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As the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon draws near, feelings of vulnerability tend to resurface and people are reminded that disaster can strike anywhere, anytime and almost always unexpectedly. 

In times of significant disaster, local churches are called upon to play an important role, providing space, services and volunteers to address the needs of victims.

But waiting for disaster to strike before making plans can, in itself, be disastrous, said Sandra Ferguson, director of social justice and missions for the Baltimore-Washington Conference. 

'Don't wait for a disaster to hit. Prepare yourself when the sea is peaceful,' she advised.

Ferguson has spent a long time watching churches fail to plan and then have to struggle as the disaster compounds itself.

'Years ago, I used to hear 'if a disaster hits.' Now I hear, 'when,'' she said.

Part of the ministry of the Rev. Dick Stetler is to ponder the implications of disasters. 

As the conference disaster preparedness coordinator, he considers such questions as: 'What do we do if there's a dirty bomb?  What would be your response if there's an ice storm in the dead of winter and if people have no heat, no resources?   If you need bread and groceries and the stores are black?  What if the power grid went down for a couple of months?  If the filling stations run out of gasoline?'

 Not only does Stetler ponder these questions, he encourages his congregation at St. Matthew?s UMC in Bowie to actively seek the answers. 

The congregation has responded with a detailed church plan to address disasters and take care of church members.  But they did not stop there.  

 'We routinely send out four or five disaster response teams every year,' Stetler said. 

St. Matthew's responded to a major tornado which tore churches and communities apart in La Plata, by sending people and a trailer filled with helpful equipment like chain saws and generators. 'We literally gave away everything in the trailer and then replenished it,' he said. 

St. Matthew's disaster preparedness plan serves as an inspiration to the city of Bowie, which is setting up a program for the city. The church is now making a video of its plan for disaster preparedness and response.

 St. Matthew's has response-ready people who have taken disaster preparedness training, CPR and First Aid. The church also has an enclosed battery operated telephone system for members to keep in touch with each other, even if the power grid goes down.  This will allow them to know who needs food, transportation, medical or spiritual help.

Stetler, a former emergency medical technician with a black belt in karate, knows the value of being trained and disciplined in order to react positively.

'We react as a team,' he said.

Dan Blades coordinates disaster preparedness for St. Matthew's UMC.  He has made contact with all the agencies and elected officials who would be involved in disaster response at the local, state and federal levels. He is currently

working with the Prince George's County Red Cross chapter to develop training programs and is investigating whether to partner with the Red Cross on disaster shelters.

How did Blades get involved? 

'When the conference developed its own disaster response plan, there was a call for volunteers,' he said. 'I had retired from government, a public job where I helped others, and thought this might be something really worthwhile to do.'

Blades and fellow church member Pete Saderholm went through United Methodist Committee on Relief training. They put that training into practice quickly when the tornado hit La Plata.

When St. George Island was flooded by Hurricane Isabel, they continued response work there. Within two weeks after Katrina hit, their team was working on the Gulf Coast.

After being engaged in these disasters, Blades said, 'we saw a void in our own church if we had a disaster, and that's why we decided to develop a (local) disaster preparedness program. We're trying to serve our citizens, our community and our church, trying to take care of those most vulnerable? the young and the old.  We've set up teams, each with its own tasks.'

St. Matthew's is not alone in their preparedness efforts. 

According to Bob Gladhill, a member of Damascus UMC, 'In these times people need to be prepared, need to be educated.'

The Damascus church is in a rural area, and services are limited, Gladhill said. 'So, citizens got together to come up with something, working with the county and the fire department.'

According to George Moy of Damascus UMC, they came up with the Damascus Emergency Preparedness Team (DEPT), working with the Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross, as well as with the Seventh Day Adventist Church, St. Paul?s Catholic Church, St. Ann Episcopal Church and a new synagogue in the area.

In 2006 and 2007, the Damascus church hosted two fairs focused on disaster preparedness. Participants included the police and fire departments, rescue dogs, rescue horses, rescue vehicles, the Department of Homeland Security, DEPT, and the Red Cross. Its purpose was to make people aware of the potential for disasters and how to prepare for them.

In order to have emergency communications, DEPT set up an amateur ham radio service. The local fire department gave them a room to use for the communication equipment.

For a local church to get started, Ferguson said that the Local Church Disaster Preparedness Manual found on the conference Web site, www.bwcumc.org, 'is a core piece of what we're about.'  

She stressed the importance of people in the local church becoming familiar with the document. 'We have gotten accolades from the government, the Red Cross, everyone who has seen it.  A number of conferences are using this manual as an impetus to do their own,' she said.

After hearing what United Methodists are doing and seeing the manual, Israel 'Izzy' Patoka, executive director of the Maryland Governor?s Office of Community Initiative, responded.

'One of the most important initiatives that we can engage in as a community is to elevate our level of preparedness during times of crisis and emergency,' Patoka said. 

Governor O'Malley would like to increase the number of people in Maryland that are trained in emergency preparedness and also the number of professional and technical volunteers that can be at the ready during these critical times. 

It's encouraging to see the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church participate in such a comprehensive manner by preparing a Local Church Disaster Preparedness Manual.  This is something that should be replicated throughout the State of Maryland.?

More information and help may be obtained by contacting Ferguson or Stetler at www.stmatthews-bowie.org.