Charlie Canning, Pete Midgarden, and Pastor Dave Johnson joined other community and church people in Orange Beach to learn about Rapid Response Team training. Here's the scoop.
About two dozen community and church leaders attended an orientation meeting at Christian Life Church in Orange Beach related to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s program to develop Rapid Response Teams for disaster aid. The meeting was held on Thursday, February 25th, and was sponsored by Christian Life Church and the Gulf Coast Disaster Relief organization. The Rapid Response Team worked out of the Christian Life Church parking lot just after Hurricane Ivan. The meeting was aimed at community leaders to familiarize them with the formal day workshop planned for March 14, 2010.
Rapid Response Teams are trained to assist with spiritual issues related to disaster, and disasters not specific hurricane events. For example, there is one or more teams in Haiti. What the teams do is coordinate and facilitate. The Rapid Response Teams are one of four primary ministries of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The teams focus on outreach through compassion. "The church is called to do good works, but its mission is the cross," BGEA RRT Coordinator Michael Beresford explains. By teams showing up when disaster strikes, by caring, listening, and participating in personal pain, the teams are ready to help speak of God and his lovingkindness at an appropriate time during the crisis. As with other Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ministries, initial contacts are “handed off” to local church ministries for continuing care after the acute part of a disaster is past.
"Rapid Response Teams focus on compassion, not conversion," Beresford notes. Out of 460,000 people who received ministry from Rapid Response Teams in the last six years, 9000 were led to Christ, but doors were opened to ministry for many, because discipleship is the focus, connecting the needs identified with a caring local service network. Believers have the capability to bring hope and they need equipping to learn how to do it--that’s where Rapid Response Team training comes in.
Training begins with “seeing needs,” “sharing hope in crisis,” and “assessing gospel knowledge where there’s a need,” all in a context of the specific local community. Each community and each culture must be understood in a thoughtful, respectful way, where people are honored in the middle of disaster. Unfortunately communication problems are magnified in crisis, so training gives practice in strategies that work. Crisis removes support, so training gives insight and strategies for managing potential abuse issues in crisis situations, but at the same time sharing in opportunities that let people know that God cares.
Rapid Response Teams are utilized for short-term mission opportunities in some churches and for personal spiritual growth in others. The training available on March 14, 2010 is good training for anyone who works with people. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has a record of success in these endeavors, being asked to assist in training on the state level, participating in national VOAD groups, and facilitating the coordination of volunteers in disaster areas. This is particularly important as we are discovering that disaster sites may be swamped by faith-based volunteers who are ill-equipped to deal with disaster issues. The Rapid Response Team Program is looking to develop trained, prepared, and credentialed volunteers for disaster.
The training program will take place at Christian Life Church on March 14, 2010. Information is available at (251) 967-4840. Michael Beresford, presenter at this February 25th orientation, will be coordinating the training.
