Church
Crisis Relief Plan: Mobilizing Your Church
in the First 24 Hours (continued)
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Inform The Church
Communicate the facts clearly and simply. Do
not believe every story you hear. It usually
takes time for the press to verify facts and
sort through the information. For example,
minutes after the terrorist attack on the
World Trade Center towers, FOX news reported
that a small twin-engine aircraft with
engine trouble crashed into the building.
Other misinformation has been reported in
the initial aftermath of the tsunami in
Indonesia and the hurricanes in the gulf
states in 2005.
A. Initial Contact: Phone tree to inform
members of a situation and the prayer
meetings that have been scheduled in
response. Do this in an organized manner,
one calling five others. Tell them that the
church board is in the process of
determining how the church will respond.
B. The Plan: Inform the church of the action
plan that the church board has adopted and
explain how they can be a part in making it
happen.
C. Updates: Keep your church updated about
the board’s progress with their action plan
and how the members are needed to fulfill
it.
Call To Prayer
Ask each church family to begin to pray for
the situation. Use your phone tree to
continue providing updates and new needs for
prayer.
Hearing about another random act of
violence, the first response is usually to
pray away the pain or pray that this will
never happen again. But how can prayer be
made, beyond the fear and shock and beyond
the most obvious needs, for the issues of
the kingdom? Here is a starting point to use
for your scheduled prayer meetings.
A. Praise:
Though it is difficult, start with praise.
Focus on God's character. Praise God that He
is sovereign; that He has ultimate control
over all, and that nothing takes Him by
surprise. (Isaiah 45:5-7).
B. Petition and Intercession:
1. Ask God
to use this situation to bring
unprecedented spiritual openness to the
people affected by the tragedy, and ask
Him to reveal His love to them.
2. Ask God to guide and bless the
ministry that will be thrust upon the
church or community affected by the
tragedy.
3. Ask God to empower the helpers with a
powerful witness when they are called
upon to speak about or reflect on the
situation.
4. Ask God to stand against the enemy's
attempts to make families experience
unresolved anger or guilt over the loss
of loved ones.
5. Ask God to focus the minds of public
officials on the need for prayer and to
provide people who will continue to pray
for the situation.
6. Ask God to equip leaders who will be
called upon to mentor and minister to
people in the aftermath of tragedy.
(Hebrews 13:20,21).
7. Ask God—for yourself and others—for a
passion and love for Christ that drives
out fear (1 John 4:18).
8. Ask God to give you—and
others—specific acts of kindness,
compassion, and friendship to
incorporate into your life in response
to the act of violence.
C.
Thanksgiving:
1. Thank
God that the enemy has made a tactical
error, since martyrdom and persecution
have always strengthened the Church, and
that God will use for good what Satan
has intended for harm (Genesis
50:20,21).
2. Thank God for the people who will be
drawn to seek God because the
overwhelming nature of the tragedy
leaves them nowhere else to turn (John
2:1-9).
3. Thank God for a vivid reminder of
your own mortality and vulnerability,
asking Him to prepare your heart and
spirit for a faithful response when you
are faced with tragedy.
Call An
Emergency Board Meeting
Call an official emergency meeting of the
church board as soon as possible. Use your
board members to help coordinate a
church-wide response and assist with relief
agencies.
A. Brainstorming: Determine practical ways
your church can respond. Give each member
the opportunity to add ideas to a
chalkboard. Then determine which ones are
most feasible and beneficial for your
community. Here are some suggestions that
may help you guide the brainstorming
process.
Have
your group list a variety of
problems connected with the
situation. Come to a consensus (by
vote) as to the most needful problem
on the list.
List
possible solutions; form a consensus on
the most feasible solution.
List
possible ways to implement the solution;
form a consensus on an implementation
plan.
List team
leaders and specific duties they will
perform to help the team implement the
plan.
Enlist
people to assist the team leaders.
Create an
"Action Plan Status Board" so you can
check off items as they are completed
and be aware of items that need extra
attention.
