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

Friday, September 27, 2013

ERT TEAMS INVITED TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN CONFERENCE TO HELP WITH FLOOD RELIEF


 
ERT TRAINED TEAMS INVITED TO COLORADO FOR FLOOD RELIEF

 
 
Gary Haddock, the Rocky Mountain Conference Disaster Response Coordinator has officially requested that ERT trained teams be sent to Colorado to help with flood relief.  If you are an ERT trained team volunteer, please send an email to RMCResponse@rmcumc.com and please put "Attn: Nancy" in your email.  Please stay tuned to this website for further information.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

CHURCH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WEST; COLORADO UPDATE ; FUTURE TEAMS


CHURCH LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE WEST
NOVEMBER 13-16, 2013
 
On behalf of the Western Jurisdiction Congregational Development/New Church Starts Committee, this is an open invitation to attend the New Church Leadership Institute West, November 13-16, 2013 at Lake Merritt UMC in Oakland, CA.  The online registration is now open at https://calnev-reg.brtapp.com/NewChurchLeadershipInitiative.  Registration is $250 through November 4.  The preferred hotel for lodging is Oakland Marriot City Center for the discounted rate of $119 per night through October 23.  For more information please contact Rev. Bener Agtarap at (916)374-1581 or at benera@calnevumc.org.  Or you may contact Laddie Perez-Galang at mamcita@pacbell.net
 
 
 
COLORADO UPDATE

 
To date, there has not yet been an invitation by the Rocky Mountain Conference for Early Response Team volunteers (ERT) or any other volunteers at this time.  Assessment is taking place and the conference is not yet prepared to receive volunteers from outside Colorado.  Many United Methodist Church properties were damaged by the flooding.  They will need help getting rebuilt so that they can in turn assist their communities.  For now, volunteers are being asked to not self-deploy from outside the state in response to this emergency.  Colorado VOAD indicated that regional volunteers are providing hospitality to families displaced by the disaster and that conditions are not yet ready for additional volunteers to come.
 
For now, you may make a cash donation to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670.  This is the most effective and immediate way you can support relief and recovery efforts following a disaster.  Please put this offering in you local church offering plate.  You may also assemble cleaning buckets and other relief kits.  Please visit www.umcor.org for information on how to assemble these buckets and kits.
 
 
FUTURE TEAMS

 
 
Cambodia February 7-18, 2014 - Interested in serving in Cambodia?  The Oregon-Idaho Conference has received an invitation from Cambodia to send UMVIM teams there.  The team is limited to twelve members.  You do not need to be a United Methodist to participate.  The estimated cost is $2600.  This will include airfare, meals, housing, project fees, insurance and noted sightseeing.  This team will be led by Dee Poujade.  You may contact Dee at traveling.mimi@gmail.com or at 503-310-5577 for this amazing opportunity.
 
 
 
Kenya July 3-15, 2014 to work in Maua at the Maua Methodist Hospital and Meru to work in with schools and outreach programs.  Please contact one of the following team leaders for more information.  They are Louise and Jamie Kienzie at 541-620-0989 or kienzle.louise@gmail.com.  You may also contact Rev. Kate Conolly at revkat1@mac.com or t 503-559-8354 and Martin and Kathy Kannen at kmdannen@centurytel.net
 

 

 


Wednesday, September 18, 2013

WESTERN JURISDICTION DISASTER ACADEMY AND UPCOMING TRAININGS

 
WESTERN JURISDICTION DISASTER ACADEMY AND UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS

 
 
 
The first Disaster Academy to be held in the Western Jurisdiction will be held March 3-6, 2014 in Federal Way, WA.  This is a time where classes will be offered for those interested in how to put their faith in to action as they help respond to emergencies often due to natural disasters such as fires, floods, and earthquakes.  Trainers from UMCOR will teach some of the courses as well as others who have served as UMVIMers (United Methodist Volunteers in Mission) volunteers.
 
If you are interested in more information and registration for the event, please stay tuned to this website.  You may also contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net.
 
 
 
TRAINING EVENTS
 
 
The Pacific Northwest Conference will be holding two ERT (Early Response Team) training events.  One will be held October 26, 2013 at Bellevue First UMC in Bellevue, WA.  The second will be held November 9, 2014 at Salmon Creek UMC in Vancouver, WA.  Both trainings will be from 8:30 - 4:30.  If you are interested, please contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net.
 
 
ERT Teams come in before UMVIM teams in response to disaster recovery work and persons who are interested in serving on an ERT team must receive ERT training and take and pass a test at the end of the training.
 
 

 
 


UPDATES AND NEWS ON COLORADO FLOODING RESPONSE; VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, TRAININGS AND OTHER VOLUNTEER NEWS

UPDATE AND NEWS ON COLORADO FLOODING RESPONSE

 
 
Currently, the Rocky Mountain Annual Conference where Colorado is located, has not yet officially requested or invited ERT (Early Response) teams or UMVIM volunteer teams yet to come in to the conference to respond to the flooding.  Right now, agencies in Colorado have started the debris/muckout and cleanup efforts in some areas but mostly assessment the damage and needs is still ongoing.  ERT teams in Colorado are beginning to organize so that when the invite comes they can be ready to respond.
 
