15 Years after 9/11, are Congregations Prepared for Disasters?

 
In late August, as the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks loomed, religious leaders tuned into a webinar to prepare themselves for a possible future disaster.
“Who was the first official casualty of 9/11?” asked Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a Catholic priest and psychologist who led the webinar on “Shepherding in Tragic Times.”
“Father Mychal Judge,” he said, answering his own question, and referring to the priest who was fatally injured while ministering amid the chaos of the North Tower lobby.
“We ourselves, too, are first responders,” Rossetti continued. “People — sure they need firefighters, sure they need police. But we bring our faith and our compassion and our care and our community to help people.”
More than 150 participants — priests, lay people, Catholics, Protestants — listened, asked questions and took notes, in hopes of being in a better position to help others as well as themselves if a natural disaster or a terrorist attack hit their local area.
Rossetti, president emeritus of Saint Luke Institute, a Maryland-based treatment center for Catholic men and women, has held two in-person training sessions similar to the webinar. One was in Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina. The second was in Orlando, Fla., months before the Pulse nightclub attack, unknowingly readying leaders in that diocese to help victims there.
But Rossetti said many still need training, and many don’t realize it. The webinar was offered for free and remains on the institute’s website in hopes of giving more people access to the information.
“I think we need to have a plan,” he said, “not only sort of a physical plan of who does what but also kind of an emotional plan — how we’re going to deal with this emotionally.”
Rossetti’s not the only one who’s concerned that there needs to be more preparation for possible disasters that will require a religious response.
Peter Gudaitis of the New York disaster Interfaith service, which was created after 9/11, said about 20 to 25 percent of New York City religious leaders have attended its training sessions.
He said there’s no question that more training has been available to faith leaders since 9/11, both in his metropolitan area and nationwide.
“What percentage of congregations and religious leaders take training versus don’t is still disproportionately in the ‘don’t’ category,” he said.
Gudaitis also is president of the National Disaster Interfaiths Network, which began in 2005 after Katrina and offers sessions that range from preparing congregations generally for emergencies to helping faith leaders consider how they’d help in a health pandemic or active shooter situation.
Since 2013, more than 1,500 people have attended Federal Emergency Management Agency workshops on protecting houses of worship and more than 12,000 people have signed up for similar FEMA webinars, a FEMA spokeswoman said.
The agency launched a web page in 2015 of resources on the topic, including playbooks for earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes.
FEMA is set to honor Jamie Aten, founder of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Illinois’ Wheaton College, as a “community preparedness champion” at a Sept. 13 White House ceremony.
Although Aten has trained more than 2,000 individuals in churches and other religious organizations, he, too, said more needs to be done.
“We have found an alarming trend — most churches realize there are threats, but few do anything ahead of time to actually prepare for disasters,” he said in a statement.
Gudaitis recommends that congregational leaders get to know local emergency managers and Red Cross officials before a crisis occurs. He also said religious organizations should do risk assessment, determining in what ways they are vulnerable, and they should have an action plan.
Just as police officers need to know that their families will be safe at home, congregations need to shore themselves up for possible eventualities before they do community outreach.
That means, he said, that a congregation’s 12-step program, the food pantry and the sanctuary may suddenly be in more demand. So there should be a written “continuity of operation” plan.
In general, it’s the practical aspects of preparation that can be particularly challenging for congregation leaders to accomplish.
Gudaitis recently led a faith-based training in Arlington, Va., and only two out of the 40 or so congregations represented had practiced evacuating their sanctuaries in the event of an active shooter.
“To get a religious leader to agree to disrupt liturgy and do an evacuation seems like an inconvenience and I get that,” he said. “But what’s more inconvenient — a drill once a year, where everybody evacuates safely, or that tragedy that happens someday and far more people die or get injured than should have because they were unfamiliar with how to get out of the sanctuary quickly?”
Rossetti said a key part of his training is to help faith leaders prepare for the sometimes long emotional road after an incident.
