WHY VOLUNTEER WITH UMVIM?

WHY VOLUNTEER THROUGH UMVIM?

1.UMVIM is an approved United Methodist ministry.

2. The mission projects are vetted and screened.

3. Volunteer teams can continue their relationship with the project site they served at via The Advance and missionaries.

4. All are welcome to serve.

5. Training, forms, insurance, etc. available

6. It's simple. Contact umvimwj@hotmail.com to get started!

Faith in Action

Faith in Action

Monday, May 30, 2011

INFORMATION FROM UMVIM OFFICE IN MISSOURI

INFORMATION FROM UNITED METHODIST VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION (UMVIM) OFFICE IN MISSOURI

Those interested in serving inthe future should go to our website at www.umocm.com. Click on JoplinDisaster Relief at the top of the page and then click on Future VIM Teams inthe links bar of that page. Fill out that form and you will receive regularupdates from me regarding the work being done in Joplin as well as volunteeropportunities as they become available. Thank you again.

Blessings,
Audrey Phelps
Missouri Volunteers in MissionOffice of Creative Ministries

Saturday, May 28, 2011

UPDATE ON STORM DAMAGE IN OKLAHOMA AND JOPLIN; PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE NEWS

HOW TO RESPOND TO THE STORMS IN OKLAHOMA AND JOPLIN, MO

We have received many requests for information from people who want to respond to the tornado affected areas in Oklahoma and Joplin, MO. At this time we have been requested to not send any volunteers into these areas. During the initial phases of emergency recovery a surge of volunteers can cause more harm than good. As things progress we will keep you updated on the ways you can serve through OK VIM.

Currently, there is a need for teams to serve in Tushka, OK which was hit by a tornado on May 14th. The recovery continues and the need is great: 149 homes were destroyed, 47 have major damage and 33 have minor damage. If you are a certified team leader and are ready to put together a team to serve in Tushka please contact Richard Norman at 405-530-2032, RNorman@okumc.org for more information.



JOPLIN, MO


From Bishop Schnase of the Missouri Conference
Subject: Schnase Note on Joplin Tornado
Dear Colleagues,

I give God thanks for every one of you for your many kind emails, voice messages, phone calls, and expressions of concern following the devastating tornado that destroyed much of Joplin, MO. Among those killed were several United Methodists, and every United Methodist Church in the area has members who have lost their homes. All our pastors and church staff are safe. We lost two church buildings, including St. Paul United Methodist Church (a large, strong, vibrant congregation with an average attendance of close to 1000), and we lost the District Superintendent’s Office. Several other churches and parsonages received more limited damage. The hospital and five of the seven schools in Joplin were nearly completely destroyed.

The Missouri Conference Disaster Response team has been active and effective from the earliest hours, and many of our churches have sent trained First Responder teams. Tom Hazelwood from UMCOR was on the ground in Joplin within 24 hours. Many of you have generously offered funds directly to the Missouri Conference and others have expressed your intention of supporting the UMCOR Spring Storms appeal. All of your gifts are appreciated. In addition many have expressed their active interest in sending VIM teams to the area. Please refrain from doing so during the immediate days ahead since only highly trained and professional teams are on-site at this time. However, we shall covet your help during the weeks and months to come.

The city of Joplin was named after Rev. Harris Joplin, an early Methodist preacher who settled there in 1839. For years, he hosted people in his home and led them in worship, prayer, and singing. His ministry was one of hospitality in the truest sense, and he used his own humble dwelling as a tool for ministry. As far as I know, the building he used no longer exists, but the church community he founded provided the seeds from which dozens of area congregations have sprouted. All of us who are Missouri United Methodists are to some degree the fruit of his ministry.

Tornadoes and hurricanes and floods and fires can take away our beloved and sacred places in a moment’s time, but the love of God that binds us to another is not nearly so vulnerable. God’s persistent and persevering love causes us to reach out to help a neighbor and to embrace strangers and to assist one another in the rebuilding of lives. The church is not the pile of lumber and bricks left after the destroying winds and rains; the church is the gathering of people standing above the rubble unified by the spirit of Christ to love and serve others. The church is the people counseling one another through unfathomable grief and loss. The church is people risking lives for their neighbors and opening their homes to strangers. The church is people across the state and nation and world praying and giving and preparing to offer their best and highest in service to help rebuild lives. The church is alive and vigorous and redeeming. It is grace in every gesture and love in every action. The church is the body of Christ doing the things Jesus did in Jesus’ name today.

