“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

Disasters can strike quickly and without warning. There are numerous examples of disasters both natural and man-made, such as Chemical spills, earthquakes, fires, floods, lightning strikes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, pandemics, industrial accidents, power failures, terrorist attacks, tornadoes, straight line winds, gas explosions, volcanic eruptions, building or bridge collapses, transportation accidents, snow/ice storm, tsunamis, landslides, damn failures, etc.

Mission:
For God’s glory, the Briarwood Disaster Response Team exists to serve churches and individuals in disaster-affected communities through:

• Bringing the Hope of Christ
• Mobilizing the Local Church
• Performing Damage & Need Assessment
• Dispatching Disaster Response Crews

We see serving those in need as a basic expression of Christ’s love. When disaster strikes a community, near or far, church members want to do something to express their concern and care. We take seriously our stewardship of the resources God has provided, that we might be prepared to serve in both the “day of prosperity” and the “day of adversity” (Ecclesiastes 7:14).

Location:
Briarwood’s DRT prioritizes our service in the following order:

• Local – We desire to start by focusing our efforts on assuring that members’ and regular attenders’ homes are habitable and making sure our church facility is open for worship. Church members who have damage to their home will find it more difficult to reach out to their neighbors. For that reason, our priorities are generally as follows:

– Members & regular attenders
– People connected with the church (family members, neighbors, etc…)
– Others in the community

• Regional – Once local needs are met, we will consider regional requests for disaster response.
• National – Once local and regional needs are met, we will consider requests for disaster response.

The Church, The Bride of Christ

Scripture uses many rich metaphors to help us understand what the church is and who we are together. Ephesians 1:23 uses the metaphor of the church as the body, reminding us of our need for each other; John 15:1–5 uses the metaphor of the vine and branches, reminding us of our dependence on Him; and John 10:1–15 uses the beautiful metaphor of the flock of sheep, reminding us we are united under one shepherd. Ephesians 2:19 and 2 Corinthians 6:18 remind us that the church is a family that we have been adopted into by God our Father. We are not just “church friends” but we are actually in covenant relationship with one another forever!

The metaphor we will look at this retreat weekend is that of the Bride of Christ, and it is specifically mentioned in Ephesians 5:22–23, 2 Corinthians 11:2 and Revelation 21:2, 9. As we unpack what it means that we, the church, are the Bride of Christ, my prayer is that it will grow us in our love of the Bridegroom and that it will enhance our understanding of the church.

Details & Registration:

Registration is open now on our website. The cost is $45 and includes material, snacks and lunch on Saturday. Nursery is available on Friday evening with nursery registration. On Saturday, the Gym will be open for fathers and children to play during the retreat.