Posted 96 days ago

Ideas for Recession Preparedness

Forty-five people generated this list of ideas for recession preparedness in Seattle on September 7^th, a couple weeks before the global markets began unravel. The list includes ways for churches, individuals and families to begin to reduce economic vulnerability and increase availability as an expression of the compassion of God to those in need in this economic crisis. We invite you to join the conversation and share your ideas for getting ready for recession.

1. Create biblical statements on being compassionate in times of crisis (like church organizations have done for disaster preparedness—see “Lessons Learned From Church Disaster Plans” by Penny Carothers), and a campaign/curriculum aimed at the importance of sharing excesses instead of hoarding.

2. Like church with disaster plans, train response teams to offer support for people in serious economic peril, including how to identify available resources. A community crisis hotline could be coupled with this training.

3. Inventory available resources of the church community (e.g. tools to borrow, plumbing or mechanical skills, kitchen space or utensils, financial advice, extra work clothing) and create a kind of church “Craig’s List” (or “Kingdom List”?) for trading, bartering or borrowing.

4. Convene classes on financial stewardship focused on the biblical principles of reducing debt, budgeting, giving and saving. Financial mentorship could be an important part of this initiative.

5. Promote lifestyle changes that can save money and free up funds to help those in serious need.

6. Glean from underutilized resources like unharvested berry bushes and fruit trees in the neighborhood (Seattle has wild blackberry bushes everywhere!), and identify land that can be used for local food production. Gleaning from grocery stores that throw out old, but still good, food is a viable option as well.

7. Partnering with rural congregations and local farmers and gardeners, develop agricultural cooperatives, food storage programs (e.g. canning, dehydrating, freezing) and meal planning and preparation groups.

8. Include and mentor the youth to be a part of the creative process of preparing for recession. They can offer new perspective and learn about simplicity from older people at the same time.

9. Develop leadership training programs to raise up lay leadership for church programs, and offer inspirational and support resources for those offering care to the needy over a sustained period.

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