By Samme Rousopoulos
As our team entered the Detroit International Airport, reports were coming in on TV that Hurricane Katrina was battering the Gulf Coast. Having been away for the last ten days on a missions trip, little had been heard about the possibility of disaster hitting the Gulf Coast once again. So it was with disbelief that we watched the monitors show the destruction of cities and the displacement of so many people. This was all happening within a few weeks of the fourth anniversary of 9-11.
Our congregation is almost a thousand miles removed from the devastation, but television brings the news of disaster to our homes—whether the news is from Biloxi, New York, or the Sudan. How can the church help our children cope with disaster? The child who is in the midst of the disaster will have different needs than those who hear about and view such disasters from a distance. Children respond differently to disaster based upon how old they are, their understanding, and their maturity. But as the church, as people who are God's hands, arms, and feet, we have an opportunity and a responsibility.
Whether we're working with children in the midst of the tragedy or with children who are miles away, our first job is to make sure, as best we can, that their physical needs are being cared for—shelter, food, safety. For the young child, this is foundational to faith, being able to trust those who care for you. As families, we can help keep children informed, support them emotionally, and get them involved in the family's efforts to recover from the disaster, thus helping the family pull together.
Churches and families across the country have opened their homes and churches to house and provide for the disaster victims. At this writing, Camp Pollock, a Church of God campground in Louisiana, houses about seventy displaced people. Churches are sending teams and supplies to support and resource their efforts. While we want to send what we think they need, it is good to have a point of contact and listen to their specific needs. Don Coleman, director of ministries for the Louisiana Assembly of the Church of God, has been very helpful in doing this. Why send school supplies now if their immediate need is paper towels, toilet paper, and diapers? The needs will change as the days, weeks, and months progress. Collect and send what is necessary to a particular site. Children can help in the collection of supplies and money. Create a flyer that families with children can distribute throughout their neighborhoods and then volunteer to collect and transport those supplies.
This is also a time when we can model for our children how to go to God's Word for comfort and to pray, whether safe at home or in the midst of turmoil. It is usually through crisis that our faith grows, so be sensitive to a child's questions about God and his protection and care. Stories of God's faithfulness, provision, and healing are appropriate. Select several key verses to which kids can hold. Allow opportunities for children to discuss ways that they can help, and then help the children organize and do them. This affirms their initiative and ability to do.
The horrific impact on people psychologically is still being revealed. The National Mental Health Association offers the following suggestions in working with children. For the preschool-age child, their fears may be manifested by behaviors such as thumb-sucking, wetting the bed, reverting to a baby talk, and fear of sleeping alone—behaviors which they have outgrown may now reoccur. As parents and teachers, we can help them feel safe by being physically present and providing comfort through hugs. Allow children to talk, draw pictures, or play out their thoughts, thus enabling you to know more clearly their concerns and fears. Create routines for them, bringing structure back to their lives. Limit the media intake that can cause stress.
School-age children will have additional concerns because they are more alert to and able to comprehend the reality of what is happening. We should reassure them realistically—disasters can happen—but emphasize the importance of being safe now. It is through understanding what is or has happened that we can help remove fear of the unknown. Overexposure to the media can be traumatizing. Watching the disaster repeatedly or alone would not be wise. Discuss with them what they have seen, heard, or experienced and their feelings about it. As with the preschooler, encourage discussion of feelings and thoughts through drawing, playing, or talking. Be honest with the child, telling them that you might not know the answers; this will help keep dialogue going. As a teacher, pastor, or parent, take time to calm yourself, and if need be, seek professional help for yourself or a child.
As a leader in children's ministries, you may want to provide resources for families in how to respond to their children and a crisis. The following are some sites where you may find reproducible material that could be used.
Helping Children Deal with Scary News—Thoughts from Fred Rogers. www.pbskids.org/rogers/parentsteachers/special/scarynews.html
Talking with Kids about the News
www.talkingwithkids.org/television/twk-news.html
Helping Young Children Cope with Trauma
American Red Cross
www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/childtrauma.html
Helping Children Cope: Tips for Parents and Teachers
National Association of School Psychologists
www.nasponline.org/NEAT/terrorism.html
Helping Children after a Disaster: Facts for Families
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
www.aacap.org
The important thing in all of this is that you, as a children's ministry leader, have a wonderful opportunity to lead children and adults in ministry—by being the hands, the arms, and the feet of Jesus. Pray, asking God to help you lead in times of turmoil and disaster. You still have time to do something about it.
Reach out in Jesus' name
With hands of love and care
To those who are in need
And caught in life's despair.
—Sper
Author: Samme Rousopoulos is the children's pastor at Church at the Crossing in Indianapolis, Indiana.
