Progressing after Pinery

By Catherine Hoffman
New Times Editor & Communications Officer

Posted Feb 19, 2016 in News

It has now been over two months since the Pinery bushfire began – but its effects continue to be felt by those in the region.

The fire, which started in the Pinery area on 25 November, burnt over 85,000 hectares of land. Two lives were lost, 91 homes destroyed, 300 people displaced and many more affected.

Unfortunately, responding to bushfires is not something new for many churches in South Australia – or for Wendy Perkins, the Disaster and Recovery Ministries Coordinator for the Uniting Church SA.

“Recovery is a slow process,” Wendy says. “Up until the end of January, Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplains were present at the recovery centre in Gawler every day, talking to people in varying states of loss and grief, and referring them to other services.”

Chaplains are also participating in outreach visitations in partnership with the Australian Red Cross. These visits to houses in the area will be ongoing into the future.

In response to the vast devastation caused by the Pinery fire, the Uniting Church SA has commissioned Rev Dr Phil Marshall as a Recovery Liaison Partner in the area.

One day per week, Phil dedicates himself to this position, which involves providing active pastoral care, liaising with organisations and families in the community, and representing churches in the wider community during the recovery process.

“Phil is the minister of the Plains Community Churches, which are located in the northern half of the fire’s footprint. So the actual time he spends caring for those affected by the fire is much greater than a single day per week,” Wendy explains.

“Over the Christmas period, Phil assisted with the Hamper Project, which saw 500 households in the Hamley Bridge area blessed with Christmas hampers thanks to the generosity of the Balaklava congregations and other donors.”

The Plains Community Churches (Hamley Bridge Uniting Church, Owen Community Church and Windsor Uniting Church) have also been generous in providing assistance to displaced people through financial gifts. They have distributed $34,000 to 26 households in the surrounding area – all of whom lost their homes.

“Our ministry began with one person giving a donation to the church requesting that we ‘give this money to people who are hurting’. So began a ministry to our fire-affected community guided by the vision ‘to bring Christian comfort and care to people in their recovery process’,” Phil wrote in a recent email update.

“We are experiencing fantastic community togetherness and openness in relationships as we minister in Christ’s name to people’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs.”

But the recovery process is only just beginning.

“Phil has been meeting with community leaders, as well as with the ministers and leaders of other local churches in the area affected by fires,” Wendy says. “They’re currently focussing on a two-year recovery plan.”

Uniting Church congregations and faith communities are encouraged to provide support through donations to the Uniting Church SA Bushfire Relief Fund. This fund supports the work of Rev Dr Phil Marshall and local churches as they seek to care for those who have been affected by the Pinery bushfire.

Congregations are also encouraged to consider supporting the relief effort through prayer or by providing practical support.

To donate to the Uniting Church SA Bushfire Relief Fund, please visit sa.uca.org.au/pastoral-relations/uniting-church-sa-relief-fund or send a cheque to UCSA Relief Fund – Bushfire Relief 2016, GPO Box 2145, Adelaide SA 5001.

People interested in providing practical support should contact Rev Dr Phil Marshall via email at Turn on Javascript! or phone on 0416 343 204.

To find out more about how to become a Disaster and Recovery Ministries Chaplain, please contact Wendy Perkins on 8236 4284 or Turn on Javascript!

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