The North American Aerospace Defense Command and
U.S. Northern Command Office of the Command Chaplain are hosting the annual Religious
Affairs Workshop April 8-10 at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.
The theme for this year's conference is "Advancing
Resilience through Preparation For Disaster Response."
“We build and increase the capacity for faith-based organizations to respond to disasters by bringing them
together, in the same room to learn from one another’s experiences,” said Mr.
Ray Woolridge, deputy director for the NORAD and USNORTHCOM office of the
command chaplain. “By bringing these
groups together, we also increase collaboration with civilian mission partners
and develop a common understanding on just how the faith-based operations can
work together during any disaster.”
Mr. Woolridge and the rest of the command
chaplain’s office, to include the Command Chaplain, U.S. Navy Capt. Brenda
BradleyDavila, serve as hosts for the event and recruit subject matter experts
to speak and guide discussions.
Each year, the subject of the workshops change. In years past, they have focused on
strengthening faith-based responses. But
with a growing number of chaplains and their assistants being on the front
lines of disasters at home and abroad (military and civilian), this year the
focus will be on who takes care of chaplains as they minister to victims.
“We’re excited to have the subject matter
experts we have coming this year,” said Woolridge. “They bring with them
invaluable expertise from their experiences ranging from being on scene at
devastating mudslides to being in Newtown, Conn., at the sight of the
elementary school shootings to being on the ground at the nuclear reactor
disaster in Japan.”
One of those experts in attendance is the
Presidential Appointee to Homeland Security, Faith-Based and Neighborhood
Partnerships, Rev. David Myers. This is
seen as a major accomplishment for the workshop, having attracted the senior
most-person in the President’s administration representing faith-based
organizations to attend.
The workshop begins on today, April 8, 2014, at
the Peterson Air Force Base Club. The conference continues with a military-only
session on Thursday, April 10, 2014, in Headquarters, NORAD-USNORTHCOM.
The Workshop’s purpose is to improve
coordination and collaboration with local, regional and national faith-based
disaster response mission partners.
Key note presentations will be from Dr. Robert
Wicks, professor at Loyola University, and author of Bounce; Dr. Naomi Paget,
American Red Cross; and FBI and Southern Baptist Disaster Relief chaplain, Rev.
Dave Roever. Other organizations
attending are the Vietnam Special Forces veteran, the National Center for
Resilience, and government disaster preparedness experts from FEMA and the
National Guard. The third day is our military only day, held at HQs, N-NC.
Presentations will include “The Coast Guard and Disaster Relief”, “Preparations
for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Disasters”, and “The US Air
Force in Defense Support to Civil Authorities”.
For more information call 719-554-0773 (DSN 692-XXXX) or e-mail usnorthcom.hc@northcom.mil