TRAININGS & OTHER NEWS

UMVIM TRAINING NEWS

EARLY RESPONSE TEAM (ERT) training - April 17, 2010, 9 am to 5 pm, south Denver area. ERT's are self-sufficient teams that help in the relief phase of a disaster, e.g., debris removal, installing tarps on roofs, or any jobs requested by the community experiencing a disaster. To sign up, contact Betsy Keyack, bkeyack@att.net

2) UMVIM Team Leader Training, May 8, 2010, First UMC Loveland, CO, 9 am to Noon. To sign up, contact Betsy Keyack, bkeyack@att.net

3) HAITI - plans are underway for hosting volunteer teams. The first teams from the Rocky Mountain Conference will be led by Rev. Jon Laughlin, pastorjon@bresnan.net. Dates are still TBD. Contact Jon to see what openings he has. In the near future, team leaders to Haiti must have prior experience in Haiti. Please also send your name to Betsy Keyack if you are interested in serving in Haiti so she can connect you with a future team.

4) UMVIM Leadership Team - we have some terrific people who have signed up for our new UMVIM Leadership Team, starting July 1, 2010. If you might want to join our team, contact Betsy Keyack and she will send you a job description for the team.

OTHER TRAININGS OUTSIDE THE WESTERN JURISDICTION BUT OPEN TO ALL

INDIANA - April 10, 2010: Early Response Team Training, Mexico New Life UMC. 8:30 - 4:30. Cost: $25, includes snacks, lunch and materials. Contact: Gary Peterson, 260 437-1310 or Bonnie Albert, Indiana UMVIM Coordinator, 219-464-1447. Trainer is Rick Hill, UMCOR consultant.

WEST OHIO, Saturday, May 15, 2010, Early Response Team Training - This class, limited to 35 students, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Maumee United Methodist Church, 405 Sackett St, Maumee, OH 43537. Coffee and donuts available at 8:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending this class, please send registration information & $25.00 check to Julie Bassett, West Ohio Conference UMC, 32 Wesley Blvd., Worthington, OH 43085-3585, 1-800-437-0028.

· Registration Information needed: Name, Address, City, State, Zip, Phone, email.
· Checks payable to: West Ohio Annual Conference - UMC (ERT in memo line).

May 15, 2010 - Chain Saw Training Course - Starts 9:00 AM, Pine Lake UM Camp. Limited to 10-15 beginners or experienced cutters with emphasis on safety and working with basic hazards evaluation. Anyone using a chain saw as a volunteer for UMVIM must have certified training! Taught by Nathan Stanford, an Independent

Chain Saw Safety Trainer. Course will cover:
1. Personal protective equipment
2. Equipment inspection / safe handling of equipment
3. Chain sharpening
4. Basic hazard evaluation / storm damage
5. Tree felling evaluation
6. Working with trees and branches under spring pressureBring: helmet, ear and eye protection.

Also bring work boots, gloves, chaps and chain saw if you have them. Dress for the weather. You will receive a wallet card for participating or attending a basic chain saw safety course.

Cost: $35.00, includes lunch.
Register by May 7, 2010. Please send your name, address, Phone, email address, and money (Check made out to VIM Camps.) to: Chuck Wedemeyer, 8389 N. Ivy St., Brown Deer, WI 53223, 414-354-8285,

WEST MICHIGAN - May 22, 2010: Lansing District Early Response Team Training - Crossroads UMC (Williamston) is hosting Early Response Team training for the Lansing District. Below are links to the conference website. For more information, please contact Jeremy Wicks, West Michigan Conference ERT Trainer, 517-980-6855. Registration is limited.

West Michigan: TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES OR EARLY RESPONSE TEAM information.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS - April 3, 2010: Conference Office in Elgin, IL. Starts 9:00 AM, promptly. Contact Jane Dunn, 630-605-1020Conference trainer for information.

MICHIGAN Area Festival of Opportunities - April 10, 2010: Brighton, MI. Contact: John Walls, Detroit Conference UMVIM Coordinator, 734-282-5930,

ILLINOIS GREAT RIVERS - April 10, 2010: This training is to prepare teams to go to Haiti when the time is right! Training will be in Springfield at the Conference Center. Contact: Christy Blickensderfer, Conference office, 217-529-2473, to register. Deadline: Wed. March 31st. Cost: $20.00 per person covers lunch and materials.

RX Consultation May 7-9, 2010 : President of Haiti Methodist Church Guest Speaker

You are invited to our next educational and inspirational consultation for medical UMVIM teams. The consultation will be held at Walnut Hills United Methodist Church, 12321 HickmanUrbandale, IA 50323.

