Photo via christianconcern.com

Midwestern Ministry sets dates for Disaster Relief Conference

A one-of-a-kind training event which offers unique preparation for anyone interested in serving in areas of natural disaster, war and persecution, has announced its 2012 conference dates, reports Michael Ireland, Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service.

The annual DART -- Disaster Awareness and Response Training --Conference will be held at Grace Community Church in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, with tentative dates of June 17 - 22, 2012.

The conference, organized by the Midwestern-based ministry Strategic World Impact (SWI) www.swi.org, is designed to equip missionaries, relief workers, church groups and NGOs for the rigors of this type of mission work. This event is nondenominational and is not exclusive to any particular group or individuals.

In addition to the training, it is also a great time of fellowship and will be an amazing experience for all who attend. A binder with complete presentation notes is provided to all conference attendees.

This year's DART courses will include:

* Personal Mission and Protecion

* Cybersecurity and Communications Risk Assessment

* Disaster Assessment

* Survival in the Field

* Humanitarian Assessment

* Trauma Counseling

* Ministry Behind the Veil

* Refugee Assessment

* Understanding Animism

* Anti-Terrorism and Hostage Survival

* Water Filtration and Purification

* Cross Cultural Communication

* Land Mine Awareness Training

* Ministering to Children

* Disaster Medical Training

* Mission Preparedness and Planning

* Photojournalism on the Mission Field

* Infectious Diseases

* Bible Storying

* UN and Peacekeeping Roles

** Course topics are subject to change.

The conference will also include approximately 10 hours of outdoor classes and hands-on training in SWI’s one-of-a-kind "refugee camp." This gives each attendee the opportunity to apply many of the skills learned, while also experiencing a day in the life of a refugee.

More details, including registration and lodging costs will be posted to the SWI website www.swi.org soon. Be sure to check it periodically for updates. Please mark the dates on your calendars. Conference space will be limited, so please plan on registering early.

SWI will also be needing DART volunteers. For those interested in assisting the ministry in this area, please send an email to team@swi.org and someone will get in touch with you at a later date regarding available opportunities.

On another note, SWI has recently begun a series of projects around the world and with teams currently in place, they are asking for your prayers as the ministry continues to reach the nations. For those who would like to give towards the work in these areas, please visit the SWI support page www.swi.org/support.html and select the appropriate gift designation button(s).

This reporter attended the 2005 DART Conference, and I can say it is one of the best events for overseas ministry training held in this country. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the SWI ministry leaders, staff and instructors, as well as going through the wide and varying ministry-related classes made available to participants each year. I still have my class presentation notebook and often refer to it before traveling internationally.

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TAGS: Disaster Awareness and Response Training Bartlesville Oklahoma Grace Community Church Strategic World Impact conference

[11/02/2011]

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