Stated Clerk's Notes - 5/8/25

Stated Clerk’s Notes

Rev. Laurie Palmer

I had the opportunity to attend Mission Presbytery’s disaster preparedness Zoom meeting last night and found it helpful. The topic was “Is Your Church Disaster Ready?”

On that Zoom were:

Ben Henderson is Mission Presbytery’s Disaster Preparedness and Assistance

Task Force leader.

Rev. Kathy Lee-Cornell is the Synod of the Sun’s Director for the Partnership for Disaster Recovery (PDR).

Rev. Sandra Murray is Mission Presbytery’s liaison to the Synod’s PDR.

Jen Retorick from the RGV (Weslaco), and the former chair of DPAC; John Seamon from Hope, Austin; and Daniel Garcia, also from the RGV with Primeria Iglesia, Brownsville.

We were presented with scenarios—both natural-caused and human-caused disasters—to discuss. This helped us gain some perspective on what we need to think about in our churches, especially in advance of hurricane season. These folks are ready to help, prepare you, and respond to disasters of all sorts.

Find resources here:

https://www.mission-presbytery.org/disaster-preparedness-and-recovery

and here:

https://www.synodsun.org/ (go to the Disaster Recovery tab).

I hope you’ll take advantage of these things for your settings.

The meeting made me think once again of this truth, this fact:

We are each other’s best resources.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up the other, but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Dare I say it? We are better together.

In our connectional church, let us strive for a strong threefold cord. We are each other’s best resources. There is a place for you to volunteer with disaster preparedness and response.

There is a place for you to use your skills with others on our commissions, committees, and task forces.

Let us lift one another up, keep each other warm, and prevail together. There is no question we need each other as we need the Spirit’s breath. Even when others have gone before us, we believe we are surrounded by them– a great host of witnesses, surrounding us with eternal care.

With the Spirit’s inspiration and sustenance, and with support from and to each other, the church is a beautiful resource in a hurting world. May we live into the Spirit, Jesus Christ, and each other.

Holy God,

We need You.

We need each other.

We cannot do all things.

We cannot be all things.

Together, we bring Your gifts for the good of neighbors.

Teach us once more to lift each other up,

and not tear each other apart with words and deeds and weapons;

To keep each other warm, metaphorically and really,

and not leave those who are the reflection of Christ in the cold;

To prevail together in all things and all ways as we follow You.

We follow You together because You have called us to be Your Body.

For Your grace and mercy and love, we give You thanks.

Amen.