Last week, I wrote my Rector’s Note about the power of churches to serve as villages, diverse communities whose personal relationships can combat the lure of isolation and the drumbeat of tribalism. This past week, the fire at SPS Technologies illustrated St. Peter’s village in action.
The fire that raged at the manufacturing plant on Highland Avenue, just a mile from St. Peter’s, left us all guessing how to respond. The parish buildings fell under the shelter-in-place precautions, which meant that the offices had to close, programs had to be canceled, and the word had to get out. Occasionally, unhoused people visit our food cupboard, and we wondered where they might stay. Tim Valera unlocked the door near the food pantry and put up a sign that people could shelter in place within.
I was most impressed with the way that parishioners began to check in with one another to make sure that everyone was safe. As Sue Gordon wondered whether to hold Lunch Club on Wednesday, the text stream soon turned to who might be most affected by the fire, and who might need a call.
When the evacuation order for streets near the plant went into effect on Tuesday, Linda Toia called me wondering who might be affected and if anyone needed a warm place to sleep. Together we went through the new parish directory and compared it to the streets affected. No new names emerged.
Parish Nurse Kristina Marchuk weighed in with advice about wearing masks in the smokey air and offered health check-ins for any who were concerned.
Meanwhile, on Monday and Tuesday our own Jerry Moore, who is a volunteer firefighter and EMT with the Glenside Firefighter Company, was among those fighting the blaze.
When disaster strikes, it can be good for a church to have a plan of action on how to respond. This is something that the Pastoral Care team has discussed and will likely take up again in the wake of this event. Such a plan might include a quick way to plot parishioners’ addresses on a map, a list of our parish’s assets and how they might be useful to the community, a sense of the skills and resources that parishioners have, and numbers to call to offer assistance. Episcopal Relief and Development’s U.S. Disaster Program helps dioceses and parishes consider how they can be resources in disasters such as hurricanes, floods and fires, especially when the recovery includes a long and complex process.
While the Glenside fire was quite small compared to wildfires in California or Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast, it was a reminder that our parish and its members are willing to offer care when disaster strikes. It also gave me confidence that our parish has some good organic practices already in place: checking in, seeking people who might be affected, offering resources if needed, and calling in to ask what needs have arisen.
It will be a while before we know if the blaze left lingering effects on our community, as officials investigate the causes and continue to respond to active issues at the site. And so we will turn to the other thing that churches do very well in times like these – we will continue to pray for all those affected, for those whose place of work has been destroyed, for those who wonder about the safety of air and water, and lift our gratitude for the responders and officials who fought the fire all week, and made decisions to keep us safe.
Comments