Are We Ready?
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 06 September 2009 01:00
- Written by Margie King Saphier
Have you ever wondered what would happen if a parishioner collapsed during a service? How would you respond? How would we, as a congregation, respond? Actually, First Parish has already experienced this during a past 9:00 PM Christmas Eve Service when the sanctuary was packed. The people next to the fallen individual were able to carry her out to the vestibule, and call 911. The ambulance came and took the individual to the hospital. Most of the congregation was totally unaware this emergency occurred.
In another situation during the opening hymn a parishioner fell as she walked through this side entry. Immediately parishioners went to her aid and 911 was called. Eric played additional hymns for the congregation to sing while the EMT’s tended to the woman. Fortunately she was fine and declined going to hospital. She, then, participated in the rest of the morning service.
Although these situations were handled superbly, this year the First Parish protocols for handling emergencies will be reviewed to determine how is the best way to be prepared. Handling an individual crisis is critical, but it takes much more planning and mobilization to handle a major catastrophe. Nine-eleven, Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and other storms, and major flooding out west are just some of the events in which communities of faith have been directly impacted or felt called to give assistance. Because of the long-term damage from these weather related catastrophes, churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout the U.S. are examining how they can best serve their congregation, as well as serving the larger community.
In response to this need the UUA has created the Trauma Response Team, which consists of trained clergy and laity, who provide sensitive spiritual care to survivors of such catastrophes. Individual congregations are also recommended to have Trauma Response Teams. Presently First Parish has a team, but we call ourselves the Readiness Team in recognition that in case of an emergency, being prepared is our best defense. Presently Karen Kashian, Diane Clapp, Liz Davis Chaffin and yours truly are working toward insuring First Parish is ready and prepared for possible emergencies. As we put together policy, we want to do it in a welcoming manner. It is very easy to become insular, to think only about one self, one’s family, one’s congregation, and not think about the greater community when facing major events.
The two emergencies I just shared leave us with the feeling of being in control. What needed to be done was done, and the outcome for the two affected individuals was positive. When the unexpected happens, positive outcomes give the illusion we are in control; but most of the time, this is not the case. As Richard Gilbert said in the second reading, sometimes “in the face of the imponderable, all we can do is sit with another and love.” Amazingly this is what happened when the tragic shooting occurred a year ago August in Knoxville at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. It is hard to imagine a shooting happening here at First Parish, but the story of TVUUC, (the acronym for the church) is relevant to all congregations. For those of you who may not be familiar with what happened, here is a brief summary. A gunman, angry over the liberal beliefs of the congregation, entered the sanctuary and began shooting, killing two and injuring seven before several men wrestled him to the floor.
I am going to read to you a reflection on the anniversary of the shooting by Annette Marquis, who is the District Executive of the Thomas Jefferson District, where the Knoxville Church is located. I love her reflection because she speaks directly to how Unitarian Universalst values sustain, not only UU’s, but also people of other faiths. These values stand on the side of love.
Here are Marquis’ words:
On the first anniversary of the tragic shooting at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, I am reminded of how fragile life is and, at the same time, how resilient we are. This resilience doesn’t come to most UUs from a belief in a supernatural deity but instead through a set of shared values that transcend our own individual lives. Some of these transcendent values, expressed in words such as justice, equity, compassion, peace, love and hope, are etched in stone at the top of the TVUUC’s building, and they greet every guest who comes to experience the TVUUC community first-hand. These shared values live in our hearts and guide us in our daily lives. A chaplain at the hospital where the shooting victims were taken was astounded that the waiting room was not in chaos as would be typical in other similar events he had witnessed over the years. The chaplain could not get over how peaceful and loving all the people were who were patiently waiting for information about the victims. Likewise the Knoxville Fire Department Captain Mike Pickett, who responded to the shooting, said in an interview by the Knoxville News Sentinel: What shocked him wasn’t the carnage or the cries of the wounded, but was what he didn’t see or hear that lingers in his mind. “I didn’t hear anyone say anything bad about the gunman. That was kind of surprising to me, even in a church.” Pickett also said he was surprised at how orderly and controlled the congregation was as they cared for the wounded. Pickett went onto say he believes that the spiritual commitments of the Unitarian church made a big difference in how the congregation responded. “Sometimes in this job you get burned out because people don’t care, and for me it made a big difference to see people who did care.”
In her reflection, Marquis concludes, “I offer one answer to the question of what Unitarian Universalism is for me. Unitarian Universalism is a hopeful faith focused on the here and now that fills us with unconditional compassion and love to accept all people as they are and encourages us to seek peace and justice in all things.”
When Rev. Chris Buice, the minister of TVUUC, returned to the pulpit one week after the shooting to rededicate their sanctuary, he said, “A man came into this space with a desire to do an act of hatred, but he has unleashed unspeakable amounts of love.” The unleashed unspeakable amounts of love came in the form of an interfaith service during which love and solidarity of spirit was very much present. Weeks and months following the shooting the congregation needed to gather with one another to process what happened and the other faith communities provided meals, transportation, and their love.
