by Paul Childress, Deacon, Columbia Presbyterian Church, Columbia, MD 

Paul Childress (far right) with his team, and Site Coordinator Jeff Davis (second from left), in Houston

Paul Childress has organized a number of disaster response teams from his church, and he shares some pointers on how to go about it.

Serving on a disaster response team or short-term missions team is an opportunity to live out your faith by working at the intersection of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.

Pray:

• If you feel the Lord prompting you to help with a service project or disaster response effort, stop thinking and start praying!

Seek Counsel:

• Seek counsel from your pastor, elders, and deacons. If all signs are a go, you can begin the process of helping to organize a trip.

Consult Your Diaconate:

• Reach out to your deacon board to see if they can help promote the need and lend their support.
• Are they willing to be on the team?
• Are they able to help with some of the financial support for the team?

Use Denominational Resources:

• The OPC Disaster Response Coordinator ([email protected]) and Disaster Response website (OPCDisasterResponse.org) are great resources for finding out about the specific projects that are in need of teams, skill levels required, housing/meal arrangements, transportation, and material needs.
• You will want to gather as many details about the project as possible so you can inform potential team members at your initial meeting.

Schedule a Meeting:

• Schedule a brief initial meeting for those interested in learning more about serving.
• A good time for the meeting might be right after a Sunday morning service.
• Have as much information as possible in print form so folks can review and talk with their families after the meeting.
• You will want to have any costs associated with the trip available at the meeting.
• Please stress that any project is more about the people, not just the work.

Assess Skills:

• Once people have expressed interest in serving, you will want to assess the skill level of each team member.
• The OPC Disaster Response team can help you with assessing your team’s skill level.

Prepare Your Team:

• You want to make sure your team members understand that they are serving people who have experienced a great tragedy in their life.
• Flexibility is crucial for any disaster response or other short-term mission work. You never know what God might bring your way or ask you to do.
• Be ready for the unexpected by eliminating preconceived expectations.
• A willing spirit and open mind will enable wonderful engagements between you, your team members, and the homeowners or others you are going to serve.