Team from the Episcopal Diocese of WNC Receives Certification in Disaster Chaplaincy

The Diocese of Western North Carolina sent a small team, led by the Rev. Kelsey Davis (Bishop's Deputy for Disaster Resiliency), to New York City for a three day certification course in Disaster Chaplaincy from March 23 through March 25, 2026. The team (shown in the photo from Left to Right) consisted of the Rev. Kevin Todd (Director of Blue Ridge Service Corps & Associate Transition Officer), the Rev. Kelsey Davis, the Rev. Erin Maxfield-Steele (Rector, St. John's in Sylva), The Rev. Toni Belhu (Rector, St. Francis & St. Gabriels in Rutherfordton), and Katie Knowles (Diocesan Missioner for Communications).

The course was facilitated by New York Disaster Interfaith Services, who have deep partnerships with American Red Cross & the Salvation Army, and are very experienced in deploying trained chaplains to serve in the wake of disasters of all kinds.

About their experience the Rev. Kelsey Davis shares, "We are deeply grateful to our Diocese and Episcopal Relief & Development for making it possible for five members of the diocese to be trained and certified through New York Disaster Interfaith Services in Disaster Chaplaincy and Religious Literacy. We learned the basics of incident command, emergency management, and how emotional and spiritual care is administered in disaster response. This formation reminded us that the ministry of presence - simply listening with compassion and being with others - is a transformational gift in every moment, and especially in times of crisis. We return strengthened in our call to offer hope, knowing that resilience begins with presence, connection, and care. We look forward to sharing key learnings from this training at our Deanery Community Resiliency & Preparedness Days."