SAVING SOULS FROM THE FREEZING COLD. A Call to Establish Church-Based Warming Centers to “Fill the Gap” During Extreme Weather.

 

SAVING SOULS FROM THE FREEZING COLD. A Call to Establish Church-Based Warming Centers to “Fill the Gap” During Extreme Weather. 

Fort Worth, Texas - In late January 2026, Fort Worth endured another punishing winter storm. During that storm, a 68-year-old woman was found deceased on a soccer field on January 27, likely from cold exposure. The following day, a 56-year-old man was discovered in a tent, also believed to have succumbed to the freezing temperatures.

These were not simply tragic incidents.

They were preventable losses.

Extreme weather is no longer an occasional emergency — it is a recurring reality. As climate instability intensifies, cities like Fort Worth must adopt decentralized, neighborhood-based emergency systems that protect the most vulnerable residents before conditions turn fatal.

During that same storm, one church in east Fort Worth quietly demonstrated what such a system could look like.

From January 23–29, 2026, New Mount Rose Missionary Baptist Church (76104) converted its sanctuary into a 24-hour drop-off warming center — becoming the only continuous church-based warming site in east Fort Worth and one of only two churches citywide that opened their doors to the unsheltered during the storm.

More than 55 individuals were transported from dangerous conditions into safety.

They received:

• Warm shelter

• Hot, homemade meals

• Spiritual counseling and reassurance

• Charging access for phones

• Transportation coordination with emergency responders

• Reliable, real-time public information

No lives were lost at that site.

It was a Miracle in Morningside.

This was not accidental.

It was intentional, compassionate infrastructure.

Leadership Forged in Crisis

The warming center did not emerge from impulse — it was the result of years of faith-based emergency preparedness leadership cultivated by Pastor Kyev P. Tatum, Sr.

In 2008, Pastor Tatum was invited to participate in the White House Summit on Emergency Preparedness, contributing to national conversations on how faith institutions can partner with government to strengthen disaster response. Over the years, he has become a recognized subject-matter expert on faith-based emergency preparedness and community resilience.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, that expertise moved from theory to action.

Under Pastor Tatum’s leadership, New Mount Rose created a regional pandemic relief hub that coordinated millions of dollars in resources across North Texas. Through what became known as the New Mount Rose Food Bowl, millions of Farm-to-Family Food Boxes were distributed to families facing food insecurity.

The church expanded its impact by offering large-scale COVID-19 testing and vaccination clinics. Then, through the creation of the Clinic Without Walls, New Mount Rose became the only church in the region providing monoclonal antibody infusion treatments during the height of the pandemic — extending life-saving medical access to vulnerable residents who otherwise may not have received care.

The Food Bowl and Clinic Without Walls continue today as pillars of recovery, addressing food insecurity and health disparities long after the immediate crisis subsided.

The 24-hour warming center was not a new idea.

It was the next step in an evolving model of compassionate, operational infrastructure.

Churches: The Untapped Emergency Asset

Churches are uniquely positioned to serve as strategic warming and cooling hubs because they already possess:

• Physical buildings embedded within neighborhoods

• Commercial kitchens and large gathering spaces

• Established volunteer networks

• Deep trust within vulnerable communities

• Communication systems that reach residents quickly

• Parking access and proximity to transit routes

Unlike temporary emergency facilities that must be activated from scratch, churches operate year-round. They are woven into the daily rhythm of community life.

They are not merely facilities.

They are relational infrastructure.

And when equipped and supported, they become life-saving infrastructure.

A Strategic Proposal: Skills City Resilience Network

Building on years of public health and emergency response innovation, Pastor Tatum has launched the Skills City Resilience Responders — a workforce-based preparedness initiative designed to train and equip underemployed community members to support emergency response efforts within inner-city neighborhoods.

The proposal now before civic leaders is bold yet practical: establish a citywide — and eventually statewide — network of church-based:

• Winter Warming Centers

• Summer Cooling Stations

• Emergency Information Hubs

• Rapid Neighborhood Response Teams

This model would:

1. Reduce exposure-related fatalities

2. Decrease strain on emergency departments

3. Lower first responder call volume

4. Provide decentralized evacuation alternatives

5. Improve preparedness in high-risk neighborhoods

6. Strengthen neighbor-to-neighbor resilience

In extreme heat, cooling centers prevent dehydration, stroke, and death.

In freezing temperatures, warming centers prevent hypothermia and exposure.

Beyond shelter, these sites serve as trusted communication anchors — ensuring residents understand approaching threats and how to prepare.

“Preparedness saves money. Prevention saves lives,” Pastor Tatum often reminds community leaders.

The Economic Case

The cost of operating decentralized church-based warming and cooling sites is significantly lower than the cost of:

• Emergency hospitalizations

• Long-term medical complications

• Law enforcement interventions

• Fatality investigations

• Litigation exposure

Funding preparedness and operational grants for pre-approved church partners — covering utilities, staffing stipends, supplies, training, insurance, and coordination — would create a resilient safety net at a fraction of reactive emergency expenditures.

This is not charity.

It is public health and safety infrastructure.

The Moral Imperative

Cities are measured not by skyline height, but by how they protect their most vulnerable residents.

Fort Worth boasts a trillion-dollar regional economy. Yet when temperatures drop or soar, the poorest residents remain the most exposed.

No one should die in a field or tent when safe shelter exists within miles.

A Collaborative Path Forward

Pastor Tatum and the Ministers Justice Coalition of Texas are preparing to meet with university, city, state, and federal emergency management officials to explore:

• Formal partnership agreements

• Emergency preparedness certification for churches

• Coordinated transportation systems

• Data tracking and reporting protocols

• FEMA and Homeland Security integration

• Dedicated and sustainable funding streams

This proposal does not replace government response.

It strengthens it.

It fills the gap.

The Opportunity Before Us

Imagine a mapped network of churches across Fort Worth — and eventually across Texas — designated as approved warming and cooling centers.

When a storm approaches:

Alerts go out.

Doors open.

Volunteers mobilize.

Neighbors arrive safely.

A web of protection — woven directly into the neighborhoods most at risk.

Extreme weather will continue.

The question is whether we will respond reactively — or build proactively.

Pastor Tatum’s career demonstrates what happens when faith communities move from charity to coordinated strategy, from reaction to preparation, from hope to implementation.

Fort Worth now has the opportunity to lead the nation in a faith-based resilience model that saves lives, strengthens communities, and restores dignity.

“We have a great opportunity to save more souls from the freezing cold,” Pastor Tatum says.

The time to act is before the next storm arrives.