churchresponse

Mutual Assistance Groups

One othe best ways that Churches can help their congregation is to educate members in self-care, encourage in outreach and equip in neighbourhood leadership. 

The goal of training remains both self-care and the establishment of mutual assistance groups in order to mitigate the health, social, and economic impacts of a pandemic or other large scale emergency.

Such small cell groups could have several functions as the situation demands. They should remain small; for example an individual establishing such a group could ask two neighbours living to each side if they would come to a mutual agreement to look out for each other’s best interests. “If I'm too sick to go out, at a minimum please make sure I have food available; I'll do the same for you.” Or medications. Or child-care.

Church leaders can equip their members to organize this, as can educators (schools) their pupils’ parents and employers their employees.

It’s a simple concept: help neighbours look out for each other.