Photo: UMCOR responds to typhoon damage in the Philippines. Read more below and see how you can help. Courtesy, UMCOR.org.
EARLY RESPONSE TEAM TRAINING IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE 10/24/09
Training has been rescheduled for Saturday October 24th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Fairwood Community United Methodist Church15255 SE Fairwood Blvd., Renton, WA 98058
Larry Powell from UMCOR will lead this training which is for any one who is interested in being an early responder to a disaster with in the conference. Teams are sent out after the disaster to assist families with clean up and to make sure that their homes are safe and secure in preparation for long term Volunteer in Missions Teams to come in and assist with the rebuilding phase.
Early response teams also assist with the spiritual care and support as families start the healing and rebuilding process.
If you are interested in attending the ERT training or have questions please contact Ronda Cordill the UMVIM Conference Coordinator at mailto:r_cordill@hotmail.comor call at (509) 235-5366.
* NOMADS (Nomads On a Mission of Active Divine Service) REPORT FROM GALVESTON
NOMADS serve all over the country. They are men and women with an RV who make themselves available to volunteer in many wonderful ways for churches. The following is a report from a NOMAD volunteer who is serving in Galveston, TX as that town slowly recovers from hurricane damage. Teams and help are needed. If you are interested in serving as a NOMAD or leading an UMVIM team there, contact Heather Wilson at umvimwj@Hotmail.com. For more information about NOMADS visit http://www.nomadsumc.org/. Surprise, surprise they were not ready for us when we arrived on Tuesday. The RV parking sites at the Island Community Church where we are parked was completely overgrown with grass, weed, trees etc.. It was also covered with junk blown in since the hurricane from the everlasting wind we have had. The wind is a good thing, it keeps the mosquitoes away and keeps it cooler.The Pastor of the church came to our aid and loaned us a lawnmower, so we have been mowing everyday since.
Yesterday 5 young folks (Aggies on Mission) came and helped us for a half a day to finish the mowing, trimming and cleaning up, Ha Rah we can now see all twenty RV hook ups.The major sewer work has been completed but the final hook ups to the RV's sites were not completed for most of them, thats our project for tomorrow and this week. There was an old travel trailer setting on the property in the way of our activities and that has now been towed away.The church is not in use except for a bible study group on Wednesdays, it is still being rebuilt after the hurricane, however we have access to a meeting room, restrooms, a partial kitchen and a washer and dryer.
Electric and water to the sites is very good.We have a long way to go to totally prepare for our teams, hope it will all be ready by the end of this week, the folks here are happy to have us, people have stopped us driving down the street to give us hugs and thank the NOMADS for coming.We were welcomed at the Moody Methodist Church this morning and introduced by the Senior Pastor. Once again we are dealing with a lot of folks that have never worked a disaster before and they are learning as they go.They need help here badly, the most constant comment from local people is where is the help? We have not seen a single long term team here, they have a few short term teams (3 day weekend) and some really great individuals that are here to help but no teams.
The staff running the rebuilding effort are all very dedicated and working hard to ensure the NOMADS will have our needs met so we can work on the really important job of getting folks back in their homes. They have lots of homes ready for us to work on.Much of the commercial district and the water front is rebuilt but the homes of the folks that did not have insurance are standing empty and very much in need of help.
Our first home will be that of a elderly woman that lost her husband to death a short time before the storm and then her home to the storm.In the meetings I have had so far, money does not seem to be a factor "yet" there is plenty for now but that is partly because the rebuilding has really just started. All of my report deals with just the Island, there is also much to be done on the mainland in Houston proper.
There are good places to eat here and a wonderful large Methodist Church, so come on down.We ask all of you to pray for the people in need here and also for the Disaster Response workers that are doing the best they can to pull this project together.The church were we are parked had 5 and 1/2 feet of water in it, many of the homes had over 8 feet of water, the wind which was a factor seems to be secondary in degree of damage it caused.
