As I attended my first North Georgia United Methodist Church (NGUMC) Conference, one of the primary concerns was praying for the people of Florida, facing historic flooding levels. We also know about the water problems in Atlanta. With a busy hurricane season on the way, as well as increased chances for tornadoes, fires, floods, and other disasters, people are wondering what they can do to be safe, and to help those in harm’s way.

But our church conference did more than just provide thoughts and prayers. In front of the conference in Athens were a pair of trailers, on display, to show what churches can do. These include solar-powered energy as well as a water treatment trailer that runs on what the Southeast has plenty of, which is humidity.

John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in Georgia. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is @JohnTures2.