The overall theme is Community Based Primary Health Care (CBPHC) - How you can take some teaching tools and techniques with you into your medical mission field and leave them for the empowerment of the local leaders.

Workshops and talks on topics for UMVIM teams include incorporating spiritual formation into team dynamics, learning about diseases of poverty, tips for CBPHC, packing tips, medical professionals as Individual Volunteers, how solar ovens work as self-help tools, medical teams gear up to serve in Colombia, Nigeria, Haiti and elsewhere, Safe Sanctuary concerns and many other opportunities to learn and share your work in mission!

Special breakout workshops:
Friday - all day, Haiti information meeting with Rev. Gesner Paul, President, Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti)

Saturday - a session for Parish Nurses

Saturday - UMVIM Team Leadership Training

Please click on the the link below to register!
Register Now!

TEAM LEADER TRAINING; FUTURE TEAMS; HELPFUL WEBSITES; UMCOR IN THE PHILIPPINES

Photo: Volunteers hand out food in Philippines. Read more about work there below....Photo courtesy, umcor.org.

* TEAM LEADER TRAINING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

The UMVIM Leadership Team will be conducting two Volunteer In Mission Team Leader Trainings on December 5, 2009 at First UMC of Olympia. Topics to be discussed will be the UM Connection, insurance, safe sanctuary requirements and background checks.1) TEAM LEADER TRAINING for National/International Mission10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.Fees: $20 for the manual

2) TEAM LEADER TRAINING for Conference Projects10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.Fees: none First UMC of Olympia1224 Legion Way SEOlympia, WA 98501-1655(360) 943-2661 If you are interested in registering for either class,e-mail Ronda Cordill, r_cordill@hotmail.comor call (509) 235-5466.

* FUTURE TEAMS TO GUATAMALA, ANGOLA, LOUISINA, SIERRA LEONE, KENYA, CAMBODIA & HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR VOLUNTEERS

1) Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana - Summer, 2010 (1 week trips during June 6 - July 25) - ongoing reconstruction of homes devastated by hurricanes. Registration deadline March 15, 2010. Cost is $225 per participant, which includes lodging, meals, construction materials and evening activities. Contact Laurie Byland, 225-383-4777, X235; laurie.byland@firstmethodist.org, www.thebluetarp.com.

2) Angola, October 2010, MALARIA NET DISTRIBUTION - a fund of $120,000 was collected for the "Nothing But Nets" program in honor of our previous Bishop, Warner Brown. We are beginning to recruit a team of 8-10 people for the distribution of these malaria nets in Angola. The distribution plan will be coordinated by UMCOR in Angola. We would like to have a representative group of health care workers, pastors and lay persons. Contact Burl Kreps, angoadvo@msn.com, 719-637-0258, 719-337-3066(cell).

3) Guatemala, March 19-28, 2010. Serve with the indigenous Mayan people in the mountains of Guatemala. Build adobe homes for widows, construct chicken coops, play with children, visit the John Wesley School. Contact Laura Richards, corichards@aol.com, St. Luke's UMC, Highlands Ranch, CO.4) UMVIM team leader training, Saturday, December 12, 9 am to Noon, St. Luke's UMC, 8817 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch, CO. Please contact Betsy Keyack, bkeyack@att.net to register. Team leader training also offered on request.

5) Please see the following web sites for more information about UMVIM:

a) www.umvim.info - contains listings of all the UMVIM projects in the USA and around the world as well as information about long term opportunities for individual volunteers.

b) www.umvimwj.blogspot.com - has information about volunteer needs in the western US and teams you can join.

c) www.rmcvim.org - has information about Rocky Mountain Conference teams you can join, going to Guatemala (2010), Sierra Leone (2010), Kenya (2010 and 2011), Cambodia (2011), and India (2011).

d) www.umvim4health.blogspot.com - this is a great web site for health care volunteer opportunities.

* UMCOR WORK IN PHILIPPINES CONTINUES

Philippines continues to comb through remote areas to provide relief supplies to those in need following the devastating Typhoon Ketsana and Parma, which struck the country in September and October.

It took UMCOR Philippines staff and volunteers six hours on a boat to travel to one affected area to assess damages. In one area, on the coastal area of Talim Island, most of the homes and structures were completely destroyed. Three United Methodist churches were damaged and two of the churches remain under water. UMCOR Philippines is working with district leadership to respond to the needs of the church and affected communities.

In addition, about 1,500 food items have been purchased and repackaged by local churches and volunteers assisting UMCOR Philippines. Trained by UMCOR and student council members of the Angono Rizal System University, volunteers prepare water purifiers daily to include in the distribution to displaced families, as health and sanitation is a major concern.

Support the ongoing relief efforts in the Philippines with your gifts to Philippines Emergency, UMCOR Advance #240235.