While congregations may be able to offer a prayer vigil or worship service shortly after a community tragedy, he said spiritual leaders need to be patient as they help people after a profound traumatic event like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut or the fatal attack on members of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
“Simple answers are usually not helpful,” he said in his webinar. “What they need is someone to walk with them in the process. Their faith is being questioned. Their faith has been challenged. They’re moving through this spiritual grieving process. … Help them move through that. Walk with them. Say, it’s OK, I’m here for you. Let’s pray this. Let’s tell the Lord how we feel.”
It was that lesson about the need for long-term assistance that webinar participant Karen Adams, the minister of music at an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America congregation in Salem, Va., hopes to carry with her.
“Now I have a little bit more understanding,” she said of her possible role in the aftermath of a crisis. “It wouldn’t be what I do on day one. It would be more what I do on day 20 and 100 and 500.”

Courtesy: Religious News Service

LATEST POLL: Do you talk about your faith on social media? Weigh in → World Religion News Logo Religion News Religions Featured Contributors Video Culture Ethics Issues Opinion Tom Hanks’ Childhood and Religious Journey date icon 09 Sep 2016 author icon Posted by Corey Barnett Tom Hanks ist von der deutschen Filmgeschichte begeistert The religion and beliefs of actor Tom Hanks. Popular Hollywood actor Tom Hanks has enjoyed a tremendous career. His ability to adapt and take on diverse roles has been proven in movies like Forrest Gump, Toy Story, and You’ve Got Mail. He has inspired, and changed many lives the world over. Known as Hollywood’s nicest guy, you’d never guess the harrow and heartache of his childhood. Tom Hanks’ Childhood and Religious Journey Tweet This Hanks came from very humble beginnings and he has been shaped by experiences and positive attitude. He was born on July 9, 1956 in Concord, California. At 5-years-old his father took him and his two siblings to Reno, NV when his parents divorced. This marked the beginning of Hanks’ tough life journey as he was very affected by the divorce due to his young age. In his early school years he wasn’t very popular with his teachers or fellow classmates. In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Hanks confessed “I was a geek, a spaz. I was horribly, painfully, terribly shy. At the same time, I was the guy who’d yell out funny captions during filmstrips. But I didn’t get into trouble. I was always a real good kid and pretty responsible.” Young Tom moved from one town after another because of his father’s job, and by the age of ten, he had attended at least five different grammar schools and lived in more than ten houses. Eventually, in 1966 they settled down in Oakland, California. The frequent shift to different towns gave him a special experience which played a great role in his acting career as he learned how to be flexible in situations. Tom’s family identified themselves with Catholic and Mormon faiths, and he described himself as a “Bible-toting evangelical” as a teen attending Skyline High School. At Skyline he found his confidence. He enjoyed and excelled in sports until he saw his friend’s performance in the school’s production of Dracula. Focused and driven, he then joined Thespian club where he started as stage manager for My Fair Lady and accepted the chance to learn. Tom then received the prestigious award of best actor in high school for his performances in Night of the Iguana, Twelfth Night, and South Pacific. He felt motivated and continued to excel in acting even after school. After his high school studies, Tom advanced with his acting career at California State University. He enjoyed all the acting classes and he said, “Acting classes looked like the best place for a guy who liked to make a lot of noise and be rather flamboyant. … I spent a lot of time going to plays. I wouldn’t take dates with me. I’d just drive to a theater, buy myself a ticket, sit in the seat and read the program, and then get into the play completely. I spent a lot of time like that, seeing Brecht, Tennessee Williams, Ibsen, and all that.” Since then, Tom Hanks has climbed the ladder to greater heights earning numerous awards, including two Academy Awards and recognition all over the world. However, Tom attributes his achievements to his family and their strong faith in God. Hanks married actress Rita Wilson in April of 1988. His wife Rita confirmed that they have always included God in all their plans and family life. “God is a part of our life. Every single day, I prayed to God for I don’t know how many years that he would bring me somebody that I loved […] that loved me in the same way, and he brought me Tom, so I believe in that,” Rita said. They have always loved each other passionately which was evidenced during