When floods hit Indiana and Illinois, Midwest Mission did not have to start collecting supplies. After New Castle United Methodist Church asked for help, the ministry sent 180 cleaning kits and 96 hygiene kits. Days later, more than 1,000 cleaning kits went to Anderson, Indiana. Volunteers had packed them before the water rose, according to the ministry’s August 21 report.
That head start is the point of a MinistryWatch column on five Christian relief groups, published August 31 as September’s National Preparedness Month opened and the Atlantic hurricane season entered its busiest stretch. The argument is simple. Before donors ever see an emergency appeal, a relief group should already know where its supplies sit, who can deploy, which local partners it trusts and how it will handle disaster gifts.
Supplies already on the shelf
Midwest Mission receives, assembles, stores and ships disaster supplies through nonprofit partners, and it is one of seven cooperating depots in the United Methodist Committee on Relief network. It opens a fund for a specific disaster only when it knows it will serve that disaster, and money given to that fund must be spent there.
Water Mission took the same approach to equipment. When two major earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, its Disaster Assistance Response Team was deployed within two days. The team includes engineers, project managers and logistics staff, with emergency equipment positioned for quick shipment. They test water, assess sites, work with local governments and relief partners, then decide which systems to install. By August 26, three treatment systems had produced more than 443,000 gallons of safe water, reaching more than 50 locations. The ministry says it will stay several more months to keep the systems running.
Churches as the first responders
International Disaster Emergency Service wants a church to have a plan before it becomes a shelter, volunteer base or distribution center. Its Prepare to Respond training covers disaster and evacuation plans, what a congregation can offer, and emotional and spiritual care. When a U.S. disaster threatens, its coordinators call Christian churches in the affected area and set up a base camp with a local congregation. Overseas, long-term field workers build ties with churches and community leaders ahead of time.
The Church of the Nazarene leans on the same local roots. When an earthquake hit western Colombia on August 10, Nazarene churches were already in many of the hardest-hit communities. Pastors began assessing damage and caring for displaced families while the wider denomination sent support. Three Nazarene church buildings were destroyed, and pastors and members were among those displaced. Nazarene Compassionate Ministries works through local churches and regional networks, and it keeps Crisis Care Kits assembled in advance for distribution through churches.
People on the ground fast
Four days after severe storms and tornadoes struck Northwest Indiana on August 11, Eight Days of Hope trained heavy-equipment and chainsaw operators to work there. A larger volunteer deployment followed its smaller Rapid Response Heavy team and is scheduled to keep removing trees, clearing debris and tarping roofs through September 5. The ministry’s Rapid Response program aims to put workers on the ground within 48 to 72 hours, and it says it has answered more than 75 disasters that way.
