“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 - NIV Medical & Connectional team serving the Ray of Hope Foundation in Kenya May 22 – June 5 Team leader Craig Wood of Glide UMC – San Francisco will be leading a team of doctors, nurses, teachers, photographers, videographers and social workers to work with the Ray of Hope Foundation. The mission of this non-profit organization is to promote health, healing, medicine and education to the global community through the exchange of volunteers, technology, training, medical supplies and educational programming. Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley Connectional Team to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia May 24 - 31 Team leader Terry Won of Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley will be leading a team of volunteers to Mongolia to do eye glass fittings and consultations as well as a photo ministry for locals in need. He will be joined by Taehwa Park, Benson Choi, Kiok Choi, Sunghwan Pae, Jonathan Shinn, Angela Shinn and Steve Park, all from Korean UMC of Santa Clara Valley. Care – A – Vaners construction team works in Mt. Shasta, CA: May 26 - June 3 Rod and Gloria Castor head up yet another group of enthusiastic volunteers who will go in mission, living out of their RVs while working on projects throughout California-Nevada Conference. The Care-A-Vaners have done exceptional work this year already at Laton UMC, The East Salinas Family Center and other locations. Please post this Prayer Request in your home, office, church or car…anywhere that you’ll be reminded to offer prayers of support and for the safety for these United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. * Individual Volunteer Training If you are interested in being an Individual Volunteer (IV) serving as a short-term missionary from 2 months to 2 years you are welcome to attend the IV Training. It will be held at Aldresgate Retreat Center in Pacific Palisades, CA June 25-28, 2009. For more information please contact Heather Wilson at umvimwj@hotmail.com or at 818-333-6730 or Landon Taylor at ltaylor@gbgm-umc.org. * NEWS FROM INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEER SERVING IN GEORGIA Hello everyone, It is spring in Tbilisi and lilacs are for sale everywhere. My students keep me supplied with big bunches of them so my apartment smells nice and fresh. There are wisteria blooming across the street and they are climbing right up the telephone line to the next apartment building. I have started my new project at one of the orphanages and put together a group of my students to go there two days a week and teach some classes there. They will teach English, of course, German, Georgian culture, and perhaps most importantly health and first aid. All of my new teachers are very excited. I was able to help one of my friends get a job as a "driver and personal assistant" to an American family. I'm thinking I should be starting my own employment agency here as I have helped so many people find jobs. The breast cancer walk is on Sunday so along with Vic and Tiko, I am busily preparing for that. I am the Survivor Event chairperson. My friend Deanna sewed up some cute little pink ribbon bags that the women will receive full of goodies, my favorite bakery is "donating" a big pink ribbon cake, we will have flowers for the women and some of my students will do manicures for the women. Vic is in charge of the 5K run and my running team will participate in it. Women here tend to ignore things like breast cancer because they consider it a death sentence and by ignoring it they think it will just go away. They are ashamed, embarrassed etc. so we are trying to turn that attitude around. The Komen Foundation is one of the big sponsors of this event. My Youth House graduation party will be next Wednesday. I have so many students that we have moved the event to a much bigger facility. Last year it was pandamonium because there wasn't enough room for the parents to even watch their children perform. I sponsored a writing contest for my students and they could choose between someone on peace and tolerance or on "Is There God in Georgia?" It has been interesting reading there perspectives on these challenging topics.I head for the states on the 16th and am bringing three of my runners with me. They will run the Bolder Boulder 10K in Colorado, a 5K in Wisconsin and hopefully something in Missouri. While I am gone, Tiko will be taking four other girls to Baku Azerbaijan to participate in a muli-country school