their anniversary last year when Rita revealed she was battling cancer and spoke proudly of Tom’s support and love for her. The following week, with her husband by her side, and with the love and support of family and friends, Rita underwent bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma. Tom Hanks has demonstrated that his personal relationship with God has enabled him to rise from a humble beginning to a star who is recognized globally. He encourages people with humble beginnings to never give up on God. “As long as you as an individual…can convince yourself that in order to move forward as best as you can, you have to be optimistic, you can be described as ‘one of the faithful,’ one of those people who can say, ‘Well, look, something’s going to happen! Let’s just keep trying. Let’s not give up.” -Tom Hanks. Resources Hollverse Q Political Follow the Conversation on Twitter The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not necessarily those of World Religion News. Tags: actor, Divorce, Forrest Gump, geek, Hollywood, Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks, Toy Story, You’ve Got Mail Share This Subscribe to updates Your Email Address RSS Feed Newsletter Related Posts Gene Wilder’s Religious Beliefs August 31, 2016 The Strong Religion and Faith of Mr. T. 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Read more at World Religion News: "Tom Hanks’ Childhood and Religious Journey" http://www.worldreligionnews.com/?p=28574 In late August, as the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks loomed, religious leaders tuned into a webinar to prepare themselves for a possible future disaster.
“Who was the first official casualty of 9/11?” asked Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, a Catholic priest and psychologist who led the webinar on “Shepherding in Tragic Times.”
“Father Mychal Judge,” he said, answering his own question, and referring to the priest who was fatally injured while ministering amid the chaos of the North Tower lobby.
“We ourselves, too, are first responders,” Rossetti continued. “People — sure they need firefighters, sure they need police. But we bring our faith and our compassion and our care and our community to help people.”
More than 150 participants — priests, lay people, Catholics, Protestants — listened, asked questions and took notes, in hopes of being in a better position to help others as well as themselves if a natural disaster or a terrorist attack hit their local area.
Rossetti, president emeritus of Saint Luke Institute, a Maryland-based treatment center for Catholic men and women, has held two in-person training sessions similar to the webinar. One was in Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina. The second was in Orlando, Fla., months before the Pulse nightclub attack, unknowingly readying leaders in that diocese to help victims there.
But Rossetti said many still need training, and many don’t realize it. The webinar was offered for free and remains on the institute’s website in hopes of giving more people access to the information.
“I think we need to have a plan,” he said, “not only sort of a physical plan of who does what but also kind of an emotional plan — how we’re going to deal with this emotionally.”
Rossetti’s not the only one who’s concerned that there needs to be more preparation for possible disasters that will require a religious response.
Peter Gudaitis of the New York Disaster Interfaith Services, which was created after 9/11, said about 20 to 25 percent of New York City religious leaders have attended its training sessions.
He said there’s no question that more training has been available to faith leaders since 9/11, both in his metropolitan area and nationwide.
“What percentage of congregations and religious leaders take training versus don’t is still disproportionately in the ‘don’t’ category,” he said.
Gudaitis also is president of the National Disaster Interfaiths Network, which began in 2005 after Katrina and offers sessions that range from preparing congregations generally for emergencies to helping faith leaders consider how they’d help in a health pandemic or active shooter situation.
Since 2013, more than 1,500 people have attended Federal Emergency Management Agency workshops on protecting houses of worship and more than 12,000 people have signed up for similar FEMA webinars, a FEMA spokeswoman said.
The agency launched a web page in 2015 of resources on the topic, including playbooks for earthquakes, wildfires and tornadoes.
FEMA is set to honor Jamie Aten, founder of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Illinois’ Wheaton College, as a “community preparedness champion” at a Sept. 13 White House ceremony.
Although Aten has trained more than 2,000 individuals in churches and other religious organizations, he, too, said more needs to be done.
“We have found an alarming trend — most churches realize there are threats, but few do anything ahead of time to actually prepare for disasters,” he said in a statement.
