My wife and I are quite different when it comes to packing for a trip. She will spend days making her list so she does not forget anything. She will begin to lay out her clothes in various piles in the bedroom. She does not pack them in the suitcase until the last minute as she may change her mind. She will spend several days getting everything ready, then pack her suitcase.
I, on the other hand, will wait until the last minute, count how many days we will be gone and throw what I need in the suitcase, zip it up and I am ready to go. The reality is she will always have what she needs, but I run the risk of missing something.
And she loves post-it-notes. They keep her plan in place, keep her focused, and all she has to do is work her plan. Of course, it helps keep me on track too.
The reality is the time to get ready is before it is time to go.
Now I understand we cannot always be ready and prepared for everything that will happen in our lives. But when it comes to disasters, there are some steps your church can take to be a READY Church to minister to your community during those difficult times.
I looked up the definition of the word “ready” and found this definition: “in a suitable state for an activity, action, or situation; fully prepared.”
Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief ministry can help you become a READY Church in your community. With a three-step process, you can lead your church to have a strategic focus to minister to your community in times of crisis or disaster.
First, PREPARE. The time to prepare is now. Bejamin Franklin said, “You may delay, but time will not.” READY Church enables the church to prepare for times of disaster. It is not a matter if the disaster or crisis will come to a community, but when. Churches need to be ready to respond promptly and properly. We can help you prepare.
Second, CONNECT. To maximize your effectiveness to your community, preparation is a must but also the connections in the community are critical. Those connections need to be made long before any crisis or disaster happens. We can help you connect.
Third, RESPOND. Once a crisis or disaster strikes, it is time to respond. Your planning, preparation and hard work is now ready to be put into action. By having a well thought out plan, making key connections in your community, you now can respond well as you minister effectively to your community.
You can learn more at kybaptist.org/readychurch. Through your giving to the Cooperative Program, this training can be available to your church or association at no cost by calling the Disaster Relief office at the Kentucky Baptist Convention at 502-489-3401.
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