Christ Covenant has a long history of providing disaster relief assistance through the efforts of the congregation, whether by volunteering for cleanup efforts after hurricanes like Andrew, Katrina or Sandy, sending short-term missions teams in the wake of disasters like the earthquake in Haiti, or by donating relief funds through mercy offerings.
When disasters occur, our congregation has been great at coming together in a reactive response, but all of our efforts occurred “after the fact.” We began to ask ourselves if we do anything proactively to be better prepared to respond if/when disaster occurs? What would need to be in place in order for us to mobilize/assist when a disaster strikes? What are we doing to enable our congregation to be equipped if something were to occur close to home or in our neighborhoods or homes? It was questions like these, as well as focused disaster relief efforts from MNA, that prompted the deacons to explore what could be done, leading to the creation of the Christ Covenant Disaster Response Ministry.
The goal of the ministry is to have a high level of disaster preparedness and quick response capabilities for CCC by helping our church and families plan in advance for emergencies, become aware of potential disasters in our community, and develop a plan to survive after a disaster as well as minister to others. We take seriously our stewardship of the resources God has provided that we may be prepared to serve in both the “day of prosperity” and the “day of adversity” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of the ministry members (Don Harding, Mark Lomas, Norm Parsons, Jerry Shanko, or Dale Yurkovich) in person, or you can email them at CCCDisasterResponse@christcovenant.org.
Pictures from Fall 2015 Disaster Response Team to South Carolina