Thanks to you, United Methodists will rebuild in Joplin. On behalf of others of our colleagues whose areas have been affected by tornados and floods, I strongly encourage you to lift up the UMCOR Spring Storms appeal. Funds at UMCOR are extraordinarily low right now, and this severely limits our capacity to act quickly and effectively during times of tragedy. Your help is appreciated.

Yours in Christ,
Robert Schnase,
Missouri Conference



HOW YOU CAN HELP

From the office of Creative Ministries-Missouri Conference
Dear Friends,

You have indicated your desire to serve those affected by recent disasters in the state of Missouri via our online form. Our conference is so very grateful for the overwhelming support and encouragement we have received in the wake of the tornado in Joplin. Thank you.

While we are in the coordination phase of this disaster you can expect to receive updates in this format. As volunteer opportunities become available I will share them with you in an email like this. Here are some things for you to know now:

We are currently arranging the utilization of trained Early Response Teams (ERT's). ERT's are individuals or groups who have been through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Basic Training course, have completed their Annual Conference Background Check procedures and have received an UMCOR ERT badge. In the early phases of disaster it is important for us to utilize teams with the knowledge of extreme disaster scenarios, debris removal policies (for insurance companies, FEMA, SEMA, etc.), and with a good understanding of what it means to provide appropriate spiritual and emotional support to disaster survivors. The ERT Basic course equips volunteers to enter a disaster scenario with a solid understanding of these areas. If you are interested in attending an ERT Basic training course contact your local Volunteers in Mission or Disaster Coordinator via your
Jurisdictional Coordinator.

If you are not part of an ERT there are still things you can do now to serve the people of Joplin. In Missouri, through the Festival of Sharing, we are collecting Emergency Clean Up Buckets and Personal Hygiene Packs. Contents of the buckets and packs as well as drop off sites within the state of Missouri can be found
on our website. Emergency Clean Up Buckets can also be donated through UMCOR distribution centers. These kits are needed now and will be for future disasters as well. Monetary donations are especially useful at this time as they can be used for immediate and long term needs. You can make online donations via the Missouri Conference Office of Creative Ministries website at www.umocm.com or through UMCOR's Spring Storm fund.

Joplin, Missouri has been overwhelmed by the generous donations of materials goods, but is struggling with the amount of unaffiliated donations that are being dropped off all the time. Please keep this in mind as you plan your future response to the Joplin disaster.

Thank-you all again for your generous support. Please keep the people of Joplin in your prayers as they work to rebuild their lives.

Blessings,

Audrey Phelps
Missouri Conference
Volunteers in Mission



PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE NEWS


Please visit our UMVIM Disaster Response Facebook page, Facebook.com/umvim.pnwumc, to find links to the latest information on the tornadoes in the mid and south west.


We are not planning to send ERTs to Missouri at the present time. I am trying to make contact with the Disaster Response team in the Missouri Conference to determine how we can best support them.


You do not have to be a member of Facebook to read the entries. You do have to be a member to make a comment or send me a message from Facebook.


Jim Truitt
UMVIM Disaster Response Coordinator
PNW Conference United Methodist Church
253-6301268 (H)
253-797-1680 (C)
jftruitt@comcast.net
Facebook.com/umvim.pnwumc

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

TORNADO HITS UM CHURCHES IN JOPLIN

Joplin Tornado Hits UM Churches

Several UM churches in Joplin, Mo., were scrambling to provide shelter Monday morning for church members and others whose homes were damaged by a tornado on May 22 at 6:00 p.m. At least two churches also suffered extensive damage. The Rev. Christopher Sloan, pastor of Christ’s Community United Methodist Church, serves as a fire department chaplain and had helped set up an emergency medical services response center after the tornado struck. His church, which had power but no water, was open as a shelter and was receiving supplies and volunteers.

A disaster-response team from the Missouri Annual Conference is expected to use the church as its headquarters for tornado response, he said. Sloan confirmed that the sanctuary of another church, St. Paul’s UMC, was destroyed by the tornado, although the rest of the structure remained standing. The conference also reported that St. James UMC was destroyed and the Southwest District office next to it damaged. Members of a church youth group at Byers Avenue UMC, which had minor damage, rode out the tornado in a Sunday school room. The Joplin Globe reported 89 deaths as a result of the tornado. A major hospital, St. John’s Regional Medical Center, took a direct hit from the tornado and has since been vacated. Two firehouses were destroyed.

