wfn.org | CWS focuses on emotional, spiritual counseling and pastoral care

[PCUSA NEWS <PCUSA.NEWS@ecunet.org>]

Note #6859 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

21-September-2001
01342

CWS focuses on emotional, spiritual counseling and pastoral care

Presbyterians also send relief aid to refugee-overrun Pakistan 

by Carol Fouke, National Council of Churches Office of News and Information 
and Jerry L. Van Marter 

NEW YORK CITY - In the aftermath of the unprecedented September 11 terror
attacks, Church World Service (CWS) - the relief arm of the National Council
of Churches of which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is a part - is
focusing its response on immediate and long-term emotional and spiritual
counseling and pastoral care for families and disaster survivors - not only
in New York and Washington, but throughout the country.

	This disaster response effort is vast in scope, national in scale and is
set for long-term recovery efforts, reported the CWS Emergency Response
Program (CWS-ERP). The CWS response to the emotional and spiritual needs of
this crisis will span several years.

	The CWS-ERP has mobilized trained interfaith crisis counseling teams to New
York. These teams have been requested to provide emotional and spiritual
care and stress debriefing. The teams will address immediate needs as well
as prepare for the provision of long-term recovery services and model a
direct interfaith response to other caregivers and those affected in the New
York community.

	Qualified volunteer counselors from CWS-member denominations will be
matched with requests for counseling received from around the country. The
CWS-Emergency Response field office in New Windsor, MD, has been staffed and
fully operational since the afternoon of Sept.11. Space and equipment for
the office have been donated by the Church of the Brethren.

	Three CWS volunteer emergency response consultants, assisted by three
volunteers from AmeriCorps, are in New York and are working with the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster
(VOAD) and local churches and judicatories to coordinate the faith-based
response with FEMA and the voluntary agencies.

	The CWS-ERP Disaster Response Facilitators - New York-based Joann Hale,
United Church of Christ; North Carolina?based Charles Moeller, Lutheran
Disaster Response, and Michigan?based Ellie Wykstra, Christian Reformed
World Relief Committee (CRWRC) - are working with denominational
representatives, FEMA, the State of New York, the city of New York and New
York City VOADS.

	As part of interfaith organizing efforts in New York City, CWS coordinated
a Sept. 20 meeting of denominational representatives.  The meeting began
developing the faith community's response strategies and coordination.
Representatives of FEMA and the Red Cross also participated.

	In Washington, D.C., Shirley Norman of the Church of the Brethren is
helping coordinate a meeting in Washington, D.C., next week for pastors to
discuss pastoral care issues.  An interfaith chaplaincy is not envisioned in
Washington since survivors and the families of those killed at the Pentagon
will have counseling provided for by the U.S. government.

	CWS has provided financial support to help mobilize the Church of the
Brethren Child Care Aviation Incident Response (CAIR) teams. These teams
provide childcare and emotional support services to children of the families
and victims of the disasters. The teams have been on site since last week.

	Two CAIR Teams - with 11 members in all - set up a child care center at the
Family Assistance Center provided by the Office of the Mayor of New York
City and the American Red Cross.  A third CAIR Team of seven people arrived
in New York Sept. 16 to help keep the Child Care Center open from 8 a.m. to
10 p.m.

	There may be a second Family Assistance Center opening in New Jersey so
that family members of victims in that state will not have to travel to
Manhattan, and some of the CAIR Team members are being transferred to New
Jersey to open that center. Additional volunteers are being called in to
support the two child care centers.

	Other CWS Emergency Response consultants have been mobilized across the
country to provide assistance in Pennsylvania and California. Other
consultants have also been put on alert.  In addition, CWS-ERP is holding
twice-weekly coordination meetings with CWS denominational national
emergency response programs.

	The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has so far contributed $10,000 in One
Great Hour of Sharing funds to CWS in the United States.

	Late this week, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance sent an additional $10,000
to CWS's operations in Pakistan, where relief work continues under
incredibly dangerous circumstances

	CWS workers in Pakistan have elected to remain in-country - PC(USA) mission
personnel, on the other hand, have been evacuated - and are working with
Muslim relief groups in an interfaith effort to alleviate suffering among
the millions of Afghan refugees that have poured across the Khyber Pass into
Pakistan.

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