Grace in Disaster

As a humanitarian aid worker, I've traveled around the world to countries that
have suffered natural disasters. And time and time again, what I see are communities of faith responding to survivors' critical needs.

In Sri Lanka after the tsunami, people flocked to monasteries, mosques, and temples to find food, water, and shelter and reunite with their families. Right now in Myanmar, following a devastating cyclone and a distressing shortage of aid, survivors are finding refuge, relief, and protection in monasteries across the disaster zone. As the flooding continues in the U.S. Midwest, churches are centers of care and communication.

And after hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the Gulf Coast, courageous congregations, including Unitarian Universalist congregations, were there to gather people, respond to their spiritual needs, and match material needs with resources. Three years out, these communities of faith continue with this essential work.

Indeed, "church" and "ministry" can manifest themselves in many ways in times of crisis and disaster. In such times, we are presented with the possibility of grace.

How faith communities are able to respond — and whether or not they choose to respond — to a disaster depends greatly on their resources: structural, financial, technical, human, and spiritual. Disasters can allow us to channel grace, but first and foremost they deliver us tragedy and trauma. Ministering to the needs of the church is the initial step. Once the church has evaluated its capacity to do so, then there are a number of ways to reach out to the larger community.

This was part of a larger discussion on disaster preparedness held by Unitarian Universalist ministers, lay leaders, and congregants this past week at the denomination's yearly General Assembly. During this discussion, participants considered some of the ways that churches can match needs and resources among their communities. Possibilities include: becoming centers of collection and distribution of aid; providing direct services, such as hot meals or child care; offering safe meeting spaces where people can talk, listen, pray, and plan; providing shelter; joining interfaith responses; and protecting the most vulnerable among us from being overlooked and underserved.

During crisis and disaster, faith communities can be, and very frequently are, centers of relief, refuge, and hope for all — honoring humanity's interdependence and demonstrating that, even in dark times, the best of humanity can shine through.