In a May 23 statement, Missouri Bishop Robert Schnase invited United Methodists “to respond prayerfully, courageously and generously” to the Joplin disaster. “Our hearts and prayers go out to all those who grieve the loss of loved ones and who have suffered the destruction of homes and businesses following Sunday’s devastating tornado in Joplin.” At least 14 UM annual conferences have been affected by tornados or storms this spring. UMs are also responding to deadly tornadoes that touched down over the weekend in Kansas and Minnesota. The twisters left at least one person dead in northern Minneapolis and killed another in Reading, a town of about 250 people in eastern Kansas. Winds ripped off the roof of Reading UMC, and the building may be a total loss.

Make donations online to help UMCOR respond to “Spring Storms 2011.”
—Linda Bloom, UMNS

UMVIM TEAMS & STORMS IN THE SOUTH AND MIDWEST - HOW TO HELP






A cross is all that is left standing of a church in Joplin, MO after the recent storm that hit the city on Sunday. Photo courtesy www.cnn.com.






UMVIM TEAMS SERVING THOSE IN THE MIDWEST AND SOUTH







Due to all the tornadoes and devastation in the Midwest and the South there is a need to begin now to get ready to go and serve in these areas. The need for volunteers will be lasting over these next few years. Currently, only trained Early Responders are going in on behalf of the United Methodist Church and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. However, volunteers will no doubt be needed in time.




If you want to lead an UMVIM team please continue to monitor this site upcoming team leader trainings. In addition, if you want to simply join a future UMVIM team, please note that such postings will also be on this site. In addition, you can connect with your annual conference UMVIM Conference Coordinator listed on the right-hand side of your screen.






The UMVIM WJ office encourages all those who want to help to visit the following websites of annual conferences that have been hit by storms. They are the best places to find out what needs these conferences have. More information will come in on this website as it is received. Thank you all for your service and prayers!








Holston:
Call center: 865-309-9530 and 865-309-9563,
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volEEE/num16/conference-response/

North Alabama:
Call center: 855-862-8657
Monday through Friday, 7am-9pm
Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.northalabamaumc.org/pages/detail/1608




North Georgia:
Call center: 678-533-1443
Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.ngumc.org/




In addition, you can donate to the Spring Storms Relief by clicking here: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ and clicking on US Spring Storms.












Thursday, May 19, 2011

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED; ERT TRAINING IN WASHINGTON; MISSION OPPORTUNITIES; HOW TO HELP ALABAMA & STORM RAVAGED AREAS



Victims of tornado in Alabama. Photo courtesy, www.m.ibtimes.com.




NEWS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED


Boca, Costa Rica
January 23 - February 6, 2012
Team Leader: Rev. Roger Sailors
Medical and Building Team
For more information, email: prs.rrs.2@juno.com

Haiti
August 16-24, 2011
Team Leader: Lisa Pierce
Block construction and relational ministry
Cost is between $1700-$1900 (depending on airline tickets)
Fore more information, email: lisa@arm-al.org

Limon, Honduras
September 13-24, 2011
Team Leader: Keith Kehler
Need: Doctors, PA or ARNP only
Cost: $250 plus airfare, plus hotels, plus food
For more information, email: kkehler@tampabay.rr.com








EMERGENCY RESPONSE TRAINING IN WASHINGTON




If you are interested in becoming part of an emergency response team, you are welcome to a training June 22, 2011 at Kennewick First United Methodist Church. The event will be held from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. For more information please contact Jim Truitt at jftruitt@comcast.net.








MISSION OPPORTUNTIES FROM THE DESERT SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE


Our United Methodist Missionaries to Costa Rica, Becky Harrell and to Chile, John Elmore have opportunities for mission teams to work in their General Board of Global Missionaries projects in both Costa Rica with the Universidad Biblica Latinoamericana building student housing, and in Chile, working at the El Vergel Agricultural School which is part of the Chilean Methodist Church.



You can contact Becky Harrell directly at beckyincostarica@yahoo.com for Costa Rica or John Elmore at JElmore56@yahoo.com . Both are missionaries with the UM GBGM.





HOW TO HELP ALABAMA AND OTHER STORM RAVAGED AREAS


Here is a listing of contacts for those annual conference that have suffered lots of damage as result of the Spring storms, flooding, and tornadoes.