Set a time
schedule for completing the project.
Set
periodic meetings to assess progress and
make needful adjustments to the plan.
Have a
final evaluation meeting to determine
the success of the plan.
Determine
whether the operation was successful or
is a project that should be continued.
If the project is completed, go back to
step 1.
B. Donations:
Appoint a small team of board members to
spend one or two days researching worthy and
credible donor recipients. Research and
contact relief agencies regarding financial
donations. Contact local agencies and the
agencies referenced below. Americans have
always been willing to open their hearts—and
their wallets—in response to disasters. In
your haste to give, however, beware of
proliferating charity scams. Unsolicited
bulk e-mail and online postings asking for
money in the name of victims or the American
Red Cross are common. So are door-to-door or
telephone solicitations. Make this
information available to your church people
so they can contribute through the church if
they desire. Here are some tips to help
steer your task force.
Beware of
excessive pressure for on-the-spot
donations.
Do not
give cash. Give a check or money order
to the charity.
Ask how
much of your donation will be used for
relief and how much will go toward other
programs or administration.
Ask for
written information that describes the
charity's programs and finances.
Check to
see if the organization you chose is
listed on
Guidestar.org, the search engine
that powers
Helping.org and
JustGive.org.
Guidestar.org lists
over 700,000 charities that have 501-C3
status — that means that these
organizations have charitable status
from the IRS. Donations to these
organizations are also tax-deductible.
C. Budgeting:
Ask your board to provide finances for
educational materials and resources to help
respond the need.
Contact Local Relief Agencies Regarding
The Need For Assistance
A. Partnering Organizations: Contact local,
state, and national relief agencies to
determine the most urgent needs. You may be
able to partner with these organizations to
provide volunteers, physical needs, shelter,
clothing, or food. These agencies include:
1. The
Salvation Army: The Salvation Army, an
international movement, is an
evangelical part of the universal
Christian Church. Its message is based
on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated
by the love of God. Its mission is to
preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to
meet human needs in His name without
discrimination. Commissioned Officers
are ordained ministers, trained at the
Army's own schools. USA National
Headquarters, Post office Box 269,
Alexandria, Virginia 22313, United
States (phone) 703-684-5500 (fax)
703-684-3478 (web)
SalvationArmyUSA.org.
2. The American Red Cross Disaster
Services: Each year, the American Red
Cross responds immediately to more than
67,000 disasters, including house or
apartment fires (the majority of
disaster responses), hurricanes, floods,
earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous
materials spills, transportation
accidents, explosions, and other natural
and man-made disasters. Red Cross
disaster relief focuses on meeting
people's immediate emergency
disaster-caused needs. When a disaster
threatens or strikes, the Red Cross
provides shelter, food, and physical and
mental health services to address basic
human needs. In addition to these
services, the core of Red Cross disaster
relief is the assistance given to
individuals and families affected by
disaster to enable them to resume their
normal daily activities independently.
The Red Cross also feeds emergency
workers, handles inquiries from
concerned family members outside the
disaster area, provides blood and blood
products to disaster victims, and helps
those affected by disaster to access
other available resources.
RedCross.org.
3. American Blood Centers: Founded in
1962, America's Blood Centers (ABC) is
the national network of nonprofit,
independent community blood centers. ABC
members are licensed and regulated by
the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. ABC
members are located in 45 states,
serving more than 125 million people at
450 blood donations sites. ABC members
provide blood products and services to
more than 3,100 hospitals nationwide.
Please call 1-888-BLOOD- 88 or visit
AmericasBlood.org to learn the
location of the nearest center and to
schedule an appointment.
4. Chaplain Programs: Chaplain Ron
Richardson is licensed in crisis relief
and has formed a Critical Incident
Response Team of chaplains in the
Central California area called FAITH
(Faith-based Assistance, Intervention,
and Trauma Help). They have several
chaplains who have Basic CISM training,
who can help you develop a regional
team. You can reach Ron via e-mail
through Chaplain Services International.
