Two years ago, our Hartsville District Superintendent, the Reverend Lillian Washington, asked me to become the Disaster Response Coordinator for the 105 churches of our district. I had never held the position anywhere else, and helping churches prepare for and respond to disastrous events was not something I had seen myself doing.
I had gained some hands-on experience doing ministry after disasters such as the Marlboro County tornadoes of 1984, Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and service in American Red Cross shelters during hurricanes Floyd and Charlie. But this United Methodist position of leadership was not something for which I was prepared.
With encouragement from Rev. Washington; guidance from the Conference’s Disaster Response Coordinator (Rev. George Olive of Myrtle Beach); and encouragement from a lot of pastors and lay persons, I have put on two training events. One was hosted by First Church, Cheraw. More recently, I have helped a committee to form. We are planning another workshop for the churches and its 65 pastors.
My main objective is for each church to be ready for disasters. There are a lot which could come our way: chemical spills, floods, fires, more tornadoes, another Charleston earthquake, another Hugo, and even a nuclear crisis. As a committee member recently pointed out, the crises are increasing. A significant part of our ministry is to lessen the impact as much as possible, keep people and property safe and then to share God’s love with the afflicted when danger passes.
From the days of the prophets, down through the ministry of Jesus and on to the present day, God’s people have been reaching out with sacrificial compassion in times of crisis and danger. My first experience with ministry in time of disaster came in Bennettsville and McColl. We did “grunt work,” i.e. removing trees and limbs from people’s yards. We counseled people who had lost their homes.
We were there when times were tough. In the years ahead, the circumstances will change. But one constant will be the church’s continued presence with those who are suffering.
– Paul