Holston:
Call center: 865-309-9530 and 865-309-9563,
Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5 pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.holston.org/about/communications/the-call/volEEE/num16/conference-response/

North Alabama:
Call center: 855-862-8657
Monday through Friday, 7am-9pm
Saturday, 10am-4pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.northalabamaumc.org/pages/detail/1608



North Georgia:
Call center: 678-533-1443
Monday through Friday, 9am-5pm
Click here for more information:
http://www.ngumc.org/



You can donate to the Spring Storms Relief by clicking here: http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/ and clicking on US Spring Storms.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

UPDATE FOR ALABAMA NEEDS; NEEDS FOR NORTH CAROLINA DUE TO STORM DAMAGE; FUTURE TEAMS

UPDATE FOR NEEDS IN ALABAMA & SURROUNDING AREAS

North Alabama:
-For the latest information from the North Alabama Conference Disaster Response to April 27 storms please visit
www.northalabamaumc.org/storms2011-Also the North Alabama Conference Disaster Response Center is now open.
The toll free number is 855-862-8657.

Alabama West Florida:
-Suspending requests for teams into the Alabama-West Florida Conference for the time being- Are in serious assessment and rolling into recovery, but don't have final framework in place-
-Will be ready to receive outside teams in a couple of weeks.
-Watch for an email requesting help at that time.

North Georgia:
-For the latest information regarding their response, please check:
http://www.ngumc.org/ with current updates.

Mississippi:
-For updates from Rev. David Newton and guidelines for teams, please click here:
http://www.mississippi-umc.org/pages/detail/1185

To Donate:
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/




NEEDS FOR NORTH CAROLINA FROM STORM DAMAGE


Please visit the North Carolina response website for updates.

All twelve districts in the NC Conference suffered some storm damage and in five districts there are areas of extreme damage. Volunteer Emergency Response Teams are needed in several areas. These are the first responders who have been trained and certified for such initial response.

The NC Conference has activated a disaster response coordination center at the MERCI Ministry Center. We immediately need volunteers to help with the telephones and coordination effort. If you have an Early Response Team and would like to help, contact the MERCI Center
Storm Response, 888-440-9167 or 919-739-9167.

Also contact the MERCI Center if you have an UMVIM team who would like to volunteer once we move from the initial response phase to the long-term recovery phase. Please leave your contact information, your skill levels, your equipment capacity, and any other information you wish to tell us. We will contact you and direct you to the area requesting the team. We will have a form listed on our website for this information in the next day or two.

MERCI Center Storm Response has Immediate Needs listed on their
website.



FUTURE TEAMS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY

CARE-A-VANERS Team to S.L.C. Utah UMCOR Depot – April 30 – May 14
Rod Castor leads and serves with Gloria Castor of Sunnyvale - Trinity UMC, Ina Tanner, Marv Tanner, Elaine Hill and Gene Hill of Campbell - Campbell UMC, Susie Caudle and Lynn Caudle of Grass Valley - Sierra Pines UMC, Jeanne Murchie and Jim Murchie of Manteca - St. Paul's UMC.

Los Altos / Palo Alto Team to Haiti – May 8 - 16
Leslie Carmichael leads and serves with Angela Eglen, Mike Polanski and Katie Polanski of Los Altos - Los Altos UMC and David Carmen of Palo Alto - First UMC.


HAITI: Aug 5-13, 2011. Team leader Don Henry of Burlington, IA, 319-752-2357, is seeking three adult Christian US citizens to serve on a 10-person work team in Haiti as part of the UMVIM Haiti Response Plan.Costs: $1,650.00 per person (many congregations help with funds). One extra person with medical skills would be very welcomed! Deadline: extended to May 13.

HUNGARY, Kurtospuszta: July 15-24, 2011. From Central UMC, Lenoir City, TN. We have a mission team going to Hungary and our focus will be working with the Roma by providing a Vacation Bible School camp in the morning, English lessons in the afternoon, and evangelism in the evening. There are also plans to build a 300 meter long fence around the property. We are looking for 8-20 volunteers. To learn more about this opportunity, please contact Linda M. Carty at or 434-594-4938. The cost is $1,950 per person. The cost includes, air fare, insurance, food, local transportation and accommodations.


