Hurricane Katrina, the floods in the Midwest, the mudslides and fires in California: We know that we cannot prevent these things, but we can cushion the blow by establishing a viable plan in advance.

As pastors, one of our most important jobs is to help people prepare a plan. What kind of plan, you ask?

Many people think that our concern is only with helping people prepare for life after death. This is partially true, as week after week we do attempt to provide members with information and assist them in making a plan that will affect their eternity.

But we also wish to help people prepare for events in this life, which may strike without warning.

A pastor is, in many ways, like a coach helping an athlete train; whether they like it or not, the morning of that big event is eventually going to come, and it's the coach's job to make sure that the athlete is ready.

There are many big events in people's lives; some of these events bring joy, and some bring sorrow. Our goal is to provide the people with the Word of God and the principles of godliness so that they will be prepared to deal with life's situations when they inevitably come along.

The key, then, to being a pastor is to help people to be prepared; and the key to being prepared is establishing a plan ahead of time. Understanding this, it was no surprise when God impressed upon us, the Lansdowne clergy, that we needed to implement a disaster-preparedness program.

We partnered with the Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and found their mission to be very similar to ours. They provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prepare for and respond to emergencies. Like us, they focus on helping people in crisis.

Through this partnership, we are learning how to better respond to many of the physical needs that people have during an emergency. Therefore, our disaster-preparedness plan involves more than just spiritual and emotional support.

We are helping people in the community by forming disaster response teams (which include the police and fire departments) and establishing shelter relief sites. We are providing training in CPR and first aid, and helping people to develop in-home evacuation plans.

We encourage all our readers to get involved. After all, a well-thought-out plan can make all the difference in the world.

Look what it did for Noah. *

(Editor's Note: For information on the next disaster-preparedness program training session, call 610-622-1300.)