Be Ready. Not Afraid | A 3 to 90 day preparation plan just in case the United States is attacked
Updated: 3 days ago
Noah built the ark before the first drop of rain. That was the picture Pastor Doug Lattimore held up on Saturday, October 31, when he set aside the usual service at Solo Faith Church in Concord to walk families through a 90 day preparation plan: a household guide that starts with three days of supplies and builds, one stage at a time, toward ninety.
He opened in prayer to Jesus (Yeshua) and set the tone right away. The goal was not fear. “We can not be fear-mongering,” he prayed, “but we can be prepare-mongering, so that people can be ready.”
Why a Concord Church Is Talking About Preparedness
Pastor Doug said he had been watching the warnings spread across TikTok and Instagram, many of them framed as the beginning of tribulation. “All that stuff may be true. We don't know,” he said. “But what we do know is that it is wise for us to prepare, even if it doesn't happen.”
He named the pressures he sees: trouble in the Strait of Hormuz pushing up gas and oil prices and, he said, slowing the fertilizer shipments farmers depend on; shrinkflation, where the chip bag costs the same but holds less; a cyberattack in France that took over the refrigeration systems at hundreds of supermarkets and forced stores to throw out food; a North Korean hack of the crypto exchange Binance that he put at $6.3 billion; and Iranian attempts to hack U.S. water systems. His point was not that disaster is coming. It was that the United States, protected by two oceans, is not exempt, and that “if other institutions won't do it, the church will talk to the average person.”
The guide he read from, Be Ready, Not Afraid, also set the record straight on the headline many people saw. The Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative is a plan for major U.S. military bases to run on their own for 90 days. It is a readiness standard for bases, not a public shortage alert. Official advice for families is still at least three days of supplies, and two weeks if you can.
The 90 Day Preparation Plan, One Stage at a Time
“Don't try to do it all at once,” Pastor Doug said. Each stage builds on the one before it:
Stage 1, three days: 3 gallons of water per person (12 for a family of four) and ready-to-eat food that needs no cooking, like canned beans, tuna, crackers and peanut butter.
Stage 2, two weeks: 14 gallons per person (56 for a family of four), plus canned meals and a few easy-cook staples.
Stage 3, 30 days: 30 gallons per person (120 for a family of four), and the start of a staple base of rice, beans and oats.
Stage 4, 90 days: 90 gallons per person (360 for a family of four) and a full pantry of shelf-stable staples.
He was honest about his own house. With seven people at home, a 90-day water supply comes to nearly 600 gallons. “I can't just go out and buy 120 gallons of water,” he said. “So I have to start with stage one, stage two, stage three.” Most families, the guide notes, store two to four weeks of water and keep a way to treat water for the rest.
Four Rules That Keep It Simple
Store what you already eat. If your kids won't eat sardines, don't stock up on sardines.
Rotate it. New groceries go to the back, older ones get eaten first, and the purchase month goes on every can.
Water before food. If the budget covers only one, buy water. The body can go weeks without food but only about three days without water.
Steady, not panicked. Add a little every week.
That last rule, he said, is about loving your neighbor. Panic buying empties shelves for the families who can least afford to stock up, including neighbors on SNAP with nothing extra to spend. He compared steady preparation to a bird building a nest: “It takes a little twig here and a little twig there.”
Making Water Safe When the Tap Isn't
The most practical stretch of the teaching was about water. Boiling is best: a rolling boil for one minute (three minutes above 6,500 feet) kills germs, though it does not remove chemicals. In a true emergency, plain unscented household bleach works too: 8 drops per gallon for 6% bleach, or 6 drops for 8.25% bleach, then stir and wait 30 minutes. Cloudy water should settle and pass through a clean cloth first, then get double the bleach. Never use scented, color-safe or splash-less bleach.
“I never even thought about bleach,” Pastor Doug admitted. Store water in food-grade containers only (never milk jugs), keep it in a cool, dark place off concrete floors and away from gasoline and paint, and replace home-filled containers every six months. A water heater holds 30 to 50 gallons, and toilet tanks (not bowls) are usable after treatment.
