy will continue through the hundreds he has trained and all those he has touched,” Hollingsworth said.

Sam Porter, national director of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, said Creamer has served South Carolina well “in some of the most destructive years of disasters within the state’s history.” The state’s Disaster Relief teams grew “exponentially” under his leadership, Porter added.

Creamer led responses to three major catastrophic disasters that impacted the state: the 2015 flood, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and Hurricane Florence in 2018. He also led responses to Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the historic spring tornadoes in 2020. Meanwhile, he has directed the three-year RebuildSC initiative.

On the national level, Creamer earlier made a huge impact during the 11 years that he served on the staff of the North American Mission Board, with roles relating to Baptist Builders and Disaster Relief. Porter specifically highlighted Creamer’s work following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Sandy in 2010.

“Randy is one of our most respected flood recovery ministry trainers across the SBC,” Porter said. “He spent many months in New Orleans and New York teaching volunteers and homeowners to correctly ‘gut out’ a flooded home to prep it to stop the growth of mold from the flood waters,” he added.

“His passion to instruct others without a doubt adds up to millions of dollars saved in the hundreds of families that followed his instruction over the last 16 years since Hurricane Katrina,” Porter said.

Creamer has served by example, leading DR volunteers to share the gospel in every home they help restore, Porter said. “He wants to make sure that those families also have a restoration of life eternally,” he said.

An Anderson native, Creamer previously served as pastor of three South Carolina churches for a total of 23 years, during which time he was a DR volunteer and coordinator.

Creamer joined the SCBC staff as a part-time DR consultant in 2013. “I had the privilege of building on the excellent foundation built over many years by Cliff (Satterwhite) as he launched and developed South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief,” Creamer said.

As director, Creamer worked to increase team involvement in flood response and guided churches and associations in refurbishing old trailers or acquiring new trailers and equipment to update disaster relief response units.

He also led South Carolinians to respond to disasters in other states, such as Hurricane Michael in Texas, Hurricane Laura in Louisiana, and Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and Pennsylvania.

By the time Hurricanes Matthew and Florence catastrophically impacted the state, South Carolina Baptists had become much more proficient at responding to in-state disasters, Creamer recalled. In addition, on average, more than 20 other state conventions’ DR resources came to assist South Carolina volunteers, he noted, adding, “We could not have survived without their partnership.”

Creamer said that he is most grateful for the way South Carolina DR volunteers have stepped up to respond “in any way needed with the most Christ-like spirit possible.”

“Their ‘servant heart’ and ‘can do’ attitudes have been recognized and applauded by sister state directors wherever we were requested to serve,” he said.

As he retires, Creamer said his dream for South Carolina Baptists’ Disaster Relief ministry is that it will become known and supported by all South Carolina Baptists, young and old alike. Explaining that the ministry has largely been buoyed by retired men and women, he said, “My dream is that we continue to engage every age, including our retirees, as well as college students and everyone in between.”

Creamer said he could not be more excited about the future of SCDR, knowing that Susan Peugh will be his successor. “I have known Susan for 20 years, and she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the ministry of disaster relief in South Carolina. The future is absolutely over the top!”

As for his own future, Creamer plans to stay in Anderson. “Pam and I are looking forward to serving our church, New Prospect Baptist, and through Saluda Baptist Association, as well as other volunteer adventures, such as disaster relief, to which God leads us,” he said.