Churches and faith groups reacted to Grenfell fire with speed and compassion, says thinktank

Jun 6, 2018 by Jill

by Adam Becket, Church Times:

FAITH Groups responded “rapidly, compassionately and holistically” to the Grenfell Tower fire, a new report by Theos says.

Churches and other places of worship should practise regularly emergency responses to tragedies before crises occur, which the report calls “preparation in peacetime”.

The report, After Grenfell: The faith groups’ response, published by Theos, a Christian thinktank, on Monday, examines how faith groups in North Kensington, London, reacted to the disaster. It says that at least 15 faith centres in the vicinity of Grenfell Tower helped.

Seventy-two people were confirmed to have died in a fire at Grenfell Tower, west London, in June last year (News, 16, 23 June 2017), which makes it the “worst fire since the Second World War”, the report says.

The report says that the four main ways that faith groups responded to the disaster were: opening the doors of faith centres — and sometimes homes — to people affected; groups helping to meet the immediate needs of clothes, food, and water; providing space for people to pray and reflect, and offering pastoral care; and offering long-term faith-sensitive support, including professional counselling, to victims and those affected.

It also says that lessons learnt from the disaster for faith groups include preparing for the worst by practising responses and using networks well; being visible in the community; and being flexible.

The author of the report, Amy Plender, interviewed over 30 people to build a picture of the response to the fire.

Read here

See also: What good is the church? From Barna