Disaster Ready Church

FAQ

• Why become a Disaster Ready Church?

  We have a responsibility to help others in need. Serving our community in practical and effective ways is faith in action.

  The frequency and intensity of disasters is increasing with climate change.

  Being part of meaningful conversations with others in your church community/region through a Disaster Ready Church (DRC) Workshop will allow you to be better prepared for future disaster situations. A team with an effective plan is far more resilient than individuals working alone.

• What is the Disaster Ready Church Initiative?

  The DRC Initiative engages with Seventh-day Adventist church groups in preparing to courageously support their communities in times of disaster.

  As part of this initiative, ADRA Australia’s Emergency Management Team are facilitating DRC Workshops at local churches. Participants are guided through meaningful conversations and given access to tools that will enable them to form a Church Emergency Management Plan with the ongoing guidance and support of ADRA.

• What is a DRC Workshop?

  A DRC Workshop is a 2-day training workshop run by ADRA Australia’s Emergency Management Team. Two facilitators will visit a local church for a weekend and run a series of interactive training activities to engage participants in meaningful conversations and action planning. Attendees will gain access to useful tools and templates as well as broaden their awareness of the resources available to them in their local area.

  Typically, the workshop runs over the times below, however there is flexibility in all aspects of the planning and ADRA facilitators will liaise with church leaders ahead of time to tailor to their needs.

  • Saturday afternoon: 2:30 pm – 8:30 pm (with a break for an evening meal)
  • Sunday morning: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm (including a lunch meal at the end)

• Who can attend a DRC Workshop?

  Anyone can attend. There are no prerequisites.

  We encourage anyone holding a church leadership position, with experience in emergency management or a related field, or a genuine interest in this area to attend. It is beneficial to invite as many as possible to from the church to attend.

• My church wants to be better prepared for disasters and help our community, but we are a small church and most of our members are elderly. How can we become a Disaster Ready Church?

  Not every church will have the capacity to provide an immediate community response. There may, however, be opportunity for your church members to volunteer in cooperation with another larger church in your region and/or be part of a regional church emergency management plan.

  DRC Workshops that involve multiple churches in your region may be an opportunity to explore potential partnerships and consider activities that are within your capacity to contribute to.

• The church leadership team is already over-worked in its current ministry and pastoral care. How can we find the time to participate in this initiative?

  Yes, we appreciate that Church life can be very busy. We have also observed that when disasters strike, many Adventist members are very keen to offer their support. Being prepared for how best to organize their efforts is always best. Unfortunately disasters don’t wait for us to get prepared.

  DRC Workshops may spark interest in church members to participate more actively in existing ministries of the local church, and thereby enable better distribution of the load currently being carried by church leadership. DRC Workshops are a good opportunity to start building a team of volunteers that can support the pastor and church leadership team.

  Part of the DRC Workshop is looking at the structure of a local Emergency Management Committee to take care of administrative tasks relating to disaster activities and relieve the pastor of taking on these duties.

  Another part of the DRC Workshop looks at functions required in a typical disaster response, and listing persons with skills (or potential to develop skills) relevant to these functions. The benefit of this is that an Emergency Response Team can be formed in the event of a disaster, allowing the pastor to focus on pastoral care rather than administrative tasks.

• How can I be better prepared for disasters as an individual?

  The link below will take you to the Services Australia government web page on preparing for natural disasters. Scroll down to find information for your state or territory through links to relevant authorities.

  Preparing for natural disasters – Natural disaster – Services Australia

  Your local council will also have helpful information. You could visit their website, give them a call, or visit their office to ask someone.

  Being prepared as an individual and making action plans ahead of time for you and your family is very important! Consider talking to your neighbours and friends about it. Sharing the preparation journey with others is a good way to keep you accountable.

  The focus of Disaster Ready Church Workshops is on preparing as a group to meet the needs of your community.

• Many of our congregation do not use English as their first language. How do we accommodate this in the initiative?

  We’d love to work with you to tailor the initiative to the needs of your congregation and to overcome any language barriers. If there are locals who can translate, it would make sense to utilize them at a DRC Workshop.

  In a disaster situation, there may be people in the congregation and in the wider community who need language services to access the assistance they need. The language, social connections and intercultural skills of people in your congregation are highly valuable.