Disaster Response
SHORT-TERM SERVICE WITH LONG-TERM IMPACT
WHY DO WE WANT TO MEET THE CRITICAL NEEDS OF OUR NEIGHBORS?
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:27
Short-term service.
Long-term impact.
The Global Methodist Church and Disaster Response Teams (DRT) primarily respond to natural disasters when invited by a local church or government Emergency Management officials. While natural disasters are the primary focus of this ministry, we recognize that the local church, district, and conference DRTs may also initiate or be requested to other types of disasters. These may include accidental, civil, and other disasters where trained DRTs can provide assistance similar to that offered during natural disasters, such as debris cleanup, damage assessment, and donations management.
No volunteers will be requested or deployed to areas experiencing war, riots, or other violent conditions where there the risk of harm is elevated. Additionally, DRTs will be deployed to incidents that require specialized training of equipment for environmental hazards , including events or chemical accidents.
Because the local church takes the lead in responding within an impacted area, Global Methodist Church Disaster Response ministries may be engaged in both low-level and high-level disasters. When the scope of a disaster exceeds the capacity of a local church or local DRT, assistance may be requested from the district of Annual Conference. In turn, Annual Conferences may request assistance from other Annual Conferences and the general church when additional materials, donations, or volunteer assistance are needed. Clear and timely communication is essential to an effective response,
Local churches impacted by natural disasters may experience limitations in their ability to manage emergency response operations. For this reason, it is recommended that the Annual Conference DRT Coordinator initiate contact with local church leadership in impacted areas, to assess response capacity, identify needs beyond local resources, and help coordinate supportive efforts. Ongoing communication between the Annual Conference DRT and the General Conference Disaster Response Team Lead is vital to ensuring a unified and well-coordinated response among Annual Conferences that are able to provide assistance.
“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”
— John Wesley
Disaster Response Training
Hear how your church can effectively serve in a disaster response. (or… hear how God has worked through this local church in Iowa to serve their neighbors.)
Urgent Needs
Check out our instagram for urgent disaster response needs. (These images would automatically update on a dedicated disaster response instagram account.)
