PC(USA) - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance - Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)


	"Stirring Our Alphabet Soup" PDA, CWS, and ACT mean a lot…and do a lot by Susan Ryan written for the Mission Mosaic, Spring/Summer 2003


	You’ve probably heard this recipe: “To be Presbyterian is to be ecumenical.” Presbyterians throughout our history have provided visionary leadership to ecumenical work and witness. We have always recognized that we do not serve alone and that it is the body of Christ knit together, with all its differing gifts, that reflects the fullness of the incarnation. You have asked for clarity about how Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) works in the ecumenical arena and how, in particular, we relate to Church World Service (CWS) and to Action by Churches Together (ACT). Here is a recipe for that fuller background.


	CWS – Church World Service CWS is the humanitarian emergency relief, refugee, and development agency that grew out of the National Council of Churches. CWS is a membership organization with the board and program committees drawn from its membership. Some thirty denominations are members of CWS, spanning the denominational spectrum of historic and Orthodox churches. Around seven of the thirty denominations are active in coordinating their disaster and refugee work; they also share the use of the One Great Hour of Sharing as a mechanism of support to these ministries. CWS has twelve regional offices around the world that relate to church councils and activities in their areas. On behalf of the worldwide ecumenical network, CWS has provided leadership to the Emergency Management Training that we have been engaged in worldwide for the past three years. All PDA program staff serve on various CWS committees, providing a linkage and advisory role to the ministry. We seek in those meetings to coordinate our own work as denominations. Sometimes in a disaster response CWS is in the lead through one of their regional offices, at other times a particular denomination in a country may be in a leadership role on the emergency response, as is happening in Malawi and Angola where Presbyterian and Reformed Churches are the lead responder. We share information, staff, visits, and monitoring and evaluation tasks as we cooperate in service in Christ’s name.

	PDA and refugee resettlement PDA works collaboratively with CWS in the resettlement of refugees. CWS provides administrative oversight of the national program on behalf of PDA and nine other denominations and also contracts with affiliates in twenty-six states who provide local support and coordination of resettlement efforts for the CWS member churches who resettle refugees. Some of these affiliates are ecumenical nonprofit organizations such as the Christian Council of Metropolitan Atlanta, and others are denominationally related nonprofit agencies such as Lutheran Family Services. While this can be confusing for some churches, what is important is that, working together, PDA and the CWS network provide support for local congregations to resettle newly arrived refugees. No matter whose name is on the literature, refugee resettlement is a growing part of the ministry of PDA.


	ACT – Action by Churches Together ACT is the coordinating office that brings together a worldwide network of churches and related agencies for coordinated emergency response. As vice-chair of the CWS Emergency Response Program committee, I serve on the ACT emergency committee representing North American church members. Through ACT we have worked together to define standards and training for emergency response, coordinate the process of identifying and sending funds for the work, cooperate in sharing journalists and photographers to get the story out, provide monitoring and evaluation, and have developed and trained Rapid Assessment Teams, which in a large-scale disaster can be sent in to assist partners on the ground in doing a quick assessment and development of a response plan.


	PDA – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance PDA is a vital partner providing support to and working alongside both CWS and ACT. Within this worldwide network various partners have developed particular expertise. CWS is strong in Southern Asia, with a long history of ministry and presence that, for example, enabled them to take leadership in Afghanistan and Indonesia. The Danish have developed a very strong program to eliminate land mines and is working in Eritrea, Kosovo, and now northern Albania. The Norwegians bring strong water and sanitation skills, and the Lutherans have a particular gift for refugee camp management. PDA is at work collaboratively now with the Swedish Church and the Norwegians in the continued development and refinement of pastoral care giving. Our prayer is that we Presbyterians become known in the worldwide network for the quality of pastoral work that we bring to communities suffering the ravages of disasters and war. Won’t you pray for us?



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