We, the members, as individual corporate officers and as faith-based agencies that comprise the membership of ESN, subscribe to the following common understanding of our corporate and interfaith partnership for disaster-related readiness, response and recovery.
1. Whereas; we are faith-based agencies and philanthropies which provide human services on behalf of communities of faith of many beliefs and ideologies, and who hereby agree to one common understanding of our partnership – that people of faith are called by the Divine to serve all human beings who suffer and to work to meet their basic needs in times of disaster, and
2. Whereas; we are a federation of faith-based service agencies duly charged to the service of, and accountable to our independent and respective faith communities, and are also, collectively, partners in common service to the greater New York City community and to all who seek our counsel , and
3. Whereas; our members carry out local service in disaster in the context of our faith communities’ national and global relief organizations, and stand ready to broadly share our expertise and best practices resources whenever needed or requested, and
4. Whereas; we share a corporate human service partnership which welcomes with mutual respect providers from all faiths who subscribe to our common mission, commit to actions that show respect for each other’s faith traditions and the vulnerability of those who suffer in disaster, do not proselytize one another during the context of our common work, nor proselytize recovery workers or those who suffer the effects of disaster while providing them with services of our individual or common disaster programs, and
5. Whereas; in disaster response, we seek to give a voice to the voiceless and aid to those unable to meet their own basic needs, we will individually and collectively coordinate our services and programs. We will serve those in need regardless of age, creed, disability, gender, immigration status, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. We will collectively advocate for laws, policies, and programs that support and promote improved mitigation, relief and recovery measures, and
6. Whereas; we deplore all acts of terrorism and will not knowingly participate in or fund them, and
7. Whereas; we recognize that acts of prejudice and bias, both verbal and physical, are sometimes perpetrated against people of faith and houses of worship, as retribution for human-caused disasters and have the effect of obstructing rather than advancing relief and recovery; we abhor and condemn all forms of backlash, including but not limited to; bigotry, defamation, religious persecution, xenophobia and scapegoating
8. Whereas; we are faith-based disaster service providers charged with the responsibility to serve on behalf of our communities of faith in times of disaster, who have entered into this corporate partnership to better prepare and as needed serve our constituents and the broader community, and who will do this through coordinative readiness, response and recovery programs in collaboration with other providers as well as city, state and federal agencies and initiatives.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, the members of ESN, agree to these statements representing both our common values and the operating protocols of our agencies, and as Board Members affix our signatures here as an outward and visible sign of our dedication to these shared understandings and our commitment to this partnership.
Signatures Are Kept On File In Our Office
