HAPPY THANKSGIVING ; UMC #MATCHNG TUESDAY

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU!

 

 

On behalf of the UMVIM WJ office and UMVIM Conference Coordinators, we wish you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving!  We are so very grateful for your support and participation in the UMVIM ministry here in the Western Jurisdiction.  To see God working through all of the volunteers is simply amazing.  God is so good.  Thank you!

 

 

 

How Will You Give This Season? Double your impact. Gifts made online through The Advance on UMC #GivingTuesday will be matched dollar for dollar on December 3rd*. On this very special day, give through The Advance, the designated giving arm of The United Methodist Church, and extend your generosity through this matching opportunity. Visit www.umcmission.org/give to search the more than 850 missions and ministries that are supported through The Advance. UMVIM WJ is an Advance Special.  As always, 100 percent of your gift will reach the project you designate. Your online gift to mission through The Advance will be matched dollar for dollar!

www.umcmission.org/give



VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN GALENA, ALASKA; UPDATE ON TORNADO RECOVERY IN MIDWEST

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN GALENA, ALASKA

SPRING 2014

 

 

 



 

I met with representatives from FEMA and the State of Alaska on 11.11.13 to discuss plans for the continued recovery in Galena, AK. Below are the notes I took from this meeting.

 

The bottom line is FEMA is going to offer UMVIM invitational travel again next spring to complete the recovery work we began in August 2013. As of this meeting, our task will be to assemble approximately 9 kit houses and repair approximately 20 houses (I say approximately because the numbers seem to change frequently). Samaritan's Purse will assume responsibility for the non-FEMA authorized builds and repairs. 

 

Work will begin June 1, 2014, weather dependent, and FEMA and the State are targeting a completion date of Sept. 1, 2014. We will spend the next couple of  months making detailed plans for work sequencing, project management, supplies procurement, transportation, communication and recruiting volunteers. This response will demand skilled volunteers with experience in building and repairing homes. We will not be able to accommodate those who do not have these skills. 

 

The volunteers will receive round trip airfare to Fairbanks, AK, a charter flight to and from Galena, AK, and housing and food in Galena as part of the invitational travel. All tools, equipment and supplies will be provided by FEMA or the State of Alaska. 

 

The 82 volunteers that made the trip to Galena this summer accomplished a tremendous amount of work under difficult circumstances. Our goal is to make next summer's accomplishments even greater with less stress and better organization. 

 

I encourage you to spread that word and help us recruit the most qualified volunteers possible. There's a lot of work to do in a short period of time.

 

I will be the coordinator again next year. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to let me know.

 

Thank you for your support this summer and I look forward to your help next spring.

 

 

Jim Truitt UMVIM Disaster Response Coordinator
PNW Conference United Methodist Church
23441 147th Ave SE
Kent, WA 98042
253-630-1268 (H)
253-797-1680 (C)       Facebook.com/umvim.pnwumc
@PNWERT

 

FROM THE NORTH CENTRAL JURISDICTION UMVIM OFFICE

UPDATE ON TORNADO RECOVERY IN THE MIDWEST

 

 

 

The aftermath of the storms in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan is horrendous and the effected area is spread out - adding a different wrinkle to recovery efforts.

 

I just talked to Christy Blickensderfer in Illinois Great Rivers Conference office this morning (Nov 21).

 

• There are a few efforts around the different cities for cleanup - District ERT teams are working in Coal City, Gifford and Brookport by invite.
• The city of Washington, IL has been shut down, closed off - no one allowed in at this time  - they are reeling from the impact and need to set up their VOAD (Volunteers Active in Disaster) committees, system and plan.  They cannot handle volunteers yet.  Lots of conversations are occurring.
• llinois Great Rivers has many folks trained in ERT so the invite may not go out to other conferences, we wait  and see ... perhaps Washington, later.
• Continue to ask church members for health and cleaning kits and prayers and money.

 

The Northern Illinois e-news that just came in this morning has a great layout of four options for giving and information so I am just going to refer you to that.  Visit this webpage.

 

Jim Byerly, DRC for Indiana offers this note:" Indiana has 28 different tornado touchdown locations.  We are still assessing the situation, but as soon as I know more, I will let you know.  We gladly accept prayers, and  I hope to get more information out, probably Monday or Tuesday."

UPDATE ON TYPHOON HAIYAN AND TORNADOES IN THE MIDWEST



UMCOR Philippines volunteers and staff loaded a cargo truck of relief goods which carried rice, oil, salt, brown sugar, beans, sardines, cooking oil, coffee, and water purification tablets for survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, which struck the Philippines on Nov. 8. About 1,500 families, or 7,500 people, benefitted from the relief packages.

A caravan of three UMCOR vehicles carrying the vital supplies journeyed to the northern part of the country and onto the archipelago, through about 10 provinces, to reach survivors in the hard-hit city of Tacloban in Leyte Province. The distribution took place Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Thanks to the generous outpouring of United Methodists, this is just the first of several shipments UMCOR anticipates making to assist the survivors,” said the Rev. Jack Amick, in an UMCOR release. Amick is UMCOR’s assistant general secretary for International Disaster Relief, who traveled with the caravan to distribute supplies.

Typhoon Haiyan destroyed more than 250,000 homes and impacted more than 11 million people across 44 provinces. At least 3,500 people were killed in the super storm known locally as Yolanda.

United Methodists are encouraged to support relief efforts by donating generously to International Disaster Response Advance #982450 where 100 percent of your gift will support disaster survivors in need.

UMVIM Volunteers have not yet been invited to come and serve.  When they are invited, they will be needed for the next several years to help the rebuild efforts.



