Loading...How churches and their clergy may prepare to minister to their congregations and communities during pandemics and natural disasters will be addressed in a program planned on Sept. 29 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 4700 Lowe Road, in Louisville.
The event is planned in conjunction with a webinar by The Alban Institute.
The two-hour program, sponsored by the diocese, will begin at 3 p.m. (ET) with the hour-long webinar on “Disaster Preparedness for Congregations.” [One need not travel to St. Paul’s, however, to view the webinar. Visit the Alban Institute' online event registration page for details.] Following the webinar will be an hour-long discussion addressing concerns and questions specific to the people in our diocese and congregations.
According to institute’s Web site, the webinar will look at the H1N1 [swine flu], hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters as it addresses the overarching questions: “How should a Church respond? How can a congregation prepare? Should worship be canceled or ministries postponed due to a disaster? What are the responsibilities and opportunities for clergy, lay leaders, and staff during their community's next incident?”
The webinar will be led by disaster response consultant Lewis Saylor, a member of various disaster response-related committees in northern Virginia. The Web site says Saylor will “lead candid discussion about a congregation's special role before, during, and after a disaster” and will “bring a positive message to clergy, lay leaders, and staff on how be prepared for disasters and emergencies.” The Web site also noted that Saylor will also draw on experience as the former national executive director of a volunteer-based chaplaincy program, past director of staff and planning for a large church, and a fellow of the National Association of Church Business Administration.
After the webinar, the Rev. Karl Lusk, the diocese’s disaster preparedness coordinator, will share information he has gathered in his work in disaster relief in our communities and will lead discussion. Topics include how churches may encourage people to protect themselves, how disaster planning and ministry may be integrated, and what our churches already have done to prepare for a swine flu outbreak or other natural disasters known to occur in our region, such as floods and ice storms.