God Bless,
Marley
* PRIMETIMERS: VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNTIES FOR OLDER ADULTS
Environmental protection, Methodism in Latin America, music in Jamaica, and justice issues along the US-Mexican border are among the week-long educational forums available to United Methodist older adults in 2010 and early 2011 through the Primetimers mission volunteer program.
Six Primetimers events are scheduled for the two years, beginning February 11-20 in McAllen, Texas, with a focus on "Justice on the Border" and extending into January, 2011, in Brown's Town, Jamaica, with the experience of "Making Music: Jamaican Style."
Primetimers is an educational and mission service program of the General Board of Global Ministries for persons over 50 years of age. It offers seminars, cross-cultural experiences, faith-filled reflection, and interaction with the work of The United Methodist Church and the larger Christian family.
"Primetimers offers attractive education programs for adults interested in God's world and the mission of the church," said the Rev. Clint Rabb, who heads the Mission Volunteers office of Global Ministries. "Every event is an adventure in faith and an opportunity for group members to interact with one another and Christians from diverse cultures."
The cost of each event ranges from $850.00 to $975.00, plus travel costs. Advance registration is required, along with a $150.00 deposit.
Environmental protection is the theme of "All Creatures Great and Small," set for November 7-12, 2010, at Epworth by the Sea, located on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Methodism in Latin America is the topic for a May 2010 event at the Biblical University in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Justice along the border will be explored in February 2010, in the Rio Grande Valley, with headquarters at the Pharr United Methodist Church, near McAllen, the site of a Justice for Our Neighbors free legal clinic for immigrants. The clinic is related to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR).
Eagle River United Methodist Camp at Auke Bay, near Juneau, Alaska, is the setting for the August 2010, event on "For the Beauty of the Earth," which includes whale watching and education on the importance of the fishing industry to local communities.
New Mexico's cultural riches will come into focus in October 2010, from a base at the church-related McCurdy School in Espanola. The event on music in Jamaica will be hosted by the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas, a mission partner of Global Ministries.
* UMCOR NEWS FROM THE SOUTH PACIFIC
South Pacific Earthquake and Tsunamis: Four powerful tsunamis crashed into the South Pacific islands of Tong, Samoa and American Samoa on Sept. 29 killing more than 170 people and displacing tens of thousands.
Tom Hazelwood, UMCOR’s disaster response executive, spoke with Dr. Finau Ahio, president of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga (FWC) who reports that 90 percent of the homes were damaged in some way by the tsunami. FWC is reaching out to families to help with immediate needs such as food and clothing.
The Rev. Afereti Samuelu, president of the Methodist Church of Samoa reports that one church and parsonage was completely destroyed, along with the homes of many parishioners. The church is supplying shelter, food and clothing to affected families.
UMCOR is supporting a medical mission from Wesley UMC of Honolulu, HI which will facilitate community-level planning and immediate re-establishment of rural district health care services in the Aleipata and Falealili districts of Western Samoa.
Typhoon Parma, the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines since 2006, landed in the north-east part of the country a week after Typhoon Ketsana hit Manila on Sept 28, killing more than 265 people and forcing 567,000 people to flee their homes.
UMCOR is working closely with Action by Churches Together (ACT) partners including the National Council of Churches and Church World Service in addition to local United Methodist connections such as the Manila Episcopal area, Harris Memorial College, Asuncion Perez, and
KKFI (Kapaatiran-Kaunlaran Foundation Inc.) to bring relief to those most in need.
Mobilizing its network of local volunteers including United Methodist district superintendents and disaster response coordinators, UMCOR Philippines is conducting needs assessments in areas which were impacted by both Ketsana and Parma. More than 30 volunteers, including students from Union Theological Seminary, assisted relief efforts by repacking goods for distribution.
UMCOR’s initial focus is on Bulacan, Pampanga, Laguna and Rizal which have been identified as areas receiving little or no aid. Volunteers are distributing food and relief supplies to 500 families.
