ACTS World Relief unites, equips and deploys human resources and rapid emergency response assets in emergency and community service- and in doing so, demonstrates the compassion of God, regardless of race or religion.

About ACTS World Relief

ACTS (Active Christians That Serve) is unique in our means of providing humanitarian services. We specialize in training high school and college age young adults in the United States as well as abroad to empower others in “Growing Through the Gospel of Serving.” We add to that a balance of an equal amount of adult “First Response Teams” and local community volunteers as a way to unite our communities in help, hope and healing!

Mission Statement

“ACTS World Relief unites, equips and deploys human resources and rapid emergency response assets in emergency and community service- and in doing so, demonstrates the compassion of God, regardless of race or religion.”

Our Motto

“Empowering Youth in Serving.” Vision: “Integrating Youth Into Nation Building.”

Our History

ACTS was formed in 2004 and has assisted with the following:

Five Divisions of ACTS

Emergency Relief

ACTS is a NIMS (National Incident Management System) compliant disaster response agency, able to respond within 24 hours of federally declared incidents, utilizing its volunteer army of everyone. ACTS began in the Gulf Coast, which is FEMA Region IV. We are members of National VOAD to facilitate emergency response nationwide or to work directly as a resource to Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) under State Emergency Management Plans.

We provide humanitarian services by utilizing our fleet of trucks, forklifts, heavy equipment, refrigeration trailers, mobile commercial kitchens, tents and support equipment for:

• Establishing Points of Distribution to rapidly and efficiently distribute goods within six hours of their arrival.

• Cooking and distributing hot meals with self-contained mobile disaster kitchens of various sizes and capacities. (ESF 6)

• Staging area or Base camp management at the request of State or Local Emergency Operation Centers.

• Mobile Public Address Systems (mobile sound stages).

• Debris/clean-out of personal items.

• Registration and coordination of unaffiliated/affiliated volunteers within the impacted area. By using mobile volunteer registration centers, we are able to organize and form work teams to provide workforce resources to assist in recovery.

• Emotional/Spiritual Care (ESF 8 Department of Health)/Case Management

• Transitional Pet Shelters

Medical Response

Thru a nationwide network of Health Care Professionals, ACTS has teams to provide inoculations and first response health care. With dedicated all-terrain 4-wheel drive medical support and response vehicles, expandable semi-trailers and canvas shelters, ACTS has the resources to set up a field medical facility that can provide for area support.

Training

The following training and certification is required by ACTS: IS 317 Introduction to CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams), IS 100 (Basic Incident Command System [ICS]), and IS 700 (NIMS). IS 200 and IS 800 are required for emotional/spiritual care entrance level. IS 300 is required to be a team leader.

World-Wide Development

Inner City Relief and development in the United States and in overseas mission projects is a priority within ACTS. This is accomplished by mobilizing volunteers to respond to ongoing projects such as: rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua, agricultural training, or general classes on hygiene, sanitation, water purification, disaster response, food commodity sorting/distribution, and Public Health. ACTS is a member of AERDO (Association of Evangelical Relief and Development Organizations), and National VOAD (Volunteer Associations Active in Disaster). ACTS Motto: “Empowering Youth in Serving.” ACTS Visionary Statement: “Integrating Youth into Nation Building.”

Value Statement

We are Christian. We acknowledge one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We seek to imitate Jesus’ example in His care and compassion for the poor, the powerless, and those in need. We strive to live according to the application of Christian principles, based on God’s Word.

We value people. We strive to honor God by respecting those we serve, our partners, those we collaborate with, our sponsors, and ourselves at all times. We regard all people as created and loved by God. We strive to act in ways that respect dignity, uniqueness, and intrinsic worth of every person.

We serve those in need. We hear Jesus’ call to servanthood, and to humility. We come willing to serve and minister to those in need during times of emergencies, personal and natural disasters, to relieve their suffering and to promote the betterment of their wellbeing. We serve all people regardless of religion, beliefs, race, ethnicity, or gender.

We are good examples. We strive to imitate the example of Jesus in meeting the needs of people displaced by personal and natural disasters. We acknowledge that our service is a ministry and this ministry is our expression of how we understand the loving and caring of Jesus. We maintain our Christian identity while being sensitive to the diverse contexts in which we express that identity.

We are responsible. We adhere to ACTS policies and procedures, and deal responsibly with all at-risk situations. We recognize that the resources at our disposal are not our own, but are a trust from God through donors on behalf of those in need. We speak and act honestly. We are open and factual in our dealings with sponsors, donors, community response teams, governments and the public at large.

We are responsive. We are responsive to life-threatening emergencies where our involvement is requested, needed and in our area of expertise. We are willing to take intelligent risks and act quickly. We do this from a foundation of training, experience and sensitivity to what the situation requires. We also recognize that even in the midst of crisis, the destitute have a contribution to make.