The Uniting Church's pastoral response in disasters operates at several levels:
Through Coordinating Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy in evacuation and recovery centres during disasters through the NSW Disaster Recovery Chaplaincy Network (DRCN). The Uniting Church has signed a memorandum of understanding with NSW Community Services to be a Supporting Agency in the state’s Welfare Services Functional Area as the Coordinating Organisation for the training, accreditation, provision and coordination of clergy as Disaster Recovery Chaplains.
• Through Provision of other Chaplaincy. The Uniting Church has volunteer and full-time chaplains constantly operating within the NSW Police, Ambulance NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service, Hospital and Mental health facilities. These include Uniting Church ministers and trained and supervised lay people attached to local co-operating chaplaincy and pastoral care teams in Hospitals throughout the State). These pastoral agents have the capacity to minister with combat agency personnel and disaster-affected people through their respective agencies’ Rescue and Medical Plans.
The Uniting Church also provides Rural Chaplains to assist rural communities in times of financial and other stress. These chaplains are working in the context of drought affected communities and are active in distribution of funds and services made possible through the Moderator’s Drought Appeal.
• Through the Local Church. The Uniting Church is the third biggest denomination in Australia. Uniting Churches are present within a diversity of rural and urban communities. Local congregations have an important role to play within their community as they encourage disaster affected people to survive and grow in the weeks and months following the disaster.
The church is involved in cooperation with other denominations and faiths in organising and conducting important memorial services, processing grief and giving hope as the community seeks comfort and begins the long road to recovery.
In some areas the Uniting Church members are involved in emergency and social support services and congregations can initiate and assist with support programs that help people adapt to the inevitable disruptions. In their ongoing life, congregations, in worship and sacrament, bible study and prayer, promote recovery and hope and, usually in co-operation with other denominations and faiths, organize memorial, commemorative and thanksgiving services
• Through Financial Assistance. During times of emergency and other disasters, including drought, the Moderator of the Synod can launch financial appeals to assist in funding relief for disaster-affected communities. An example of a current fund is the Moderator’s Drought Appeal (for details see http://droughtappeal.nsw.uca.org.au/).
• Through Encouraging Voluntary Involvement. Many Uniting Church members are involved in voluntary organisations such as Red Cross, the Rural Fire Service, and the State Emergency Service and are directly involved in disaster response and community recovery.
• Through Connection with the NSW State Welfare Services Committee (previously known as the NSW Disaster Recovery Committee). The Uniting Church has, since its inception, had a representative on the NSW Disaster Recovery Committee. This continues to inform both the church in terms of relevant issues for disaster-readiness within potentially affected communities, and the Committee in terms of available church resources.
• Through Presbytery Disaster Contacts. These facilitate the Uniting Church's response to disasters on a regional level. They bring the resources and care of Presbyteries to local communities through coordination, preparation and training.
They do this in three ways:
Ministers and Congregations are affected by trauma as well. Recognising this, the Synod’s Disaster Recovery Committee oversees a team of trained peers who stand ready to come alongside ministers and congregations who have been affected by a traumatic event. Members of this team have experience in emergency service chaplaincy or disaster recovery and are continually trained to respond to any need and are, in turn, supported by a consulting psychologist. Members of the team are activated to respond by the Moderator of the Synod (who also chairs the Synod Disaster Recovery Committee) and coordinated by the Peer Coordinator. The Peers’ role is to provide practical help and encouragement, strategies and resources for ministry and much needed-care during the impact phase and early recovery phase. Their resources include material to equip the local ministers in the conduct of Memorial Services for a community. In the days and weeks afterwards, team members would keep in contact to ensure that recovery continues. This role is supportive of the local ministry, it does not supplant it.
When disaster strikes a community, everything changes. The disruption affects every aspect of life. People often need practical help like:
• rescue of people and property
• medical intervention
• welfare assistance with food, clothing, accommodation and personal care
• counselling services.
The State concentrates on coordinating a practical response to disaster and Uniting Church people and agencies can contribute to these efforts.
But what the church does best — and what it is most needed for both during and after a disaster — is to provide the healing, sustaining, guiding and reconciling concern known as pastoral care.
Pastoral care may involve:
• ministering to the dying
• comforting the injured and bereaved
• providing emotional support and backup for local caregivers and community leaders
• giving long-term care to disaster-affected people as they rebuild, adjust and try to make sense out of the calamity
• visiting individuals at home or taking part in special activities to mark the disaster
• holding special memorial or thanksgiving services
• referring people to specialist counselling services
• helping people to reflect theologically on what has happened
• bringing hope, and assuring people of God's presence and the supporting, caring community of the church.
Pastoral care deals with the ultimate dimensions of crisis experience including:
• human vulnerability and the reality of death
• the need for empathy and genuine love and concern.