5. Many Large Law Enforcement Agencies:
Many large metropolitan areas, such as
the Bay Area, Sacramento, Fresno PD, San
Jose, Ventura, Bakersfield, Los Angeles,
Orange County, and San Diego and other
large metropolitan areas around the U.S.
have highly trained teams that can offer
training and assistance. Contact your
local emergency services organization
(police, fire, emergency medical) to
find out how you can become trained and
prepared.
Keep in mind that most rural areas
either have no services for themselves
or others or they may be poorly or
improperly trained. In the event of an
emergency, these agencies will be busy
fulfilling their duties so it is
important that you become trained to be
an extra resource.
B.
Denominational Agencies: Contact your
denominational offices to see if they have
mobilized a network to work through the
local area. Some of these would include:
1.
Assemblies of God Disaster Relief: The
Benevolences ministry of Disaster Relief
helps rebuild Assemblies of God churches
damaged or destroyed by tornadoes,
floods, hurricanes, and other
catastrophes. Because concerned friends
have supported this vital ministry
throughout the year, funds can be made
available almost immediately to churches
in need. They can begin rebuilding and
ministering to a community who needs
them more than ever before. Information
can be obtained from their web site at
Ag.org.
2. Convoy of Hope: This is an Assemblies
of God ministry with headquarters in
Springfield, Missouri, that can serve as
a resource or as consultants in your
relief training. Convoy of Hope's
intensive disaster relief involvement
throughout our movement and our ongoing
relief efforts all over the world have
created a platform for ministry and
training that our local churches benefit
from. Randy Rich, from the Northern
California and Nevada's, heads up this
Disaster Response. Randy's insight,
experience, and training are a
tremendous asset to the local church.
His expertise is available to you as the
need arises within the district. He can
be reached at
ConvoyOfHope.org, (phone) 417-
823-8998.
Resource
and Mobilize Your Lay Ministries
Resource and mobilize your lay ministries
and leaders with appropriate ministry tools
to widen your ministry platform.
A. Resource your lay ministries and leaders:
Since new information comes out each day,
the best thing to do is appoint a person in
each area to spend an hour or so each night
searching the Internet for helpful
resources. Here are some resources to get
you started.
1. U.S.
Department of Education: The department
has excellent articles on how to explain
tragedy and crisis to children from the
vantage point of parents, educators, and
counselors. They can be obtained from
their web site at
ED.gov.
2. The National Incident Management
System (NIMS) is a department of the
Federal Emergency Management
Administration (FEMA) and has free
online training available. If you wish
to be an emergency or disaster response
volunteer you must complete the IS100
and IS700 courses. Go to
NIMSOnline.com. From the
menu select ICS Training, then select
IS100 or IS700 and follow the
instructions.
3. General Council of The Assemblies of
God. The General Council has excellent
resources available from Christian
educators. One is entitled “Comforting
Children in Times of Crisis” by Sharon
Ellard. Six suggestions are provided for
responding to young children who are
trying to understand this recent
tragedy. It can be obtained from their
web site at
Ag.org.
4. Other religious organizations. Many
other religious organizations have
emergency and disaster response programs
and suggestions. Please contact your
organization to find out what they have
available.
5. The American Red Cross: The American
Red Cross provides brochures in several
different languages to help victims and
their families cope with tragedy and
crisis. In addition to the online
brochures, printable versions are
available that may be distributed to
others in your community. The following
brochures are available online at
RedCross.org.
"How
Do I Deal With My Feelings?"
Disasters create an abrupt change in
reality. Following the attacks on
the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, for thousands and
thousands of people, reality now
includes the loss of loved
ones—spouses, significant others,
children, other relatives, friends,
and neighbors.
"Helping Young Children Cope with
Trauma" Disasters are upsetting to
everyone involved. A child’s view of
the world as a safe and predictable
place is temporarily lost. Children
become afraid that the event will
happen again and that they or their
family will be injured or killed.
