Preparing for safety

Volunteers and members of Redeemer's wider leadership team recently took part in a First Aid Course from the Red Cross. As Kwesi Awity explains in this blog post, this team took the task of building up their first-aid skills for the church seriously...and, at times, found it seriously funny. Thank you to these wonderful volunteers for giving your time to ensure our church is a safe place to gather!

Safety is definitely something to be taken very seriously. As a growing church, it is highly important that this remains a priority.

From what I have seen, Redeemer has taken great steps to ensure this is the case. I have seen our church grow and we are blessed to have such a diverse group of people: Children, teenagers, young adults, older adults and those who are well beyond retirement. It is a community of people who love God, love each other, and therefore care for one another. I would say that dressing a wound and resuscitation are great way to care for a brother or sister in Christ.

The seriousness of health and safety in our church is definitely not lost on me. However, the process of acquiring these skills can definitely double as a comedy show, and it did. I was honored to schedule a date with the Red Cross for the training, as well as to put together a team of eager, willing and capable volunteers.

Each participant completed a 4-hour online learning module and a 4-hour in-person training session. Our onsite training session was led by our very knowledgeable instructor. She is a very clear and easy-going woman who was happy to dish out jokes and jabs at our sometimes-comical attempts at the Heimlich Maneuver. It’s always helpful to have someone lead by example and give useful and pleasant song recommendations for doing chest compressions on beat (Stayin’ Alive!).

It was a hot day, and all of the participants were coming from a long day of work and school. We enjoyed pizza and cola during break and an impromptu conversation about faith and what exactly we believe. God blessed us with a very curious and genuine instructor.

I’m sure you're all eager to know who will be your friendly Redeemer first responders:

• Babak - unmatched confidence and haste

• Macarena - reliable and cautious

• Catalina - brilliant and fearless

• Boaz - never misses a beat

• Lise - can make even an unconscious person laugh

• Fayah - unwavering optimism

• Pelin - resourceful and will always find a way

• Denys - Strong and decisive.

The church is in the safe hands of our God and the lovely certified first aid members. Please feel free to approach any of them with any ailments or first aid related issues. They are more than happy to help.