GREENFIELD — They care for each other and their community.
Upcoming disaster response training seeks to help congregations do both — look after their members, and offer what they can to help others in need.
Jim Peters of Hancock County COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disaster) recalls how his brother’s church and other congregations in Joplin, Missouri, were a key part of the response in 2011 after tornadoes ripped through the area. Charged by an official with checking in on members to see who needed help and who could offer it, they helped highlight needs and mobilize volunteers.
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Peters said upcoming Salvation Army training at Calvary Baptist Church in Greenfield will be of a general preparation nature.
He thinks of a flood one December that displaced several residents, who were booked into hotels, but “We were right at that point where we were going to have to open an overnight shelter,” he said.
That’s one example of the type of situation churches can talk about and prepare for. Several local congregations have someone trained with regard to opening the church as a shelter in an emergency.
Non-profit groups could also benefit from the course, Peters said. And among churches participating, the discussion is not only for pastors, he added.
“It’s really for any church leadership to look at what they need to do internally for their members,” he said, “but also what they need to do to be God’s hands and feet for those in the community who are affected by the disaster.”
Vickie Schmidt, another volunteer with COAD, has been to cleanup from Hurricane Katrina and also helped out in Fort Wayne after tornadoes there.
“I would never have thought about all the things they did, or that they had already thought about,” Schmidt said.
Sessions like the one coming up make people consider questions they might not have had, she said. What if people didn’t have access to checking accounts or credit cards for a time? Do they actually know family members’ phone numbers without a cellphone contacts list? Do they have their medicine with them and copies of important papers?
“The trainings are just really good for making you stop and think,” she said. “I think it’s just so people are aware of what might happen … and what you can do to make it easier.”
Nancy Jett of International Disaster Emergency Service in Noblesville, which led a church seminar in Fortville in 2018, said parishioners can be more helpful when they think ahead together about how they can help or offer their building.
“In times of crisis, the community will look to the church for leadership and assistance,” Jett, executive assistant at IDES, wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter. “The chaos of unexpected tragedies is better managed when the church has thought through ahead of time what their role could be in the recovery process.”
The upcoming Salvation Army training covers basic emergency management concepts and steps in “preparing their members and facilities for an emergency,” according to a course list.
Samantha Hyde, director of community relations for The Salvation Army Indiana Division, said the organization is excited to offer the upcoming Greenfield event, one of many courses it will offer around the state this year.
“Hancock County has a wonderful faith community, so we’re happy that we can offer this training to churches looking to step up in times of disaster,” she wrote in an email to the Daily Reporter. “In Indiana, this training is often put to use in response to natural disasters, like tornadoes and floods, but it can also be applied to emergency situations like mass shootings and large fires.
“We encourage anyone interested in becoming actively involved with The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services volunteer network to visit our website, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org, and learn more about how they can help make a difference.”
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The Salvation Army’s "Preparing Your Congregation for Disaster" course is set for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 21 at Calvary Baptist Church, 1450 W. Main St., Greenfield.
A $20 fee covers course materials, lunch, coffee and snacks. Some scholarships are available.
For more information, call Jim Peters at 317-372-2304. Or visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and select "Training," then "Indiana."
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