When
Bad Things Happen: The recent
terrorist attacks may have caused
you to question a number of things
you have always believed about your
own safety, and the safety of your
family and friends.
"Why
Do I Feel Like This?" There are two
types of disaster: natural disasters
like the damage that results from a
hurricane, a tornado, floods, forest
fires, volcanoes erupting and
earthquakes, and disasters that
result from an intentional act of a
human. When a disaster is the result
of a human’s action, our reactions
are more severe and become much more
complicated and difficult to
overcome.
6.
International Critical Incident Stress
Foundation (ICISF): ICISF is a
non-profit, open membership foundation
dedicated to the prevention of disabling
stress through the provision of
education, training, and support for
those serving in a disaster response
team. The organization is located at
3290 Pine Orchard Lane, Suite 106,
Ellicott City, MD 21042. (Ph)
410-750-9600 (Fax) 410-750-9601. Their
web site provides a hot line, several
emergency and disaster service links,
and many interesting articles on crisis
intervention at
ICISF.org.
7. The American Academy of Experts in
Traumatic Stress (AAETS). AAETS is a
multidisciplinary network of
professionals who are committed to the
advancement of intervention for
survivors of trauma. The organization
provides a periodical, certified
training in forensic traumatology,
emergency crisis response, motor vehicle
trauma, disability trauma, and a school
of crisis response. They are located at:
368 Veteran Memorial Highway, Commack,
New York 11725 (ph) 631-543-2217 (fax)
631-543-6977 or via their web site at
AAETS.org.
B. Mobilize
your ministries:
1. Bible
studies and small groups: Take a short
departure from your regularly scheduled
topics and provide Bible studies for all
ages that focus on a biblical response
to crisis, tragedy, mourning, and anger.
Enlist the best people possible to lead
the Bible studies. Also enlist teams to
function as caregivers to those
attending the study and others to
promote the Bible series to the public.
Schedule the Bible studies at various
times and locations to accommodate as
many schedules as possible.
2. Organize your church’s talent pool:
List your congregation’s abilities and
talents and group them under various
headings such as:
Food
preparation and service
Building trades – Carpentry,
roofers, plumbers, etc.
Mechanical trades – Auto / truck
repair (engine, drive train,
transmission, body work, etc.)
Care
Givers – Doctors, nurses, elder
care, childcare, etc.
Administrators – Business people who
know how to organize people and
projects
General services – misc.
3. Partner
with other churches and Christian
organizations: Organize a Care Team
ministry in your community by networking
with other churches, businesses, service
organizations, and schools that are
willing to organize their resources as
explained in the previous section, and
work on cooperative community efforts.
4. Make your facility available: An
intact roof or food pantry at a church
is a starting place for a temporary
shelter for displaced
persons/residents/patients. Local
citizens need a point of focus to
channel relief through at a tightly
secured disaster area. With some
advanced but basic training your church
facility can be designated a Red Cross
Emergency Center. If a church has this
designation and an individual is
designated as the Center Manager, then
the church is free to not only meet the
immediate physical needs of those who
come but they are also free to help
people with their spiritual needs as
well, something that Red Cross does not
address. It is also important to note
that during a disaster, the number of
Red Cross volunteers may be limited. If
you are authorized to manage your own
Red Cross site it will help eliminate
overburdening of volunteers.
5. Become part of the big picture:
Volunteer your services to help your
community draft a disaster/crisis
response plan. Find out if your
community has a Citizen Corp program and
get involved. Citizen Corps facilitates
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
training to equip you as a volunteer
emergency responder. To find a Citizen
Corps program near you, go to
CitizenCorps.gov and use the zip
code search.
Emergency medical needs.
Emergency housing / shelter
Emergency food and clothing aid
Other
logistics needs, such as security,
traffic control, and networking with
regional agencies for crisis
response.
Critical Incident Intervention
Counseling services—a list of teams
and professionals available in your
area.
Involve
Your Members In A Blood Drive
To host a blood drive, contact your local
blood agency to determine the best way to
donate blood, determine agency locations and
times for blood donations.
