The Role of Faith Communities in Disasters: Lessons from WTC

Speaker:
Jan Carlsson-Bull, M.Div., Ph.D., Assistant Minister/Community Minister, Unitarian Church of All Souls

Program Description:
How did the Unitarian Church of All Souls, a congregation on Manhattan ’s Upper East Side , respond to the events and aftermath of 9/11? From offering immediate sanctuary to a candlelight memorial to grief counseling and beyond, what have we done and what have we learned? How do we continue to minister in the extended aftermath of 9/11—which will always mean September 11, 2001 ?

How did the larger community of faith respond, and what are we doing now, in the event of another disaster? Why is trauma response ministry so critical in the face of terror and grief? What do we offer as hope for those who cannot let go, whether because of overwhelming grief or lingering fear or both?

Satellite broadcast originally aired Sept. 13, 2002.