“Whatever you did for the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” –Matthew 25:45
Disaster Relief:
We are called to reach out to those in need to our brothers and sisters—anyone and everyone, not just Christians. Whether you are a believer or not, serving those in need is something we can all get behind. It is written on our hearts.
One of the primary elements to our relief ministry (both domestically and internationally) is that we work through and partner with a local church in the area of the specific disaster. Our mission is to empower and equip local leaders to advance the Gospel and develop their communities.
Who better to do that than the local church?
Partnering with local churches to help those in their greatest time of need.
In a time of desperation, where people are searching for healing, restoration and hope, who can satisfy those needs better than Jesus Christ?
For those in need, the local church should be the face of relief in their communities. The church will be there for the long haul, to help restore people back to where they were before the storm and disciple them in the long-term.
Our aim is to establish and cultivate these partnerships with churches in order to maximize the potential for relief and recovery. We believe that communities can blossom and thrive in the face of these disasters, and our goal is to be helpful during every stage of relief, as we’ve detailed below.
Our 3 stages of relief:
1. Immediate Response.
This is the most popular and most widely covered stage of the relief process. Immediate Response includes search and rescue teams, shelters, donations of clothes, food and water as well as medical treatment.
In an earthquake, storm, famine or other disaster, this is the stage that typically draws most people in to help. It pulls on heart strings and shows the need of people in desperation.
This stage is without a doubt one of the most critical, and One Kingdom is definitely involved during this time period. This is the part where local church leaders can instantly take action. Through our One Kingdom relationships around the world, we are able to make an impact in the first 24-48 hours.
2. Restore and Rebuild.
During this phase, the goal is to restore victims and survivors back to where they were before the disaster event occurred.
After the storm has passed, one of the challenges is rebuilding a life that has been torn down. Again, who else can restore like Jesus? This is the stage where homes are rebuilt, lives are renewed through discipleship and counseling, and hope is restored through Jesus Christ.
Relief work becomes the entry point to discipleship. The “why” behind relief work quickly is answered when you make it about God. When you are assisting people in their deepest time of need, you are showing love. When the world is shown love, they are shown Jesus.
3. Long-term Development.
In this stage, the media outlets have moved on, many volunteers have gone, and on the surface everything seems as if it is back to normal. But this stage is just as important as any other—it’s here where the local church can shine.
We remain in partnership with churches and local leaders to further equip and empower them to develop their communities. In one place, it may be a discipleship course for mentoring newly-converted Christians about who God is and who they are in the Kingdom. Elsewhere, it might be an orphanage to care for children who lost their parents in the disaster.
We place an emphasis on making disciples through intimate, vulnerable, and intentional relationships—many of which were developed and strengthened during the first two stages of relief.
Relief team:
If you are interested in volunteering for disaster relief in the United States, and you are available in the event of a storm, please fill out our volunteer form here.