May 15, 2017
No, you’re not imagining it… disasters really are happening more frequently these days. Disasters are shaping the biggest stories in our world today, and we’re thinking about them all wrong, according to Dr. Jamie Aten, founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) at Wheaton College. “Disasters are more than just one-time events. Collectively they represent one of the biggest moral and biblical justice issues facing society and the church. Though disasters affect everyone, they disproportionally impact the socially and economically vulnerable—disasters discriminate,” says Aten.
HDI is hosting an interactive workshop on “Pursuing Justice in the Wake of Disasters” as an official preconference event with the Justice Conference on June 8, 2017 at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. The workshop will equip participants to serve amid disasters (e.g., natural disasters, refugee crises, mass shootings, acts of terrorism) both domestically and internationally. Participants will gain new knowledge, skills, and networks for effectively mobilizing their congregations in times of crisis. This workshop will cover ways to help in the immediate aftermath and long-term, walk alongside those who are suffering, get their church involved, and understand how disasters fit into our understanding of God and why they’re one of the most pressing justice issues in our world today.
The event will run from 10 am – 3 pm and will include a boxed lunch.
Aten presented a workshop at the 2017 Evangelical Press Association conference on “Covering Disasters: How Faith Empowers Resilience in Large-Scale Human Trauma." As disasters continue to rise in frequency and impact, Christians need to consider now more than ever how they will prepare and respond on both the individual and community level. This event is geared toward anyone looking to learn more about how disasters fit into a view of Christian mission and justice and how to put this call into practice.
Humanitarian Disaster Institute (HDI) is the first faith-based academic disaster research center in the country, and is housed at Wheaton College. HDI’s mission is to help the church prepare and care in a disaster-filled world. The team at HDI conducts research, teaches disaster ministry best practices, creates resources, educates the next generation of Christian and humanitarian leaders, and convenes the annual Disaster Ministry Conference (disasterministryconference.com). For more information, follow HDI on Facebook (facebook.com/WheatonHDI) and Twitter (@WheatonHDI), or visit wheaton.edu/HDI.