Pacific Presbytery’s Disaster Response: Being the Church in Times of Disaster

Pacific Presbytery has been on the sending and receiving ends of disaster relief. For decades, Pacific Presbytery has received support from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in times of fires, shootings and humanitarian crises. For almost fifteen years, in partnership with the National Black Presbyterian Caucus of Southern California, Pacific Presbytery has sent annual mission trips to help with long-term disaster recovery on the Gulf Coast.

Pacific Presbytery is deeply committed being the missional church in the world as a witness to the love and grace of Jesus Christ. We do this by meeting real human need in relationship with community partners and those most directly affected, with a priority to serve the most vulnerable. After the devastating Woolsey fire in November 2018, Pacific Presbytery’s leaders most directly impacted by that disaster named the desire to develop a more intentional and structured response locally.  

Pacific Presbytery’s Disaster Response Team will provide a support structure within Pacific Presbytery to develop and strengthen a church-based response at the time of disaster. The DRT will be a sub-committee of the Mission Interpretation and Promotion Committee of Pacific Presbytery, reporting to MIP. DRT chair and members will be asked to serve annual terms, which can be renewed indefinitely. They will be staffed by the Presbytery’s Mission Catalyst.

Pacific Presbytery’s Disaster Response Team includes developing a disaster plan both within Pacific Presbytery and its churches, as well as outside the Presbytery’s bounds with community coalitions and non-profits in the wider region of Southern California.

Disaster response covers three phases: preparation, immediate response, and long-term recovery, and involves meeting the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of survivors and the community at-large, with special attention to the care of pastors, who often bear key leadership roles in local disasters.