Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response
An Ecumenical Training Organized by the Middle East Council of Churches and TearFund
Building Bridges Standing Together!
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), Diakonia and Social Service Department, in partnership with the TearFund organization, held a training entitled “Disaster Risk Management and Churches Response”, between 6 and 9 June 2024, in Bethania, Harissa - Lebanon. Participants were an ecumenical group of clergy and lay people from various Church Families in Lebanon and Middle Eastern countries.
The training included morning Prayers and many Theological, humanitarian and programmatic sessions accompanied by specialists from various fields. It aimed to empower participants working in the Church field, and develop their capabilities in order to support them in responding in times of crises. It also aimed at providing the attendees with skills that will enable them in turn to train members of their congregations, so they can all help the Church heal the wounds of the most affected people in times of disasters, on various humanitarian, social, health and psychological levels.
In the opening session, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs delivered a speech in which he said, “This training raises the issue of competencies, human capital development, and sustainable training, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the issue of the Church’s role in providing relief to people, accompanying them in their suffering, and extending a helping hand to let them recover from their tragedies. Both issues are related to the logic of efficiency and the use of available resources in a better way, meaning that the core of the approach lies in preventing the waste of potentials and resources, and applying the logic of business administration and managerial economics in humanitarian work.”
In his turn, Mr. Jamie Abraham, TearFund Director of Syria and Lebanon, addressed a speech in which he pointed out that “The main objectives of this workshop are raising awareness and providing training to Churches, equipping them to be able to prepare for and respond to disasters, through building an ecumenical network between the participating Churches and relevant stakeholders. We aim to enable Churches to take advantage of available resources and respond effectively and timely when disasters strike.”
For his part, His Eminence Archbishop Daniel Kourieh, Syriac Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, and Advisor to the Department of Diakonia and Social Service on behalf of the MECC Executive Committee, addressed the participants in the training with a speech delivered by the Director of the MECC Diakonia and Social Service Department Mr. Samer Laham, in which it was stated:
“We learn from the Holy Bible that these disasters, crises and conflicts in our world are not new, but rather as old as humanity, and they threaten Man from the moment he fell on this earth, as we find many disasters mentioned in the Holy Bible... In some of its verses, the Holy Bible aims to give education on how to prepare for disasters and avoid it, develop proactive plans on how to behave and deal with disaster, and take appropriate decisions and reactions when it occurs.”
The Bible study sessions revolved around several titles, including the response of the Church of Antioch to the famine in Jerusalem (Acts 11:19-30), why God allows suffering based on the Gospel of Luke and the Old Testament, and the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). The other sessions centered around various topics, such as crises and the local Church, the importance of the Church’s role in the surrounding community and activating its action in responding to disasters, how the local Church can recover from a disaster, and how it can respond to a disaster and its response in the post-disaster phase.
Furthermore, the sessions included many training exercises about context analysis, assessment of local needs and capacities in the targeted areas, and risk assessment in the intervention areas, in addition to preparing a table for logical analysis - evaluation, follow-up, and action plan, as well as a presentation of international humanitarian standards and international policies which are necessary for humanitarian work. The sessions also included a training on how to write a response plan to raise the needed funding.
During the workshop, the attendees participated in practical working groups on how to prepare a study of the target reality, assess needs, and write a response plan for multiple cases of disasters, where they worked on writing projects according to the context of the areas in which they live.
Moreover, this training constituted an opportunity to exchange point of views and experiences, as it contributed to strengthening ecumenical and fraternal ties between the participants, who received certificates at the end of the sessions.