Connecting Neighbors
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Connecting Neighbors: Organizing the Local
Church for Disaster Ministries
All disasters are local: the local church is a major thread in the overall fabric of a community’s disaster defenses; the visible presence of the local church is essential in any type of disaster. Disaster response is an effective ministry through which we becomes instruments of God’s healing and hope. By becoming the hands and feet of Christ, we share in a commitment to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of people in a time of crisis. (Connecting Neighbors, page 7).
Connecting Neighbors is a program established by UMCOR to engage local churches in disaster response ministries on more local levels. There are three basic modules:
Module 1: Ready Congregants
How ready and prepared are you, is your family, in the event of a disaster? Do you have a personal or family plan in place?
Module 2: Ready Church
Does your church have a disaster preparedness plan? Is your insurance adequate? Are your vital records safe? How do you keep in touch with “vulnerable populations” within your congregation before, during, and after a disaster?
Module 3: Ready Response
Is your church part of a community preparedness plan? What are the resources or services your church could offer in the event of a community disaster event?
Each training module is a 1.5 hour stand-alone event. "Disaster Overview" is a part of each module.
Contact Tom Vencuss at tvencuss@nyac.com to set up a training event for your local church community.
