Training Menu
In keeping with UMCOR’s mission to provide response and recovery to people and communities when disaster strikes, we have designed training at every level—local church, district and conference—to better enable everyone to be faithful to God’s call to bring hope to those who are suffering. It is UMCOR’s belief that the ability to respond efficiently and effectively depends on the preparation of our “heart and hands.” For more information about training opportunities email or call Luz Knight 202-548-4002.
- Cabinet Orientation
- Conference Disaster Response Committee Training
- District
- Conference Event
- Jurisdictional Training
- Sager Brown Academy
- Program-Specific Training Programs
- Table Top Exercises for a Conference
- Evaluations
Cabinet Orientation (4 Hours; upon request)
- How do the bishop and cabinet respond in event of emergency? What can UMCOR do to help? This course is designed primarily toassure that the bishop and cabinet are aware of the basic elements of disasterresponse and the UMCOR/annual conference relationship.
- How do we do ministry in the face of a major disaster? Specific emphasis is placed on the roles of the bishop and other key players during a disaster and the necessity to have a comprehensive disaster response plan developed and maintained within the annual conference.
- This training is required before holding a conference event
Conference Disaster Response Committee Training (6 Hours)
- How to organize a committee and determine who serves on it. What are the key functions/responsibilities?
- This training is designed to assist the conference disaster coordinator and the conference disaster committee to develop sound policies and guidelines around numerous disaster-related issues. A wide range of topics are covered regarding such elements as early response, relief and recovery efforts, as well as fiscal, personnel and materials management concerns.
- District leadership events provide UMCOR an excellent opportunity to reinforce the need for local church preparation in times of disaster. Three-hour classes give an overview of how individual church members, churches and communities prepare.
- A day-long class includes development of a disaster response plan for your local church.
- An overview of programs and components for a holistic response to disasters in your conference. This event has standard requirements and customized sessions according to conferences’ needs and requests.
- Each conference event covers the basic understandings of casework, early response teams, spiritual and emotional care, creating a conference response plan, local church preparation and volunteer management.
- Sessions are also planned around the uniqueness of the conference, types of disasters likely to occur, and full courses in selected categories.
Jurisdictional Trainings (3 Days)
- Special events designed to meet the needs of jurisdictions.
- Emphasis on community and relationships, potential hazards, and cooperative efforts.
Sager Brown Academy (5 Days, held annually)
- The advanced study of a specific function/aspect of disaster response.
- One or two topics are covered in depth during the 5 days.
Program Specific Trainings (available upon request)
- Case Management (2 Days)
Disaster Case Management is a two-day, in-depth course that provides the unique understanding of the faith-based case management process in the context of disasters and provides training in case management skills for both case managers and supervisors. The course teaches members of the faith community how to identify and address unmet needs of all survivors, particularly people who were vulnerable before a disaster and how to provide a larger vision of recovery that includes emotional and spiritual, as well as physical care. - Volunteer Management (4 Hours)
- Early Response Team (6 Hours minimum)
- Spiritual and Emotional Care (4 Hours - 2 Days)
- Earth Stewardship and Disaster Response (3 hours)
Volunteers are likely to come when you want them and when you don’t. Learn how to handle both types of volunteers. Learn what systems need to be in place for volunteers to accomplish their goals of serving others and having a meaningful experience. Class time will be spent considering housing issues, means of recognizing volunteers, coordination of work, transportation, job descriptions and more.
The mission of an early response team is to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of a disaster, under very specific guidelines that enable a team to be productive and caring while causing no further harm or being a burden to the affected community. Classes are taught by “authorized” UMCOR trainers, and team members are given ID badges as evidence of training.
“Calming After the Storm” and “The Ministry of Caring” are four- and six-hour workshops that offer practical information and ideas to help people facing the unique emotional and spiritual challenges that accompany disaster.
Care Ministry Teams (“Care Teams”) are faith-based, ongoing teams that provide spiritual and emotional care following disasters. Working closely with their conference disaster response committee, Care Teams help disaster survivors connect with the spiritual, emotional, and basic life resources within themselves and their communities.
The training program includes: Basic Care Team training (7 hours), Care Team leader training (4 hours), Advanced Congregational Care training (3 hours)
If “the earth is the Lord’s,” then what is the Christian’s responsibility to care for God’s creation? In this class, we consider ways our lives impact the earth, how we can live sustainably, and understand the severity of weather events.
Table Top Exercises for a Conference (1 Day)
- Table top exercises are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a conference’s disaster response plan, including the training and proficiency of those personnel who are either assigned, or by reason of their position, carry responsibility for conducting a coherent response to the real-time probabilities and historically potential disasters within their conference boundaries.
