Research On Religion » Liberia

Jamie Aten on Religion and Disasters (Encore Presentation)

tonygill — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 08:00:28 +0000

When disaster strikes your community, who ya gonna call? Churches and other religious organizations, that’s who! As an integral part of civil society, religious congregations are often the best positioned to be first responders in an emergency, and to be the organizations that can offer long-term recovery assistance long after other emergency responders have moved on. Prof. Jamie Aten, the Rech Associate Professor of Psychology at Wheaton College, discusses his experience with natural and man-made disasters and what churches can do to assist in such emergencies. We begin with Jamie’s own incredible story of how he came upon this topic, moving to southern Mississippi in the late summer of 2005, mere days before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. His experience with that storm, and his ability to cull together his research team to study how congregations responded to that event, led him to focus on how religious groups play a role in disaster planning and recovery. Prof. Aten emphasizes that disaster assistance isn’t merely about tangible resources such as water bottles and blankets, but involves a network of relationships. He draws upon a variety of examples from his research and personal experience to show how churches need to understand their own ministerial strengths, and play to those in developing an emergency response plan. For example, congregations that devote a great deal of attention to elderly care would best be situated to help with senior citizens during a crisis. He also talks about the importance of developing a disaster response plan and involving members of the congregation who have relevant skills; laying all the planning and coordination on the shoulders of a pastor is not necessarily a good way to go about this task. Jamie raises the example of a “chainsaw ministry” that helped with tree clearing and construction-related issues following one storm. He further talks about experiences in other parts of the world including Japan, where there is not a strong Christian culture, and the Philippines, where asking poor communities to plan for disasters is not a realistic option (as storing food amongst a starving population is not the best use of resources). Throughout our discussion, Prof. Aten mentions the role of resilience and fortitude, and connects this to how churches — as members of a community — are often best situated to provide these needed emotional and spiritual resources. Moreover, unlike government agencies or non-governmental organizations that often must leave an affected area by a certain date, local religious groups can continue to provide community support over the long-term, including the celebration of anniversaries that are important for people to cope with traumatic events. We finish with Jamie’s personal reflection on his cancer diagnosis and what he has learned over the course of his academic career. Recorded: August 1, 2016.

Jamie Aten on Religion and Disasters

tonygill — Sun, 14 Aug 2016 08:00:03 +0000

Martin Barrett on Sozo Friends & For-Profit Charities

tonygill — Sun, 26 Jun 2016 08:00:39 +0000

It is common for most people to attribute “non-profit status” to a faith-based organization that is dedicated to charitable giving. But can such an endeavor be run as a for-profit enterprise? This week we visit with Martin Barrett, co-founder of Sozo Friends, a small wine-bottling business that seeks to “facilitate community and funding around friends who meet basic needs.” By teaming with restaurants, auto dealers, realtors, mortgage companies, and other businesses, Sozo Friends is able to provide funding for such organizations as Emergency Food Network, Rescue Freedom, and Olive Crest (to name just a few). Mr. Barrett details his own upbringing in a faith-filled home, along with his participation in, and work for, Young Life. It is with this youth-oriented organization that he developed the sense that religion needs to be relational, building community beyond the boundaries of the walls of the local church. He then discusses the origins of Sozo Friends, conceived during a conversation over wine with the company’s other co-founder Monte Regier who had returned from a several year stint serving in Liberia with Mercy Ships. Martin details the various trials and errors of setting up a business model centered around wine and community, using focus groups with young professionals to explore new ways to engage people in charitable giving. Their first attempt at “Party in a Box” proved to be unsuccessful, but both Martin and Monte forged ahead with other ideas and settled upon using sales of premium wine at restaurants to help fund various charities. Canlis, a Seattle restaurant, was the first to jump on board. Martin notes how the idea is first to sell a high-quality product and then follow up with the story of how each bottle sold (or glass poured) helps an orphan or other person in need around the world. This marketing is atypical of other charities that tend to lead with the story and then sell the product. We then discuss how Sozo Friends has expanded into the area of chocolate and coffee, as well as expanding the business model beyond restaurants to other businesses — e.g., auto dealers — who give bottles of wine in a gift basket following the purchase of a vehicle. Martin notes that when someone who just bought a car receives this gift and learns that the proceeds of the sale go to a charity selected by the auto dealer, a bond of trust and community is created that is beneficial to all parties involved — the customer, the auto dealer, and the organization running the charity. Mr. Barrett finishes off explaining his business philosophy of how building relations and trust are central to a well-functioning marketplace and why he runs his business as a for-profit, rather than a non-profit. Recorded with the gracious assistance of Willows Lodge (which partners with Sozo Friends) in Woodinville, WA on June 15, 2016.

(Note: This interview, while not “social scientific” in nature, per se, is part of our occasional series on “practitioners” who live their faith at ground level. Talking with these folks about how they actual do the things they do is part of the social scientific process according to this podcast’s host.)