Love begets love. So when TVUUC reviewed how they greeted folks, especially newcomers/strangers, they came up with a plan that simultaneously was very welcoming but also a plan that taught their greeters how to be vigilant for suspicious behavior. It is an approach, which embraces a theology of paradox, which recognizes the inherent worth of every human, as well as simultaneously recognizing not all humans have our best interests at heart. This is a theology of paradox, which embraces the mess and the mystery of life in the spirit of love. Now when guests arrive at TVUUC Sunday services, members greet them in the parking area. These greeters offer assistance if folks need help entering the building. If the greeters have concerns about the behavior of a guest, they have time to alert others. Once folks enter the doors they are greeted again at the Welcome Table where they can sign the guest book and learn about up-coming events and get a nametag.
Hopefully First Parish will never experience a shooting, but the spirit in which the TVUUC congregation responded to the imponderable act of an angry gunman was in the spirit of love. The spirit of love was so strong that TVUUC with the sponsorship of the UUA has created a non-profit social justice organization for the support of sexual minorities called Standing on the Side of Love. I encourage you to go to their website.
My prayer for First Parish is that we too will respond to whatever comes our way in the spirit of love. The emergency the town of Concord is likely to face is a weather-related one. Last year, most of Concord missed the ice storm that hit the middle of the state. Preparing for a weather emergency can seem pretty mundane, and frankly boring. So most of us procrastinate because the problems of the moment take precedent. But preparation is important. So the question for First Parish is: How are we, as individuals and as a congregation, going to respond when a Category 4 hurricane or a blizzard or ice storm comes barreling through Concord? The Readiness Team is in the beginning of its planning. Always there is concern for the most vulnerable of us: those who live alone and/or have impaired health. We will be establishing a phone chain, and possibly creating a buddy system in neighborhoods. As individuals, we are only able to help others if we ourselves are prepared. Preparing one’s home first so we can help others is analogous to being on an airplane, which suddenly has an emergency and the oxygen masks drop. We need to put our mask on first, so we are able to assist the child next to us. As a congregation, the question arises: What can First Parish do to support our parishioners in need, as well as support town wide efforts to restore services?
I am in communication with Concord Fire Chief Mark Cotreau to explore how Concord’s faith communities can offer physical, as well as spiritual support for those in need during a major crisis. Physical support is the precursor to spiritual support. If you remember Maslow’s pyramid of needs, food and shelter are the first needs to be met before higher level needs are addressed. Do you know that households need to be self-sustaining for the first 72 hours in any storm-related emergency? It takes a tremendous amount of mobilization for a town to set up emergency shelters – 72 hours to be exact. This is why each of us needs to be able to manage on our own for at least the initial three days after a storm. It is a good idea to learn what skills and equipment you and your neighbors have to support one another during an emergency. I hope you will come to the fire chief’s presentation on Oct. 19.
In a few moments we will sing the hymn Faith of the Larger Liberty. As First Parish prepares for possible emergencies may the freedom of our faith remind us we are not gods who can protect ourselves against every danger and harm. Instead may our free faith inspire us to live the values of justice, equity, compassion, peace, love and hope so our hearts and minds remain open to the needs of others.
Prayer
We gather here in this historic meetinghouse where so many before us have come, to empty ourselves for one hour and to be still. We give thanks for this late summer morning with the hint of fall. The cool air stirs us in anticipation of the coming year. In our awareness of the constant passage of time, may we take time to be mindful – whether it is a walk in nature or being mindfully present to a friend or a loved one.
The uncertainty of life is always around us. Some of us come this morning concerned about a new diagnosis, the vicissitudes of chronic illness, the grief of the death of a loved one. Some of us come weighed down by the multitude of troubles of this country. The uncertainty of the economy leaves us fearful about our future as well as the future of those whom we love. And yet in the midst of not knowing, we also come with a heart full of gratitude for this beautiful day, for the joy of new love in the form of the birth of a baby, the public commitment to love another in marriage, the smile of long-time friend that conveys more than words will ever say.
So often our moods widely vacillate between the confusion we experience in the mess and the profound joy that gives meaning in the mystery of life. May our hearts and mind be open to the breadth and depth of life. May our faith in the values of compassion, love, equality and justice enable us to live these values especially when we are confronted with hatred, uncaring and violence.
We are called to this free faith in the awareness that we have been given this beautiful, ugly, glorious, terrible, joyful and painful world as our home. In the few years that we walk on this earth together, may we have the courage of our faith to challenge what is evil and wrong in ourselves and in our relations with others; may we have the courage to do what is necessary, even when painful, for healing, reconciliation, and peace to occur. All this we ask in prayer.
Amen