track meet. Georgians don't need visas to go to Baku so it is cheap and easy for them to do that but none of the girls have been to Azerbaijan which is a Muslim country. I hope you are all doing well and enjoying spring. Love and peace,Kathy * UMVIM NEWS & EVENTS TEXAS - Hurricane Recovery, June 6-14 - You are invited to join Sunrise United Methodist Church, which is hosting an UMCOR Hurricane Ike Relief trip to Galveston June 6 – 14. We have 30 – 40 from Sunrise going but have room for 70. Please join us! Trip is open to High School through Adult and the cost is $400 which includes transportation and floor space at a church (air mattresses are fine). Deadline to apply is May 16 at the training session (8am – noon, Fellowship Hall, Sunrise Briargate Campus). For more information call Matt Lurz, at 598-7013 x29 or email mattl@sunriseumc.com. Alternate contact, Teri Alcorn, 598-7013 x33, teria@sunriseumc.com 2) HEALTH and SCHOOL KITS for new UMCOR Depot in Salt Lake City - Be part of the exciting work of UMCOR! At Annual Conference, which starts June 17, we will be collecting UMCOR health and school kits for distribution to people in need all over the world. BEGIN TODAY collecting items for kits and send them with your pastor or lay delegate to Annual Conference! See attached flier for details or visit http://www.umcor.org/ 3) BRIDGE of LOVE OFFERING - Again this year, the Bridge of Love Offering will be taken at Annual Conference. BEGIN TODAY collecting change to send with your pastor or delegate to Annual Conference! The offering will go to support our sister conferences in Angola, particularly young people, and for the new UMCOR Depot in Utah. 4) UMVIM TEAM LEADER TRAINING - Wednesday, June 17, Redlands UMC, Grand Junction, 1-4 pm. Contact Ann Fort, annfort8269@comcast.net to register. 5) DISASTER PREPAREDNESS/RESPONSE Training - Wednesday, June 17, Redlands UMC, Grand Junction, 1-4 pm. Learn how your church can prepare for a disaster and how the United Methodist Church responds to disasters. Contact Rev. Gary Haddock, pastor@rumcgj.com, 970-245-1478. 6) MISSIONS Dinner, Friday June 19, Conference Center, Grand Junction, CO, 5:30 - 6:30 pm. You are invited to this dinner, even if you do not attend Annual Conference. Keynote speaker will be Rev. Paul Jeffreys, award-winning author, photographer, and United Methodist Missionary, who writes about the work of the church around the world. He recently published, "Where Mercy Fails: Darfur's Struggle to Survive." Cost is $25. If you are not attending Annual Conference, please register for the dinner with Betsy Keyack, bkeyack@att.net by June 1. * UMCOR TO PROVIDE ERT (EARLY RESPONDER) BADGES After much consideration and conversation, a process is now in place for all upcoming authorized ERT trainees to have their badges made by UMCOR. Conferences may also continue to make and use their own ERT badges if desired. The guidelines have been distributed to all currently authorized UMCOR trainers. This message is to summarize the procedure so that you, too, may understand the process. UMCOR wishes to thank the jurisdictional representatives who helped in the finalization of this process. They are listed at end of this notice. SUMMARY Badge process begins May 1, 2009 To qualify for the initial UMCOR ERT badge, a participant must: · Attend the complete basic class led by an authorized trainer |
* MALARIA FIGHT CONTINUES IN SIERRA LEONE
United Methodists are taking on a new challenge to provide every child under five years-old in Sierra Leone with a long-lasting insecticide treated bed net. These nets will provide protection from malaria for those most vulnerable to the deadly disease.
To kick off the effort to raise sufficient funds for the proposed November 2009 net distribution, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is issuing a $200,000 challenge grant from its newly-established Anne Ryckman Fund.
UMCOR President, Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of Houston announced the grant and the challenge to the denomination's Council of Bishops, meeting in Bethesda, Maryland on May 6. The challenge is to United Methodist annual (regional) conferences and districts to match the funds. Many bishops responded to the challenge with personal donations totaling more than $1,000.
Take up the challenge to cover Sierra Leone with bed nets and save thousands of lives. Give today to Nothing But Nets, UMCOR Advance #982015. Every gift to this Advance between now and June 30, 2009, will go to save lives in Sierra Leone.
