The Libby Family
Chaplaincy…ministering outside church walls in the moments people need Christ’s hope and truth the most.
Emergency Services Chaplains - Pen Florida District
We are honored to have the support of our Pen Florida Superintendent, Dr. Terry Raburn, and to partner with 46:1 Response and our Pen Florida Men’s Ministry Director, Rev. John Hensel, as the coordinators of Pen Florida Disaster Response.
OUR MISSION
In November 2022, Jason traveled to the U.S. Virgin Islands with the Pen Florida Men’s Ministry Director, John Hensel, for a Men’s Conference at St. Thomas Assemblies of God.
During that trip, they discussed the importance of utilizing church teams in ministry and as a tool of discipleship. Pastor Hensel shared that both he and Dr. Terry Raburn’s hope is that one day we would have someone in Pen Florida who could be the boots on the ground to make sure that our churches are restored as quickly as possible so they could focus on caring for their communities. It was on that night, November 12, 2022, that Pen Florida Disaster Response began.
Jason gained an Emergency Services Chaplaincy Endorsement to better serve our district in this capacity and became the coordinator for Pen Florida Disaster Response. We are constantly working to build a strong network of people and resources, provide crisis training, and help our churches during these times of crisis.
The unfortunate truth is that we don’t live in a world where we can confidently say “if” a disaster happens. We must be prepared for when!
THE 2 SEASONS
Hurricane Season
Hurricane season begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th of each year. The most active time for hurricanes to develop and threaten our shores is from mid-August to mid-October. NOAA is forecasting a range of 17-25 named storms. In order for a storm to be named, it must have sustained winds above 39mph.
We are praying that the predictions are overstated and the storms that form stay far from inhabited land. We are monitoring the weather in the tropics daily so that we can be ready to deploy people and resources immediately following the passing of a storm.
In early 2024, we started with the Five Question Survey to start building a brand new database for Pen Florida Disaster Response. Over 100 of our Pen Florida Churches have replied to this survey, helping us to get started with the correct contact information. At the end of June, we shifted gears to more in depth data collection to better serve Pen Florida.
Training Season
Jason is working to become an active qualified trainer for Critical Incident Stress Management through the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). At the end of 2022, Jason started training with classes on Assisting Individuals in Crisis, Group Crisis Intervention, and Psychological Body Armor.
During the summer of 2024, he completed two rigorous courses: a thirteen hour course on Advanced Assisting Individuals in Crisis and a sixteen hour course on Advanced Group Intervention. These were challenging trainings that required the participants to role play trauma interventions with difficult scenarios associated with disasters and casualty events.
We believe that it is necessary for our pastors and our churches to learn these principles and the differences between what we know as “pastoral counseling” and “trauma intervention.”
OUR STORY
Jason, Jennifer, Ethan and Ella
We are U.S. Missionaries serving with Chaplaincy Ministries. We are based out of Florida and we are blessed to be a part of the Pen Florida District.
For over a decade we served in various roles in both pastoral ministry and church administration. We have seen the value in having strong teams and building a culture of service in our churches.
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