Now….let’s engage our churches!

The Connecting Neighbors material has something to excite and encourage any congregation. It’s designed in three modules so as to provide a touch-point for different audiences.

For example:

  • Sunday school leaders may have particular interest in Module 1, “Ready Congregations,” because it is focused on making individuals and families better prepared fornatural disasters and emergencies.
  • Trustees and finance leadership are likely to have an interest in Module 2, “Ready Churches,” because it focuses on ways the church facility maybe affected by disaster and used in disaster response.
  • Mission and Outreach Committees and youth leadership, as well as United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women will readily respond to Module 3, “Ready Response,”because its mission focus concerns the ways the church can and should connect to the community in planning for and responding to disasters.

When this curriculum was introduced at the 2015 UMCOR Disaster Academy, participants offered suggestions for using the material:

  • First seek Episcopal support to promote the Connecting Neighbors program.
  • Posting this curriculum on website alone won’t work but might help.
  • Host “coffee conversations” in each district with church leadership to discuss disaster preparation.
  • Make use of text alerts
  • Make a three-minute promotional video for annual conference.
  • Seek a partnership with conference insurance providers who might promote the curriculum in newsletters and church communications. As them to consider offering discounts to churches that complete the curriculum.
  • Ask the board of ordained ministry and the Lay Servant Ministry to provide CEUs for taking/training Connecting Neighbors.
  • Make one or more of the modules a districttraining event.

Module specific suggestions:

Overview

  • Use this material as an introduction to disaster response and a “teaser” for other disaster response classes, as well as an introduction to the work of the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
  • Use the materials to reinforce concepts of disaster ministry and how God calls us into this ministry; a Bible study lesson
  • Present as a Wednesday evening fellowship program

Module 1

  • Bring backpacks to training to fill as evacuation kits
  • Have youth help create emergency kits for homebound church members
  • Collect emergency supplies to share with those who are financially unable to acquire items.
  • Break the material into smaller sections and use as Sunday school lessons

Module 2

  • Contact your church insurance agent and ask for clarity on coverage and uses of facility.
  • Develop a skills survey specific to disaster response that can be used with all ages of the congregation. Use the responses to organize trainings and establish groups within the church who will respond if able.

Module 3

  • Gather community resources together one night (or day) and “speed date” so that committees of the church interact to better understand what resources are in your community to help and what the church can do to reciprocate with church resources. Pay special attention to groups that use your facility or that you support, e.g. if Alcoholics Anonymous meets at your church, discuss how the church can provide support if the meeting space has been damaged by disaster.
  • Invite Emergency Management officials to address groups within the church about what EMA will be doing in response and how the church can help or how lack of information can actually cause harm in disaster response.