Prepare Quietly, and Prepare Safely
Pastor Doug pointed to Jesus' words in Matthew 6 about what is done in secret. Don't announce your stockpile on social media, he said, and remember that a loud generator can make you the one house on the street with power. Generators, grills and camp stoves belong outside only, at least 20 feet from windows and doors, because carbon monoxide has no smell. Put working batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. A closed refrigerator keeps food cold about four hours and a full freezer about 48. When in doubt, throw it out.
The supply list rounds it out: a flashlight for each person, a battery or hand-crank radio, a phone power bank, some cash in small bills for when card readers fail, a first aid kit, at least seven days of prescription medicines (ask about refilling early), a manual can opener, and copies of IDs and insurance in a waterproof bag. During the closing Q&A, one attendee suggested adding passports and a REAL ID to that bag.
Start This Week, on Any Budget
Asked what to do if something happened next week, Pastor Doug went straight back to the basics: water first, then peanut butter and crackers, then rice and beans. The guide's four-week plan breaks it down:
Week 1: fill clean food-grade containers with tap water (free) or buy a case per person; add a jar of peanut butter and a box of crackers; find your flashlights and buy batteries.
Week 2: aim for 3 gallons per person; add 3 cans of meat, beans or soup per person; get a manual can opener and fresh unscented bleach.
Week 3: aim for 7 gallons per person; add a bag of rice and a bag of dried beans; gather first aid basics and refill prescriptions early.
Week 4: aim for 14 gallons per person; add oats, powdered milk and canned fruit; get a radio and a phone power bank.
His money tips were just as plain: buy one extra of what you already buy each trip, lean on store-brand rice, beans, oats and pasta, watch for canned-good sales, and split bulk bags with family or a neighbor. “If you want to go fast, go by yourself,” he said. “But if you want to go far, go with a group.”
The family plan matters as much as the pantry: pick a meeting place near home and one outside the neighborhood, choose one out-of-town contact, write key phone numbers on paper, and check on elderly neighbors and anyone without a car, the same households our food delivery for seniors and veterans was built to reach.
If You Need Food Now
Pastor Doug closed with a reminder that preparing is hard when the cupboard is already empty. Solo Faith Church runs our free online food pantry with free grocery delivery to households in Concord and Cabarrus County, with no cost and no paperwork. He said the church has rice and beans on hand through Lifeline Christian Ministries for families who reach out. If you would rather pick up groceries in person, here is where to find a food pantry in Concord and what to bring.
Watch the Full Teaching
The full message runs just over an hour, with chapter markers so you can jump to water, food, safety or the four-week plan, and you can watch the full service live every weekend. The conversation continues Sunday, when Pastor Doug picks up the Bible study thread on Hebrews, the book of better things: Christ as a better Moses, a better sacrifice and a better high priest. Join us Saturday or Sunday at 1 PM.
Questions From the Room
How much water should I store per person?
One gallon per person per day, half for drinking and half for cooking and basic hygiene. Plan for more in hot weather and for nursing mothers, sick or elderly family members.
What if something happens next week?
Start with water, then no-cook food like peanut butter and crackers. Three days of water for a family of four is 12 gallons, and tap water stored in clean food-grade containers costs nothing.
How many drops of bleach make a gallon of water safe?
Eight drops of plain, unscented 6% household bleach, or six drops of 8.25% bleach. Stir, wait 30 minutes, and the water should smell slightly of chlorine.
Is the Pentagon's 90-day plan a public shortage warning?
No. The FORTRESS initiative is a readiness standard for military bases. Official advice for households is still at least three days of supplies, and two weeks if you can.
Solo Faith Church shares this teaching because a church that feeds its neighbors every week should also help them get ready before a hard week comes. Readiness held in faith rather than fear is one more way to love the household next door.
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Community Support Note: This story is part of Solo Faith Church's community journalism initiative to serve Concord and Cabarrus County neighbors. It was drawn from the transcript of Pastor Doug's October 31, 2026 teaching and the Be Ready, Not Afraid household guide he presented, which cites Ready.gov (FEMA), the CDC, the EPA and the USDA. Current-events details reflect Pastor Doug's remarks as preached.
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