 

Please pray for those affected by severe weather which spawned an outbreak of tornadoes around several Midwest states on Sunday, Nov. 17. The tornadoes left widespread damage and killed about eight people. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee were all affected by severe weather, but the most widespread damage occurred in the town of Washington, 140 miles southwest of Chicago, where a powerful EF-4 tornado destroyed or damaged an estimated 250-500 homes, according to news reports. UMCOR has reached out to affected annual conferences to assess immediate needs.


TYPHOON HAIYAN

Typhoon Haiyan

 

 

 

Our prayers and thoughts are lifted up for all in the Philippines who were affected by the recent typhoon. 

 

At this time, UMVIM teams are not requested or encouraged to serve. Teams will be sent for long-term recovery at a later date. 

 

Please continue to be in prayer for the first-responders and all who might have lost loved ones. 

 

Also, please consider making a donation to the International Disaster Response Advance #982450

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND NEWS

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND NEWS



PRAYERS REQUESTED FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM CAL-NEVADA CONFERENCE

Retired Clergy Team to New Orleans, Louisiana (Hurricane Recovery) - November 1 - 9 Nadine Dewitt of Sparks, NV - Sparks UMC, leads and serves with John Sublett of Sparks, NV - Sparks UMC, Joan Wheeler of Colusa UMC, Nancy Schwartz of Bakersfield - FUMC, Mary Stegall of Redding UMC, Carol Olmstead of Placerville UMC, Carl Thomas of Sacramento FUMC, Sandra Roberts  of Turlock UMC, Rejean Idzeroa of Sonoma UMC , Joe Hurd of Philedephia UMCs and Betty Pagett.

Montague UMC Team to Salt Lake City, Utah (UMCOR Depot) - November 2 - 9 Matt Barber of Montague UMC leads and serves with Joe Morgan, Mark Peterson, Terry Barber, Sheila Morgan of Montague UMC, Vickie Maplesden of Yreka UMC and Teddy Walton.

Livermore - Asbury UMC Team to Birmingham, Alabama - November 2 - 9 Roger Everett of Livermore – Asbury UMC leads and serves with Dick Crawford, Sharmyn Crawford, Linda Evans, Tim Evans, Bob Hoffman, Coleman Johnson and Larry Suter of Livermore - Asbury UMC and Joan Pell of Byron UMC.

PUMA Cluster Team to New Orleans, Louisiana (Hurricane Recovery) - November 9 - 16 Pam Kurtz leads and serves with Jameliah Bates, Lagi S Kasiano, Tim Pokrywka, Craig Pokrywka, Steve Coneff, Mary Ata of Hope UMC - South San Francisco, Jordon Robb, Dawn Bradfield, Nailasikau Mateialona, Viliami Mateialona of San Mateo - Hillsdale UMC, Walt Manuofetoa,  Lesieli Fangupo, Ateliana Finau, Sela Wolfgramm, Sioeli Tangimana,Ilaisaane Vea, Mele Latu Taulahi, Tevita Vaikona of San Bruno - First Tongan UMC, Judy Riedy and Foakautuu Mafileo of Crystal Springs UMC, Alifaleti Latu and Ofa Manu of San Carlos - Fale Hufanga UMC.

Elk Grove UMC Team to Salt Lake City, Utah (UMCOR Depot) - November 18 - 22 Kathy LaPoint-Collup of leads and serves with Merrylyn Hebert, Lisa Olsen, Jean Sadler, Faye Corrin, Terry Patterson-Hale, Bonnie McGraw, Owen Mosburg, Ted Spaugy, Victoria Yanes and Ashley Wolfe-Yenowine of Elk Grove UMC, Judy Klein and Joan Cunningham of Linden UMC.

Individual Volunteers
Warren McGuffin of Alamo - San Ramon Valley UMC continues to serve in Haiti.
Viri Batiratu of Centennial UMC continues to serve in partnership with Fiji.

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Western Jurisdiction Disaster Academy :

“From Despair to Care!”

Western Jurisdiction Disaster Academy Schedule

March 3-6^th, 2014

 

Please mark you calendars for the first ever Disaster Academy here in the Western Jurisdiction held in Federal Way, WA!  For more information please contact Jim Truitt at umvimdisasterresponse@comcast.net

 

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A big THANK YOU to Jim Truitt, UMVIM Co-Coordinator for Pacific

Northwest Conferencefor his amazing leadership in responding to the flooding in Galena, Alaska in coordinating volunteers to serve in the recovery efforts there!  Jim, along with UMVIM, received recognition of appreciation from FEMA as well.  Thank you to all the volunteers who served!!!!!!

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We are excited to announce news of the Young People in Mission event starting in 2014! Young People in Mission is a camp experience with hands-on mission opportunities for youth and young adults. It is led by a Design Team made up of students in high school and college. The dates for 2014 have been set for June 29-July 3 and the event will be held at Lake Junaluska.  For more information please visit www.umvim.org.

 

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Trip to the Holy Land: April 27-May 9, 2014. $3500 which includes airfare, transportation, accommodations, guide, meals. For more information, please email Rev. Kristen Brown at encounter@methodist-jer.org. 
 

 

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Raise the Roof Project: June 22-28, 2014, June 29-July 5, 2014. For students who have completed grades 8-12. Home Repair Ministry in Mobile, AL. $230 per person. For more information, email Jan Bailey at thertrproject@gmail.com.

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Announcing 
www.BuzzKills.net
Cal-Pac's Imagine No Malaria Site!

We are so pleased to present the newest resource for the California-Pacific Conference: our own Imagine No Malaria website.
Take a moment this morning to read stories from our conference, browse our resources, and learn what kinds of fundraisers, programs and events are happening throughout this region.