By Jennifer Taylor
Members of the Disaster Action Team from Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, Arizona) participate in a emergency drill.
Some groups at Pantano Christian Church (Tucson, Arizona) reach the
community through outreach or benevolence. PCC”s Disaster Action Team serves Tucson by working to keep its citizens safe.
The team, which formed several years ago, is led by Tom Taylor, a retired lieutenant for the sheriff”s office who serves as the church”s director of security and emergency services.
“We didn”t try to create something new,” he says. “We partner with existing agencies and organizations to work within their systems. That”s how you get by the yellow tape so you can help.”
Because of this collaborative perspective, the “DAT” can provide help in times of disaster, such as floods, fires, major power outages, dam failures, and terrorism. The team provides food and shelter for disaster victims, conducts preparedness training, and even supports search and rescue teams. A branch regularly shares information with school classes and PTA committees, and DAT even offers an amateur radio class so members can learn to communicate with other response groups.
Although the group”s focus isn”t evangelistic, Taylor says it”s often part of the experience.
“We”re not all Christians or Pantano members, but we all attend the DAT meetings and social gatherings,” he says. “And every group we work with knows we”re a faith-based ministry. We”re living out our beliefs in a nontraditional way.”
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Jennifer Taylor, one of Christian Standard”s contributing editors, lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Read her blog at https://christianstandard.com/
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