Former SBTC disaster relief leader dies of COVID-19

GRAPEVINE—Edward “Gibbie” McMillan, the SBTC’s first disaster relief director, died Aug. 17 after contracting COVID-19. McMillan served the convention from 2003 to 2006. He left the SBTC to be director of men’s ministry and disaster relief strategist for the Louisiana Baptist Convention. He retired from the LBC April 30. He since became the pastor of Taylor Creek Baptist Church in Kentwood, Louisiana.  

McMillan was the SBTC’s DR director when Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana Gulf Coast in 2005. Shortly after that strike, Hurricane Rita tore through East Texas. Under McMillan’s leadership, the convention trained thousands of new DR volunteers to serve in Louisiana, East Texas and in Houston, where many New Orleans residents had evacuated seeking shelter and food. Volunteers served food and provided other types of relief at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. 

SBTC Executive Director Nathan Lorick was an East Texas pastor when McMillan served in Texas. “Gibbie McMillan was a choice servant of the Lord. His leadership in the disaster relief ministries in the early days of the SBTC helped to shape what it is today. Gibbie lived with utmost integrity, ministered with kindness and grace, and left a legacy that has impacted countless lives for eternity. The SBTC family is grateful to God for Gibbie.” 

McMillan is survived by his wife, Katera, two daughters and three grandchildren. 

Funeral plans are currently tentative, scheduled for noon, Saturday, Aug. 21, at New Zion Baptist Church in Kentwood, Louisiana. DR volunteers who attend are asked to wear their yellow shirts and blue jeans.