Disaster Response & Collaboration7/1/2025 collaborative staff and local leadership increase compassionate response When disaster strikes, many families lose more than homes – they lose their footing, their sense of security, and it can take years to fully rebuild and recover. For several years, as weather events have continued to increase in frequency and severity, Week of Compassion has emphasized the importance of congregational and denominational work in disaster response. In 2023 alone, the U.S. experienced 28 billion-dollar weather disasters – the highest on record. Amid the concerns driven by climate change, recent shifts in federal policies and funding, including the anticipated structural changes to federal disaster response systems, will compound the need, shifting greater burden to local communities and the private and non-profit support networks. Week of Compassion is piloting a model of collaborative staff positions to support Disciples engagement in disaster recovery and to enhance local and regional preparedness and response capacity. This model – placing disaster response staff within churches or regional ministries while maintaining national coordination – offers a replicable, scalable strategy to strengthen our collective resilience.  Tineka Fitzgerald is serving as the Disaster Response and Resilience Coordinator in the Kentucky Region’s West Area, in a two-year collaboration with Second Christian Church, a National Convocation congregation in Mayfield, Kentucky. She started this year building connections and gaining understanding of the status of disaster recovery in the area (following the December 2021 tornado and July 2023 floods), especially among communities of color. While recovery has progressed well, many residents are falling through the cracks, especially those who had indirect disaster impact (like rent hikes) and those who are still trying to regain their financial footing post-disaster. Tineka is leading the expansion of afood/disaster resource pantry at Second Christian Church and is in conversation with local organizations about homeownership and financial literacy classes for disaster survivors who have moved into new homes. She has presented several preparedness workshops for Disciples across the region, and her additional pastoral presence was a gift when western Kentucky again faced severe storms and flooding in the spring.  In the Great River Region, Rev. Ronny Nowell has completed just over one year of a three-year collaborative position as Regional Disaster Response Coordinator. Over the past year, Ronny has focused on strengthening relationships with Disciples across the region, as well as with the three state VOADs (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). At the end of May, Ronny led a Regional Mission Trip, working with Week of Compassion partner Rolling Fork Rising in response to the 2023 Mississippi tornado outbreak. He has helped several congregations support disaster relief in their communities, and continues to work with local leaders for tornado recovery support in Benton County, Arkansas. For Ronny, representing the Church and Week of Compassion in times of disaster is both an honor and a blessing: “The hope and healing made possible through each generous gift cannot be overstated – it is a powerful reminder of the compassion that binds us to one another and to God.” Regional plans for the coming year include building a regional disaster response team and forming cohorts for a variety of response and recovery trainings, equipping Disciples for specific responses, including respite childcare, property clean-up, feeding, and emotional/spiritual care.  In partnership with Iglesia Cristiana (Discípulos de Cristo) en Puerto Rico, Julio Cabrera serves as the Community Stabilization Coordinator. His far-reaching work revolves around three primary goals: to involve local Disciples in ongoing disaster recovery efforts (2017 and 2023 hurricanes); to increase disaster preparedness among Disciples through training, networking with Puerto Rico VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), and a solar power initiative with AMANESER2025; and to receive volunteer teams from the mainland, serving as liaison with our local partner, Techos Pa’ Mi Gente. As one volunteer recently said, “I thank God for the opportunity to serve with my hands. I don’t know how to do many things but I am pretty good at following instructions." In the work of disaster response and recovery, Week of Compassion remains committed to supporting collaborative, locally-led recovery that promotes sustainability, addresses existing inequities, and increases community resilience. Active recovery work stretches from Maui to Puerto Rico. Want to help? You can join a mission trip, organize a preparedness workshop at your church, or support long-term recovery efforts. Contact Rev. Caroline Hamilton-Arnold, Week of Compassion’s Associate Director for Domestic Disaster Response, to engage in the wide-ranging work of disaster response, volunteering, and long-term recovery. JOIN US AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY !  Comments are closed.
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