Volunteer Rapid Response Chaplain

Reports to: Coordinating Chaplain / Rapid Response Team Manager UK

Based at: Volunteer Chaplains will be called upon at short notice to serve anywhere within the UK – Deployment would probably be for 5 to 7 continuous days, accommodation, meals and basic facilities will be provided

Job purpose: To fulfil the ministry and purpose of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Rapid Response Team when deployed and appropriately share God’s hope and comfort with those affected by a man-made or natural disaster.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

1. To ensure that biblical standards and integrity of conduct are represented in accordance with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
2. To operate at all times under the direction of the Coordinating Chaplain or Rapid Response Team Staff member carrying out all tasks and responsibilities as assigned
3. To liaise and provide appropriate emotional and spiritual support with those consenting to it

Additional information:

1. When Volunteer Chaplains are deployed, they must be aware that when operating close to the area of a major disaster or incident, basic facilities may be limited (ie. tent accommodation / camp bed / cooking own meals / limited access to water & electricity)
2. Appropriate training and personal development opportunities will be provided to all Volunteer Chaplains both prior to deployment and at regular intervals during their service with Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
3. Reasonable expenses incurred by Volunteer Chaplains will be reimbursed by Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, upon submission of a completed expenses claim form accompanied with receipts
4. This is a voluntary position and does not constitute employment, payment of salary or re-imbursement for loss of salary or potential earnings

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Essential considerations prior to accepting deployments with Rapid Response Team as volunteer Response Chaplain/Pastor:

A deployment is a tough physical, emotional, spiritual and mental challenge that requires a tremendous effort by each member. All volunteers and applicants must prayerfully acknowledge these challenges and apply to the Rapid Response Team only when they are confident that they can personally meet each one of them.

Please approach becoming a volunteer Response Chaplain/Pastor as a voyage of discovery; it requires being part of God’s plan for you and possibly your family, we prefer self selection to be a major part of this process. You may find that at some stage during your application and training it may not be for you, please do not consider that to be failure, it would be mature consideration of your God given skills and abilities.

Physical Functions:

When deployed to a disaster area:

•  You may be required to sleep on the floor in close proximity with others of the same gender, possibly bunk beds.
•  You will be sharing possibly very basic bathroom facilities with other volunteers.
•  You may be required to use make shift facilities in all types of weather which may require time limitations for your personal hygiene.
•  In most cases, you would be asked to volunteer for one week.
•  You can expect a 12 to 14 hour day starting at 6 am until possibly 8 pm.
•  You may not have access to electricity during your deployment.
•  To keep the base camp clean, you will be expected to assist in completing tasks such as all types of cleaning, including bathrooms, kitchens and rubbish collection and disposal.
•  Assistance in the provision and preparation of meals may be required, they may be very basic, but will be nutritional. Provision of specialist dietary needs may not be possible; if applicable to you a check prior to deployment is essential.
•  At times you may be required to assist Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief with physical labour to help the beneficiaries.
•  You should be capable of lifting 10 kilos in weight without difficulty.
•  You should be physically able to be on your feet many hours of the day.
•  It may be necessary to perform these functions in extreme heat or cold.

Emotional and Mental Functions:

When deployed to a disaster area:

•  You will be required to listen to others for long periods of time.
•  You should listen to another person without telling them your life story. To simply listen is to honour that person’s worth and is one of the most significant acts you can render to demonstrate compassion and care in their time of crisis.
•  It is imperative that you remain focused emotionally and mentally when listening to a beneficiary’s story.
•  Upon listening well, you would offer appropriate confirmation with empathy that you have absorbed their emotional and spiritual needs.
•  After listening to peoples stories, ask good questions relating to emotional and spiritual care. Repeating this effort over and over throughout the day is essential and requires an unrelenting focus.
•  Be knowledgeable of churches, counselling services and other disaster relief resources available in the disaster area.
•  You will be required to put into writing your daily efforts in the form of statistics and stories including a daily de-brief. Ensure that when follow up is required it is arranged. Accurate reporting is necessary for purposes of sharing about God’s work and for BGEA accountability.

Regardless of your personal challenges and struggles, the needs of the hurting, suffering, and lost are the primary focus of the Rapid Response Team. You must come with a servant’s heart and a solid foundation in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Functions

When deployed to a disaster area:

•  You will be expected to demonstrate God’s love and compassion with a servant’s heart.
•  Always be prepared to give an answer to the hope you have in Christ with gentleness and respect.
•  When it’s appropriate to pray with a victim, always ask for permission to pray and ask if they have prayer requests.
•  Provide only approved BGEA printed materials to beneficiaries.

If at any time during the selection, training and deployment stages you need to talk through and or pray about the processes with someone else please do talk to your Co-ordinator or Manager from the RRT, they may have first hand experience of the issue or know someone who has.