Below is news from the COVOAD (Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster):
 
 
Thanks to all of the agencies that are ready to start the debris/muckout
and cleanup efforts.  If you have registered with Crisis Cleanup you
should be able to start canvasing and signing up clients.  Before going
into the disaster affected neighborhoods you need to check in with the ICP
or the EOC.  We are trying to reach out to the EOC's with a list of valid
debris agencies to ensure your entry.  Boulder County is NOT ready to
receive clean up help.  When the county is ready they will send a request to the state.  That request will come to COVOAD and at that time we can let you know that it is time to start working Boulder County.   All of the groups that will be going into the affected areas including American Red Cross and The Salvation Army should also register with CrisisCleanup. This will allow you to do client intake for cleanup while in the field.  211 operators will be available for crisis cleanup client intake so if you have no way to get the information entered you can tell the client to call 211.  
 
We will be present in all of the disaster assistance centers to do
intake as well.  Thank you for your cooperation in this massive cleanup
effort!
 
- Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (COVOAD)
Phone: 202-656-8623 (20C-OLO-VOAD)
Twitter: @covoad

Photo courtesy www.nydailynews.com
 
 
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES, TEAM LEADER TRAINING EVENTS AND OTHER VOLUNTEER NEWS
 
Team Leader Training: Aldersgate UMC in Tustin, CA on September 21, 2013.  Contact Jennifer Demaree at thedemarees@gmail.com for more information.
 
 
Team to Haiti:  November 5-13, 2013.  The team is seeking three additional team members to serve in putting a roof on a church. Cost is $1500 per person. For more information, please email Craig Parker at wmscraig@aol.com.
 
 
Sandy Relief in Greater New Jersey Conference: They need volunteers for the last two weeks in October to serve with recovery efforts.  For more information, please see their website at http://afuturewithhope.org/ or email Lisa Park at lisapark@futurewithhope.org.
 
 
Chile Gathering: September 2014 at Mt. Hermon Christian Conference Center near Santa Cruz, CA.  Learn, fellowship, and celebrate mission service in Chile from former missionaries to Chile, Beryl and Stan Moore and others.  For more information and registration please email Beryl and Stan Moore at berylstan@aol.com
 


Elk Grove UMC Volunteers in Crisfield, Maryland
From Cal-Nevada Conference
 
 
 
In the picture, shown left to right: Kathy La Point-Collup, Steve Collup, Giles; Mary Popish, Bruce and  Bonnie McKinnie, Jean and Lyn Hawkins and Patsy Hopkins.

 
An Elk Grove United Methodist Church Volunteers in Mission (VIM) Team just returned from Crisfield, Maryland as Disaster Response Team Volunteers.
 
Crisfield, a small fishing community (population 2,700) on the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay, suffered a huge tidal surge when Hurricane Sandy hit shore last October and until recently, was largely overlooked. Through the Peninsula-Delaware Annual Conference Disaster Response Ministry, a center has been set up in Crisfield to help the residents with local recovery efforts.
 
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has helped with funding and consulting. Volunteer housing has been set up in two local United Methodist Churches (bunk beds, showers, kitchen, etc.) to make it easy for teams to find housing. Materials and tools are provided for the volunteer teams--financial donations, of course, are always welcome. A Construction Supervisor is on hand to assist and oversee volunteer teams.
 
The Elk Grove team was involved with re-roofing, dry walling, taping and mudding at one home while most members of the family were living elsewhere until the home was safe and secure again. They also finished up minor projects in two others homes where families had recently moved back in. "It was a wonderful time sharing the love of God through the physical work of re-building a home," noted the Rev. Kathy La Point-Collup, pastor of Elk Grove UMC.
 
However, there are 300 homes that still need assistance. Volunteer teams are needed for demolition, framing, flooring, roofing, dry walling, mudding, painting and much more.
 
To learn more about volunteering in Crisfield, please contact Anika Jackson, volunteer coordinator at umcorteamcrisfield@comcast.net and indicate your interest in volunteering.
 

 


 
 
 


Sunday, September 15, 2013

COLORADO FLOODS - UMVIM UPDATE

COLORADO FLOODS
How You Can Help


As most of you know there is major flooding in Colorado. Some news reports have called it a "1,000 year flood".  It is still too soon to know what kind of support will be needed.

Recently, the website http://www.helpcoloradonow.org/ has been activated and is being published as a place for the public to get information as a way to volunteer.  In addition, the website, http://www.crisiscleanup.org will be used as the tool to arrange teams to assist homeowners with cleanup and debris needs.  Please be patient as we need to wait until the various emergency management organizations have completed their work in assessments before the crisiscleanup.org site is operational.

In addition, there are now 919 flood kits at the UMCOR Depot in Salt Lake City which can be sent out.  There are also about 35,000 kits available at Sager Brown.  It has been reported that there are already 14 pallets of flood buckets available in Colorado Springs which can alleviate immediate needs.

This website will be updated as more news is received so that you might know how best to respond and help.  In addition, please check out the UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) at www.umcor.org for further information.