By Dan Van Veen
In the days, weeks and months following the terrorist attacks
of September 11, 2001, the Assemblies of God responded not only
as a national headquarters, but as churches and individuals. According
to A/G General Treasurer James Bridges, over $1.7 million has
been sent to Headquarters to distribute to meet the needs in Washington,
D.C., New York and Pennsylvania. ìWe had a most generous response,î
said Bridges. ìIt was a wonderful outpouring of compassion and
concern.î
Although
funds for disaster relief for these areas are now only trickling
in, the work the funds have accomplished and are continuing to
accomplish is vital and deeply appreciated.
ìThe needs of Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania are vastly different
than the needs of New York City,î said A/G Communications Director
Mike Messner, who has been working closely with the affected districtsí
officials. ìAt the Pentagon, for example, the need for the church
to come alongside law enforcement, military and government officials
was immediate. Because there is not a lot of civilian activity
in that area, it
was very lean on provisions such as food and shelter. We were
able to assist, through our Potomac District, Denny Nissley [Manassas
(Va.) Assembly of God] and his Christ in Action ministry team
in feeding rescue and relief workers thousands of meals and ministering
to their spiritual needs.î
Through the Potomac District, funds were also sent to established
military relief organizations to help with the tragedy in Washington,
D.C.
ìWe have received a very kind letter from Pastor Sylvia Baker
of the Shanksville A/G whose church was very near the crash site
of United Flight 93,î said Bridges. ìFunds were sent to help the
church which was impacted from the crash. Also, expressions of
appreciation have been received from the Shanksville Fire Department
for funds which were sent to assist the firefighters in their
tireless work of recovery.î
New York, Messner pointed out, was an entirely different story.
ìBecause of the location of the attacks, many organizations and
individuals had relatively easy access to the disaster site,î
Messner said. ìEarly on, the site was overrun with volunteers
wanting to help, and supplies were coming in so fast, they were
being stacked on the street.î
Although the A/G helped supplement trips by the Convoy of Hope
to both the Washington, D.C., and New York City areas, Messner
said that through meeting with district superintendents and their
committees, it became quickly evident that the real niche for
the church was in the long run ó when the victims needed help.
ìWe also had to redefine the term ëvictimí to not only include
those killed or families with friends or loved ones killed,î said
Bridges. ìNow, our definition includes a complex range of emotional
and mental health needs ó for instance, dealing with those who
become suicidal. Weíve sent in people who are skilled in dealing
with critical incident stress.
ìThe concern for accountability [making sure funds go where they
are most needed] is very definitely an important part of what
we have done,î added Bridges. ìThe district superintendents have
been our key liaisons for identifying and flowing money into the
areas of need.î
The districts that are participating in the relief fund projects
include the Potomac, New York, Penn-Del, Korean and Spanish-Eastern
districts. ìThe New Jersey District is also included,î added Bridges,
ìbut has not had to request funds to this date due to sufficient
funds on hand from district appeals.î
Perhaps the most significant long-term, but least-known assistance
the A/G has provided to New York is the funding of Dr. Richard
Dobbins and his Emerge Ministries team. They were sent to New
York to train pastors and layworkers in how to provide ongoing
counseling and meet the needs of the emotional/psychological victims
of the attacks.
ìDr. Dobbins and his team members met with local Assemblies of
God pastors,î said Messner. ìMuch of the ministry going on right
now [through the A/G] is as a result of what Dr. Dobbins helped
establish and set up.î
Both Messner and Bridges expect that people will be dealing with
the trauma and the fallout ó fear, unemployment, depression, anxiety
ó of the attacks for months, if not years, to come.
Messner went on to explain that the clearing of Ground Zero is
not the end of ministry opportunity. ìThe debris is being cleared
away rather quickly now,î he explained, ìbut it's being taken
to Staten Island where recovery workers will be sifting through
the debris for [an estimated] two years. There are also people
out working
12-hour shifts guarding the Ground Zero area, bridges, tunnels,
and debris ó and we want to be able to offer all of these people
ëa cup of cold waterí in Jesusí name.î
Although the names might not be household names, Bridges and
Messner seemed to repeat key ìpoint peopleî names over and over
as men making an undeniable impact upon New York City ó Carl Keyes,
Mark Gregori, Nam Soo Kim, Marcus Rivera, David Auterson. ìIt
would be a mistake not to mention their names,î said Bridges.
ìThese men have done an incredible amount of work to make sure
our ministry efforts are effective.î
Yet, thereís plenty of work left to do. ìIf you had $1 million
to give to me,î Bridges commented, ìI know where we could use
it right now ó the needs are truly great and ongoing.î
Finally, along with the counseling ministries, the A/G is also
helping to support Convoy of Hope in the upcoming months. According
to Convoy of Hope's vice president Randy Rich, in the next 17
months [the months preceding the 2003 General Council to be held
in Washington, D.C., July 31-August 4, 2003], Convoy of Hope is
hoping to host six major events in New York City and four in the
D.C. area. ìWeíre prepared to do some other supply lines into
these areas as well, supplying other ministries and working on
other outreach projects with them,î said Rich. ìWeíre even
looking at placing a full-time coordinator there during that
time to help with the outreach initiatives.î
The intent is to minister to all five boroughs of New York City
and sections of D.C. in order to expose as many people as possible
to true love and compassion ó not to mention ó the gospel.
