May 18, 2016
A tornado. A gas leak. A bomb threat. These are the kinds of nightmare scenarios that fill news headlines and keep church risk managers awake at night. By establishing strong emergency response procedures, your ministry can greatly reduce its disaster vulnerability.
Assemble Your Team
First, create a team to help your organization plan for possible emergency situations. Include people with experience in emergency services, communications, and the medical field.
Assess Threat Likelihood and Impact
The first rule of disaster preparation is to prioritize possible threats. Given your location, the age of your facilities, and other circumstances specific to your organization, evaluate potential threats and prioritize them according to the likelihood of their happening and then evaluate their potential impact on your church or ministry.
Plan Emergency Responses
Once you have identified high-priority threats, imagine possible scenarios for each threat, and plot appropriate responses. Document and post your response plans. Be sure each plan includes individual responsibilities, evacuation plans, headcount procedures, and notes concerning the location of emergency supplies.
Conduct Drills
Conduct drills to familiarize your members with official emergency procedures. Afterward, compare notes to identify and address problems.
Maintain a Contact List
Maintain an updated list of emergency contacts. Include 24-hour contact information for each of the following:
Plot a Recovery Plan
Ensure that your church has each of the following:
Prepared with a well-developed disaster plan, your church can respond promptly and appropriately to address the needs of the church and your community when a disaster occurs.
Most ministry leaders don’t realize there is funding available to non-profit employers including churches, schools, colleges, and camps. This post includes some highlights about the credit and guidance on where to start to see if your ministry is eligible.
Did you know that the precious metal Rhodium is more than 10 times more valuable than gold? It has increased from $650 an ounce in 2015 to $22,000 an ounce in 2021.
Preparing for this Christmas season may require additional creativity, due to the uncertainty of what COVID-19 may bring in our local community.
A mid-November deadline in the Boy Scouts of America’s (BSA) bankruptcy proceedings may have you wondering what the organization’s bankruptcy filing means for your ministry if you ever hosted or chartered Boy Scout Troops.
Organizations that obtained Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding through the CARES Act can have their loans forgiven, turning them into grants. To qualify, each borrower must file a forgiveness application with its PPP lender, proving that it followed the rules. If your church, school, college, or camp meets all the criteria, 100% of its loan can be forgiven.
Not only can summer heat be uncomfortable, but it can also pose a threat to your health. The heat can be especially dangerous for the elderly and for infants. Regardless of your age, don’t let the summer heat get the best of you!
Learn about the CARES Act and two loans for which ministries may be eligible, since Congress authorized additional funding April 23.
As concern over the dangers associated with the spread of a new coronavirus, COVID-19, spreads, our agency and Brotherhood Mutual want to keep you informed and provide best practices for managing the spread of this and similar illnesses at your ministry.
The first Sunday in February is a big day for sports fans. In fact, many Americans view Super Bowl Sunday as a national holiday. Friends and families will gather this year to watch the big game, enjoy delicious snacks, and of course, critique the commercials that go along with game day.
Recently, we learned about two major overseas incidents involving pastors on mission trips. The first incident involved a pastor being hit by a motorcycle while running. The second was a bus accident involving two pastors. The runner and one of the two bus passengers sustained extensive injuries.
Last month, the IRS announced that its initiating hundreds of church exams to test compliance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). While many provisions only apply to churches with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), even smaller churches could potentially violate provisions applicable to health benefit plans with as few as 2 plan participants.
July 4th is synonymous with food, fun, and fireworks. If your church is planning an event this Independence Day, remember to keep a focus on safety, so that everyone can have fun.
National Insurance Awareness Day falls on June 28 this year to remind people everywhere that insurance is vital to their companies and ministries.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has designated May 5-11, 2019, as National Hurricane Preparedness Week. Is your ministry prepared?
Do you use commercial vehicles that transport more than 15 passengers or carry cargo from one state to another as part of your ministry? If so, you are required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and obtain a USDOT number.
The Centers for Disease Control says 107 cases of measles have been reported in 21 states, including North Carolina, since January 1.
The National Safety Council has designated June as National Safety Month, so we want to make sure your ministry is doing everything it can to protect its people, property, and programs. Each week in June, we’ll tackle a different topic. Up this week: Emergency Preparedness.
There’s a new scam in town, and ministries and other organizations collecting donations are the primary target. If your ministry collects tithes or donations, you could be targeted by scammers practicing donation overpayment fraud.
Beloved evangelist Billy Graham was called to his heavenly home on Wednesday, February 21, 2018, at the age of 99.
For the first time in its 13 years of influenza monitoring, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting that every state in the continental U.S. is seeing widespread flu activity. Get tips on how to keep your congregation healthy this flu season.