A. Partner with a local agency: Call
1-888-blood-88 or visit
AmericasBlood.org to find the
nearest donation center.
B. Meet specific needs: It is important to
listen for the types of blood the centers
are accepting at the time you want to give
blood. During the recent New York City
terrorist attack, many centers were asking
for only donors of O negative. It is
important for people to know their blood
type.
C. Follow up with needs: It is also
important to remember to continue to give
blood in the weeks or months following a
tragedy.
Gather Practical Response Items
After contacting the appropriate agencies to
determine what is needed:
A. Coordinate collection: Coordinate the
collection of materials and resources to
meet existing physical needs. This could
include things, such as:
Clothing
Blankets
Food
First aid
supplies
Coats
Shoes
Baby items
Toys
B. Centralize
the reception location: Have families bring
supplies to church so all can be taken to a
relief agency at one time. A single church
is limited to the resources of its people.
Networking with other churches and with the
community greatly improves the ability to
respond to needs that may be beyond the
ability of one group.
Minister To Primary And Secondary Victims
Located Closest To You
A. Primary victims:
1. United
States Justice Department: The Justice
Department's Office of Victims of Crime
has set up a phone line to provide
information to families about victims
and about services for survivors and
their rights. They can be reached by
phone at 1-800-331-0075
2. Crisis Counseling: Provide emergency
counseling for people who have been
traumatized. You can do this by
partnering with organizations that have
trained counselors and allowing them to
use your facilities. You can even have
people call and schedule appointments at
your office during the scheduled
counseling hours.
NOTE:
Only trained and certified counselors should
do Crisis Intervention Counseling for
traumatized persons. Although some clergy
may have many years of ministry experience,
professional training is necessary to enable
the counselor to evaluate the various stages
of trauma a person may be experiencing –
whether the person may have Post-Traumatic
Stress or may be gravitating to
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Persons certified in Critical Incident
Stress Management are trained to assess
emotional, physical, behavioral, and
cognitive symptoms and the severity of their
condition which, if not properly diagnosed
and treated, can lead to PTSD. Furthermore,
certified CISM counselors are trained to
know their counseling limitations and the
proper time to make referrals for
professional help.
3. Victim
Information: Publish a list of other
organizations that people can call for
victim information requests. Your local
hospitals may also have received victims
and need ministry as well.
B. Family
members of victims:
1.
Expressions of love and sympathy: Send
cards, letters, and drawings to victim’s
families. These can include work done by
your children and youth. The purpose for
this is to share sympathy with the
families of the victims. This should be
coordinated with agencies that have
contact with the families.
2. Follow-up care: If you have a good,
ongoing relationship with the victims,
place them on your calendar for regular
follow-up. Persons who experience
traumatic events re-experience stress at
regular intervals (e.g., three months,
six months, one year, eighteen months,
annually). Typically, the body (which
does not know the difference between
physical and emotional stress) begins,
subconsciously, to experience stress
about two weeks before the "anniversary"
date (anniversary intervals as listed
previously). Persons who have lost a
spouse often experience adverse physical
symptoms, such as high blood pressure,
out-of-control blood sugar,
irritability, or other symptoms years
after the event (e.g., his/her birthday,
anniversary, date of death or funeral).
Giving concerned attention and
information concerning this stress cycle
helps the victim deal with the event
with less anxiety.
C. Emergency
personnel:
1.
Expressions of appreciation: You can
also send cards, letters, and drawings
to military, rescue and relief workers
involved with the aftermath of the
situation and to their families. The
purpose is to encourage the workers and
let the families know you are joining
with them in prayer for their family
member.
2. Secondary personnel: Simple acts of
kindness can be expressed in many ways.
In New York one young girl made
chocolate chips cookies and passed them
out to the workers as a way to say thank
you. It is important to remember that
the people who are cleaning up after a
crisis have families of their own, are
concerned and affected by the situation,
and appreciate a friendly face and a
warm smile.