LIBERIA, GANTA Hospital: January 2012. In conjunction with the Bishop's 3Cs Mission (East Ohio) a medical mission trip is being planned to Ganta Hospital in Liberia for late January 2012. The exact dates are pending, but plan for a 10-14 day trip costing about $3,000. It will be led by Laurie Joyce, R.N., Rev. Dr. Tom Joyce and Dr. Brent Burkey. We are working with the administrator and physicians at Ganta Hospital outlining specific training projects for the staff and community outreach clinics.

LIBERIA, Camphor Mission Opportunities: 2012. Brochure attached. Contact Mentor UMC UMVIM Coordinators for an application. Also with East Ohio's Bishop's 3Cs Mission.

SENEGAL - Senegal Mission Initiative: January 12-22, 2012. Senegal is located on the most western part of Africa and is the size of South Dakota. The Senegal Mission is an initiative of the General Board of Global Ministries and is in need of volunteers. The teams will be general and will aid in repairs to the conference center, construction of a fence and revival services in a new area, work with the mission's prison ministry and health teams as well as meeting women helped by the micro-finance program. Cultural events include a trip to Goree Island and Bandia Game Reserve. Team size is 10 members and we are welcoming all who are interested in a great spiritual experience in a country known for its welcome of strangers. Known for its dynamic culture, friendly people, warm climate and its nickname "Africa for Beginners", Senegal is a secular state with 96% being Muslim. It is ideally located less than 6 ½ hours from New York and offers everything that makes Africa unique in a safe, friendly and comfortable environment. We will work alongside Senegalese with a goal of empowering the already established church leadership. French is the official language but translators are available. For more information contact Karen Ujereh, 504-782-7773 (cell). Karen is the Mission Interpreter in Residence (MIIR) for the North Central Jurisdiction. Brochure attached.



Wednesday, May 4, 2011

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN ALASKA; PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE ERT TRAINING & UPDATE






VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN ALASKA

VBS VIM Team Needed in Nome for Summer 2011



Nome Community UMC is in search of a team to lead VBS this summer in Nome. The possible dates are the evenings of Sunday, June 12 through Thursday, June 16 or Sunday, July 31 through Thursday, August 4. The team planning to come to Nome is unable to come after all this summer. Nome Community UMC would still like to host VBS this summer. We had 55 kids register for VBS in 2009 and 72 kids register in 2010. In order to keep this vital program going, we need your help to lead VBS and teach this many kids. We are looking for a minimum of 4 people on the team. Six or more people would be ideal. Please prayerfully consider this opportunity. If you are interested in bringing a team, please contact Pastor Julie Yoder Elmore at church@cumcnome.org or by calling her cell at (907) 304-2105.









PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE ERT TRAINING & UPDATE


On June 22, 2011 there will be an ERT Training Course led by UMVIM Conference Co-Coordinator Jim Truitt. So far, the Pacific Northwest Conference has 70 members trained as ERTs (Emergency Responders). If you are interested in becoming an ERT please contact Jim Truitt at jftruitt@comcast.net.

Monday, May 2, 2011

NEWS FROM UMCOR ON TORNADO RESPONSE



Tornado damage in Alabama. Photo courtesy blog.al.com.


NEWS FROM UMCOR (UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF) ON TORNADO RESPONSE




“Love your neighbor as yourself.” So simple. So powerful. So much at the heart of who we are as United Methodists. Does it make you wonder... who is my neighbor?
In Alabama and across the US South, survivors of this year’s historic spring storm season are still reeling. After the latest of these super storms raged through the region on April 27, killing hundreds and injuring many more, countless families now find themselves homeless and in need of care.



Your faithful giving enables UMCOR to be the hands and feet of Jesus to respond with compassion to storm-affected families. It is only with your commitment that we are able to help families recover, rebuild and restore lives back to normal.
Can you show your love to your neighbor with a donation to UMCOR?



Disasters start like any day... you, me, our neighbors... we live, we work, we play. Then the unexpected... the water rises, the winds swirl, the flames leap and before we know it... everything’s gone.



Who is there for you? Who is there for your neighbors? UMCOR: The United Methodist Committee on Relief.



Your donation today to UMCOR’s Spring Storms 2011 joins with thousands around the country – your neighbors – to relieve the suffering of those who started their days just like you and me... and never expected it to end so very differently. And better yet... when you make your gift to UMCOR, all of it, 100% of the funds go to disaster service – none to administrative expenses.






-Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey



Deputy General Secretary, UMCOR