Willing to Respond - March 2025

Communities in Action

a resource from Week of Compassion focused on domestic disaster readiness, and networking congregations registered with Willing to Respond

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DID YOU KNOW?
​An Emergency Operations Plan is more than just a checklist to have in case of an emergency? An operational plan is a living framework put into place to guide your congregation through the chaos of crisis. Through a natural disaster, fire, or a medical incident, an actionable plan and support network will help the community be a safer and more resilient one. 


For more in-depth information, check out our Congregational Guide.  
These six steps are a great foundation for creating your own Emergency Operations Plan: 

1. Assemble a Team
2. Conduct a Risk Assessment
3. Develop Emergency Procedures
4. Establish a Communication Plan
5. Stock Emergency Supplies
6. Review, Update, and Practice.

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COMMUNITIES IN ACTION!
On March 22, the Estabilización Comunitaria and Ministerios de Familia offices of the Iglesia Cristiana Discípulos de Cristo en Puerto Rico held a workshop to help congregations create their own Emergency Operations Plans. A total of 45 churches attended this event, and it was recorded to share with the other churches who could not be present.

Julio Cabrera, the ICDC Community Stabilization Coordinator funded by Week of Compassion, said “the template will be provided to all churches as a guide and we will give a workshop so every church will create their own Security Team to work in the development of their own Emergency Operational Plan before the Hurricane Season that starts on June 1st.”

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We love hearing from you! Email us with your story (and photos!).

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LEARN & SERVE
VOLUNTEER
Long-Term Recovery Groups and partners are in need of volunteers to help repair/rebuild homes in communities affected by past disasters!


First Christian Church Pikeville, Kentucky is hosting cleanup teams for the recent floods in collaboration with Pike County Relief Services. We also have a few openings for volunteer teams to serve during Week of Compassion hosted weeks with our partners in Houston, Texas and in Mayfield, Kentucky. Our amazing partner organizations and trained Disaster Site Leaders are ready to receive you! 

• Houston, Texas - May 18-23; May 25-30; June 1-6
• Houston, Texas in collaboration with Be the Neighbor - August 3-8
• Mayfield, Kentucky - June 8-13; June 15-20; June 22-27

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Join Week of Compassion for a General Assembly pre-event – framing a house for a family affected by the December 2021 Tornado Outbreak!

• Friday, July 11
• Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 
• 70 N Bellevue Blvd, Memphis TN 38104

Volunteers are invited to sign up to help with lumber pre-cuts at 8:00am (email us to sign up) and then to help frame walls from 10:00am to 4:00pm (register on the General Assembly website). The home will be donated to a long-term recovery organization in western Kentucky.

TRAINING
Children’s Disaster Services, a long-time Week of Compassion partner, is hosting two trainings this spring: 

• La Verne, California – April 5-6
• McPherson, Kansas – May 2-3
• Your town next? (find out how to host a training!)

Visit Week of Compassion's Trainings page for more information. Upon completion of training, volunteers will be certified to be deployed to offer respite child care in disaster shelters and resource centers. To learn more about how this ministry is already showing up in times of need, check out this story. 

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Week of Compassion will be hosting a Disaster Site Leader Training this fall. (Dates coming soon.) Disaster Site Leaders coordinate with local partners and volunteer groups at disaster recovery sites. Disaster Rebuild leaders help guide teams in home repair, and Volunteer Experience Leaders provide hospitality and faithful conversations for volunteers.


If you are interested in becoming a Disaster Site Leader and want to be notified of finalized details, please send us an email.