Resource addresses questions about God, disasters

United Methodist News Service
When people experience tragedy or loss, they often ask: Why did God allow it to happen? Why did it happen to me? Where was God?
Those questions swirl in the aftermath of any catastrophe such as the Dec. 26 tsunami that struck Asia and Africa.
The General Commission on Communication has produced a new resource to help individuals, study groups and congregations address those hard questions and understand how God is present in difficult times.
The resource, “God, Why? Teachings from the Tsunamis,” offers insights from bishops, theologians, pastors and others in a two-session, small-group study format.
The material is designed to give people practical, spiritual answers to questions about God’s activity when disasters occur, said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top staff executive at United Methodist Communications.
The communications agency, in cooperation with the General Board of Discipleship, developed the resource as a DVD/CD package. It is available for purchase for $19.95 at www.umc.org.
The DVD/CD resource contains:
> Short video stories of hope amid tragedy.
> A musical PowerPoint presentation of images from South Asia.
> Eighty free-to-use images of the damage caused in Indonesia.
> A collection of news feature stories for use in the local church.
> Bulletin inserts to help raise awareness and funds for United Methodist relief efforts.
> Graphics for church Web sites.
> Worship resources.
> A study guide.
> A three-minute inspirational message (from the relief committee’s “be there” project).
n Seven-minute highlights of the relief committee’s work (from the “be there” UMCOR project).
Through the video, the church is making a prophetic statement, Hollon said.
“At a time of great loss and great instability, I believe it’s very important for the church to be heard,” he explained. “The church speaks a word of hope. It helps to say that with God’s help, we will get through this trauma, and that is a very important word that we deliver to the people not only in the church but to people in the world.”
In the video the Rev. R. Randy Day, top staff executive of the General Board of Global Ministries, cites Jesus’ teachings as a guide for responding to people affected by the tsunami.
“And so we’ll reach out in the sense of love and justice and try to touch as many lives as we can, and try not to be overwhelmed by numbers and by our own emotions,” Day said.
The United Methodist Church, through its Committee on Relief, will assist the survivors in culturally sensitive ways, Day said.