Support
United Efforts With Other Organizations
Assist in any local meetings or gatherings
to show support. This demonstrates a
combined effort by the entire community,
city hall, business, civic groups, and
churches.
A. Build Relationships! During the New York
City terrorist attack many local pastors
were not allowed at ground zero, while more
experienced and connected teams from the
outside were allowed in. These teams had
built relationships with those in command.
If your church can begin to build
relationships with the emergency service
professionals in your own community BEFORE a
crisis happens, your group will be some of
the first ones called upon to help. Pastors
and churches have to get out of their
buildings and bridge relationships for the
future. The police and fire departments are
wonderful places to start.
B. Personal heroism: Encourage your people
to take personal responsibility to bring
hope to your community.
1. Put out
some kind of visual reminder on the
kitchen table, fireplace, or outside
porch, reminding your family and friends
to pray without ceasing.
2. Schedule a special time of family
prayer in which your family spends ten
minutes praying for God’s help and hope
for your friends and family and country.
3. Make yourself available to talk with
your children. Give your younger
children the assurances they need and
your older children the opportunity to
ask the tough questions that may be on
their minds.
4. Invite your coworkers to join you in
church.
5. Give your coworkers cassette tapes of
sermons that address the issue from a
perspective of hope and faith.
6. Coordinate a neighborhood show of
support by mobilizing your neighbors to
light a candle in their windows at the
same time each night.
Listen To
Those Around You
Listen to the people around you. Your
community might or might not be located
within the emergency area. Secondary victims
occur everywhere. Watch and listen to the
people around you. Be ready to assist them
and serve them in whatever way necessary.
A. Understand that different types of
stress, trauma, fatigue, and victims will be
present.
1. Four
types of stress:
Eustress – the good kind of stress
that keeps us challenged
Occupational Stress—recognize your
limits. Rest; take breaks, or a
sabbatical.
Cumulative Stress—a series of small
crises that can accumulate and bring
about an overload condition.
Critical Incident Stress—Our natural
response to an abnormal situation
that evokes a strong emotional,
behavioral, physical or cognitive
response. Crisis Intervention
Counseling is strongly recommended.
2.
Secondary Trauma—Trauma experienced by
caregivers (police, fire, EMT,
chaplains, pastors, or other personnel)
when dealing with a traumatized person
either at the scene or away from the
scene.
3. Compassion Fatigue—The cumulative
stress experienced by caregivers who
give aid to victims in several
situations in a short period of time.
4. Vicarious Victimization — The trauma
we experience as we watch, hear, or read
the news of a terrible event (e.g., too
much attention to the news concerning
the terrorist attack and/or anticipation
of our country going to war or
anticipation of some other traumatic
event).
NOTE:
We must be careful how much of this tragic
news we allow our children to view.
5.
Secondary Victims
Witnesses
of traumatic events
Friends of
victims
Children
who witness Domestic Violence
B. Use good
trauma and crisis listening skills:
1.
Assumptions: Do not assume you know what
a person needs before you take the time
to listen to the person’s story.
2. Questions: Here are a few simple
questions you can use to help a person
tell you his or her story.
Where
were you when this event happened?
How
have you been feeling since the
event occurred?
What
can we do to move on from here?
3.
Listening Skills: Here are a few skills
you can develop in order to become a
better listener.
Don’t
assume you know how the person is
feeling, or what he or she is
thinking.
Listen
with your full attention. Do not
begin to think of your response to
the person while he or she is
talking to you. If your mind is not
focused on hearing the person, you
probably are not.
Repeat
or restate the person’s comments to
him or her make sure you have heard
the person correctly.
Do not
feel you must give an answer to
everything a person says. Many
people just need to talk. They are
not looking for specific answers to
many of their questions. They simply
need an opportunity to release the
pent-up emotions, thoughts, and pain
they are experiencing.
You may
contact Chaplain Services International more
information on crisis preparation,
intervention, and response.
Church
Crisis Relief Plan: Mobilizing Your Church
in the First 24 Hours (continued)