Sharing God’s Love, Welcome, and Justice
On Our Corner, in Our City, And in the World
Sign Up for News | Worship Services on YouTube
Hurricanes highlight importance of spiritually based trauma care:
Churches provide places to restock and recharge — literally and emotionally
In the midst of organizing hurricane relief to secure the physical well-being of neighbors, PC(USA) leaders recognize the spiritual effects of trauma. With back-to-back hurricanes striking Florida within less than two weeks and disasters in general becoming more intense because of climate change, “there is so much loss of life, so much stress,” said the Rev. Dr. Kathy Riley, Associate for Emotional and Spiritual Care for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA).
That’s something the Rev. Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville, North Carolina, has experienced both personally and through the community members being served by the church in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
“Please keep praying for western North Carolina. We are exhausted, and we are carrying so much together right now. So much is lost, so much has changed,” Mount Shoop wrote on Oct. 5 as she continued to organize supplies and relocation resources for neighbors through her network on Facebook. “The trauma is intense with little time and space to release,” she added as she asked for the very basic of prayers. “If you are reading this, please pause and take a deep breath on our behalf. As everything sinks in, it is a lot. Too much, too fast — the very definition of trauma.” A day earlier, Mount Shoop called attention to how much Asheville and its surrounding towns had lost in terms of fresh water, power and infrastructure, which was forcing people to consider relocating both temporarily and, in some cases, when jobs or homes also disappeared, permanently.
Grace Covenant had already begun to relocate families, and according to Mount Shoop, it was looking for “a true wraparound community that can embrace these families that are so traumatized.” In the days following, the church became a hub to distribute essential supplies and water. For the past eight years, Grace Covenant has been intentional in their vision and practices to dismantle white supremacy in their church and community through developing deep partnerships in the community. According to Mount Shoop, this work allowed their site to offer Spanish translation services to those seeking assistance and to build a multicultural hub of support in Asheville.
“We are a supply site, so we are dealing with necessities and housing,” Mount Shoop said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “What is happening here at this site is people coming together. We cry. We hug. We listen to one another.” She added that people coming to the site for supplies have become friends, and some have shown up to worship. “The way that beloved community is medicine for trauma is alive here. I’m watching everybody build community, and it’s a beautiful thing.”
How to respond to trauma was also on the hearts and minds of First Presbyterian Church of Asheville. While relief funds and efforts were being coordinated by the church’s associate pastor, the Rev. David Germer, members shared their reflections on the impact of their shared trauma through blog posts and social media. In a blog posted to the church website titled “Living Through a Crisis,” the Rev. Diane Rehfield, a retired pastor, licensed therapist and new member of the church, shared a personal reflection on what it means for the church and its neighbors to live through this trauma together. “We have all been through a traumatic event. For many, the trauma is continuing.” Rehfield advised North Carolina residents to “recognize that none of us are functioning as well as we otherwise would be. Many of us can be brave and steady for days on end, but eventually all of us need to release stress somehow.” Rehfield listed symptoms of trauma and complex grief to be aware of, such as changes to sleep, appetite and temper, along with depression and anxiety that is free-floating or targeted to a need to control minor things. Rehfield advised walking outside in daylight, crying when you feel like it, helping somebody else, establishing routines, talking to others and sharing your stories. “Come to church!” she encouraged. “Many of us are using the internet and charging here, so there are people to talk to every day.”
For people who are traumatized in the wake of disaster, “it can be really helpful to know that they’re with someone who’s faith-based, who’s holding their cares, their concerns, their trauma in a space that involves prayer and turning to God, whether or not that’s articulated in the moment” said Riley in a recent interview about PDA’s response to this season of hurricanes. According to Riley, PDA has deployed three initial response in-person teams to North Carolina, Georgia and Florida and a fourth hybrid team to northeast Tennessee. Two additional deployments are scheduled for South Carolina and more requests are expected to come in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
To read the full story, click here.
To contribute to Disaster Relief — U.S. Hurricane Response – click here.
Worship In-Person and On-Line
In-Person: Old First invites you to join us in person at the church at 11:00 am every Sunday.
On-Line Worship at Old First: Old First Presbyterian Church livestreams worship services on both Sundays and holidays. You can view this week’s livestream by clicking here.
For the worship bulletin for this week, click here.
You can also view previous Old First worship services at any time. To visit Old First’s YouTube channel playlist for Sunday worship or previous worship services, click here. Don’t forget to bookmark the address in your browser for easy access.
