Partnering with VRM and Church in the City-Denver

VRM and Denver Church in the City teams

With in just a few days of our arrival, teams of assorted sizes and with different skills began to show up. Our first team was from Victim’s Relief Ministry (known as VRM) and consisted of three chaplains from Texas. Edward Smith asked for our assistance to connect them with ministry opportunities. We weren’t sure exactly where we should start, but as we prayed the Lord began to open the doors for us. Before the team arrived, Terry and I spent some time with Lesley Arnett at the county POD, shared with her the fact that a team of chaplains would be arriving. We also offered to help her with forms or any other way she felt we could serve her. Lesley ended up giving us the master list of all impacted families with all the information on it that she had compiled. It was definitely incomplete and in need of additional information. After some discussion, we had a plan! Knowing strangers might not be totally accepted by those already dealing with an abundance of stress, VRM chaplains would be accompanied by local church members of the community as they went door to door. They would ask storm victims if they knew of all the resources available, collect contact information for the county and then pray for individuals as led. The Chaplains would also hand out Somebody Cares Evangelism booklet, “Who Was Jesus” and “Survivor” booklets written for children that have been through traumatic events to individuals that wanted them.

Ken and Della Peacock and Amy Powell are seasoned Chaplains and came not only to minister to those in need, but to do a rapid assessment of needs for future teams as well.

Around the same time that the Victim’s Relief team showed up, Somebody Cares Denver sent their best! Pastor Brenda Walker and Ray Gallegos came and spent several days with us doing everything from going door to door with VRM to helping a family that had a tree across their driveway in a very precarious position.