Where is the church in the midst of an emergency or disaster?

By Lynn Noe, Customer Relations Coordinator, Aspen Group

Blizzard?  Extended power outages? No matter where you live, it is likely that you and your community were impacted by the weather during these last few days.  So what if churches across the country had been able to help their communities in preparing for and dealing with our recent weather emergencies?  What about other emergencies like the recent Tucson tragedy?

The Christian Emergency Network (CEN) is a network of Christian volunteers, community leaders and emergency professionals uniting to equip Christians to be aware, ready and there to respond to crisis and disaster. The organization rallies Christians to be aware of God's purpose in uncertain times, and helps them to be ready spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically, and to "be there" responding as courageous, mature Christ-followers who are praying, caring and sharing effectively in emergencies. Local chapters are formed to maximize the capacity of Christians to give a biblical response to emergencies.  And that is just what a group of leaders have done in the Indianapolis area.

Nearly 60 church, ministry and communications leaders came together in Indianapolis for a vision-casting meeting to learn about CEN and talk about a local chapter.  The goal for the chapter is to establish connections in order to respond locally or globally with resources in three areas:

Photo courtesy of Rick Nohl Media1. Train people to assess and prepare for an emergency

2. Enable churches to teach members how to coordinate with each other

3. Identify each church's resources and capabilities

Representatives from the Governor’s, Homeland Security and Indianapolis Mayor’s offices were at the meeting to discuss the needs during emergencies and welcome the partnership with CEN chapters. 

This is an opportunity for churches and faith-based organizations to show the love of Christ when people need it the most.  Here are just a few possibilities of what this could look like:

• Prayer warriors in crisis situations
• Trained volunteers ready to go into action
• Space to offer as a shelter or storage space for food and supplies
• Meal preparation
• A van or bus to help transport volunteers or those in need

The key is organizing as a community to know what resources are available, establishing a communication system for fast, effective response, and having key personnel trained for various situations. 

Who will be there to help and pray for those hurting should a disaster or crisis strike in your area?  Our hope is it will be the church.

Has your church mobilized to aid the community in a time of need? Please share with us in the comment section. We would love to hear your story.