Gudaitis recommends that congregational leaders get to know local emergency managers and Red Cross officials before a crisis occurs. He also said religious organizations should do risk assessment, determining in what ways they are vulnerable, and they should have an action plan.
Just as police officers need to know that their families will be safe at home, congregations need to shore themselves up for possible eventualities before they do community outreach.
That means, he said, that a congregation’s 12-step program, the food pantry and the sanctuary may suddenly be in more demand. So there should be a written “continuity of operation” plan.
In general, it’s the practical aspects of preparation that can be particularly challenging for congregation leaders to accomplish.
Gudaitis recently led a faith-based training in Arlington, Va., and only two out of the 40 or so congregations represented had practiced evacuating their sanctuaries in the event of an active shooter.
“To get a religious leader to agree to disrupt liturgy and do an evacuation seems like an inconvenience and I get that,” he said. “But what’s more inconvenient — a drill once a year, where everybody evacuates safely, or that tragedy that happens someday and far more people die or get injured than should have because they were unfamiliar with how to get out of the sanctuary quickly?”
Rossetti said a key part of his training is to help faith leaders prepare for the sometimes long emotional road after an incident.
While congregations may be able to offer a prayer vigil or worship service shortly after a community tragedy, he said spiritual leaders need to be patient as they help people after a profound traumatic event like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut or the fatal attack on members of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina.
“Simple answers are usually not helpful,” he said in his webinar. “What they need is someone to walk with them in the process. Their faith is being questioned. Their faith has been challenged. They’re moving through this spiritual grieving process. … Help them move through that. Walk with them. Say, it’s OK, I’m here for you. Let’s pray this. Let’s tell the Lord how we feel.”
It was that lesson about the need for long-term assistance that webinar participant Karen Adams, the minister of music at an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America congregation in Salem, Va., hopes to carry with her.
“Now I have a little bit more understanding,” she said of her possible role in the aftermath of a crisis. “It wouldn’t be what I do on day one. It would be more what I do on day 20 and 100 and 500.”

Courtesy: Religion News Service

Tom then received the prestigious award of best actor in high school for his performances in Night of the Iguana, Twelfth Night, and South Pacific. He felt motivated and continued to excel in acting even after school. After his high school studies, Tom advanced with his acting career at California State University. He enjoyed all the acting classes and he said, “Acting classes looked like the best place for a guy who liked to make a lot of noise and be rather flamboyant. … I spent a lot of time going to plays. I wouldn’t take dates with me. I’d just drive to a theater, buy myself a ticket, sit in the seat and read the program, and then get into the play completely. I spent a lot of time like that, seeing Brecht, Tennessee Williams, Ibsen, and all that.” Since then, Tom Hanks has climbed the ladder to greater heights earning numerous awards, including two Academy Awards and recognition all over the world. However, Tom attributes his achievements to his family and their strong faith in God. Hanks married actress Rita Wilson in April of 1988. His wife Rita confirmed that they have always included God in all their plans and family life. “God is a part of our life. Every single day, I prayed to God for I don’t know how many years that he would bring me somebody that I loved […] that loved me in the same way, and he brought me Tom, so I believe in that,” Rita said. They have always loved each other passionately which was evidenced during their anniversary last year when Rita revealed she was battling cancer and spoke proudly of Tom’s support and love for her. The following week, with her husband by her side, and with the love and support of family and friends, Rita underwent bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma. Tom Hanks has demonstrated that his personal relationship with God has enabled him to rise from a humble beginning to a star who is recognized globally. He encourages people with humble beginnings to never give up on God. “As long as you as an individual…can convince yourself that in order to move forward as best as you can, you have to be optimistic, you can be described as ‘one of the faithful,’ one of those people who can say, ‘Well, look, something’s going to happen! Let’s just keep trying. Let’s not give up.” -Tom Hanks.

Read more at World Religion News: "Tom Hanks’ Childhood and Religious Journey" http://www.worldreligionnews.com/?p=28574