Glenmont United Church of Christ offers new disaster shelter to community

  • By Shelly Webb
  • May 18, 2010
  • 541
                        
Pastor Joanna Lance and her small congregation have been putting the community up front and finding ways to be a help during times of disaster. First the church decided the old parish house was too big to use for offices alone so they contacted the local Red Cross and offered part of the house as a safe haven for victims of fire and other disasters. “It was almost ridiculous to use the entire house for the small amount of office space we needed,” Lance explained. “The house had separate stairways and was a nice size so we decided to use part of the downstairs for our office area and we partnered with the Red Cross so the house could be furnished and ready for a family in case of a fire or other disaster. The Red Cross manages the house and occupants and has been very appreciative for the space.” Partnering with the Red Cross got Lance and others in the congregation thinking about disaster relief areas in their vicinity. “We realized during the ice storm a few years ago that there really aren’t a lot of disaster relief shelters in our area,” Lance said. “Glenmont is somewhat of a remote area of the western part of the county and there really aren’t a lot of services close by. During the ice storm the closest shelter was West Holmes High School which was still a bit of a drive for our area.” Lance and the congregation went to work to fix the problem by turning their own church into a designated relief shelter. “We are equipped to manage about 75-100 individuals,” she said. “We have installed all handicap accessible showers, bathrooms, ramps and so on. We also have a big kitchen and a great space for the Red Cross to set up cots if need be. We have a great partnership with Red Cross and other emergency management organizations in the community and are happy to do our part to provide places in case of a disaster.” The only snag the church has encountered is the need for a generator. According to Lance, in order to really be prepared for an emergency or disaster the building needs to be able to operate during a power outage, especially since most disasters involve electricity problems. The cost to secure a generator is $11,800, which is a huge expense for the small church to fund on its own. “We are having candy sales and car washes and other fundraising events,” Lance explained, “but $11,800 is a lot of money. We are so excited to be able to offer this shelter to our residents and we want people in the community to know that this provision exists. We also want individuals and businesses to know of the generator need in case they would want to make a donation to help us meet this final goal.” In addition to providing the safe haven house and this newly designated disaster relief shelter, Glenmont United Church of Christ supports their local fire department as well. Anytime a fire occurs in Richland Township the church makes a $500 donation to the local fire department to help cover expenses. “We feel it is so important for churches to focus on community outreach and for us to be a help to our area,” Lance said. “We are thankful to be able to assist our EMS, fire department and Red Cross in any way we can. By partnering with these organizations we’ve been able to do more to help and hopefully bring a positive outlook to our community.” The various projects the church has been able to undertake with a congregation of 22 members are astounding. This final phase of completing the disaster relief shelter is important to the church and the county. Lance is hopeful that the old adage, “many hands make light work” will come into play with the generator goal and that many small donations will make up the $11,800 needed. “We live in such a giving and helping community,” she said. “I really believe if the word gets out about what we’re trying to do, people and businesses will help support us.”


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