Fugitives Invited To Surrender -- In Church. Innovative Marshals Service Program Coming to Nashville

United Methodist Ministers are invited to be part of this program -- Safe Surrender is a rare joint effort of the Faith Community and the Criminal Justice System. Ministers can participate as spiritual advisors on site, they can make certain the Safe Surrender poster is prominently displayed, and they can mention the event from the pulpit. Many persons, within the church and outside the church, have loved ones who could benefit from the program -- if those loved ones can find out about it. Share the word.

Have questions? Want to volunteer. Contact United Stataes Marshall Denny W. King at 615-478-8884 or email denny.w.king@usdoj.gov

You can also get additonal information about the program by clicking on the following link: http://www.usmarshals.gov/safesurrender/

The United States Marshals Service (USMS) announces that fugitives in the Davidson County, Tennessee, area are being given a one-time opportunity to take their first step toward a second chance. Under a new Marshals Service program known as Fugitive Safe Surrender, individuals with outstanding warrants lodged against them can surrender to authorities in a safe and non-threatening environment. The four-day surrender period will take place at Galilee Missionary Baptist Church in Nashville. At the urging of Denny W. King, United States Marshal for the Middle District of Tennessee, and Pastor William R. Harris, fugitives can surrender to authorities, consult with an attorney, and meet with a judge . . . all inside the friendly confines of the church.

Fugitive Safe Surrender does not offer amnesty in exchange for surrender; rather, it offers individuals who want to re-enter the mainstream of their communities a first step toward a second chance in the form of favorable consideration from the court. Not only will fugitives be able to surrender to authorities in a non-threatening environment, but for many of these individuals – particularly if they have no history of violence and are willing to accept responsibility for their actions – their cases will be adjudicated on site. While some will receive a future court date, nearly all will go home from the church without jail time.

The program will kick off on Wednesday, August 1, and run through Saturday, August 4, at the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, located at 2021 Herman Street in Nashville. However, Marshal King has confirmed that when the surrender period ends, the Marshals Service will assist state and local law enforcement agencies in arresting fugitives with outstanding warrants throughout Davidson County.

The Fugitive Safe Surrender concept was initiated by Pete Elliott, United States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio, whose motivation for creating the program stemmed from the murder of Cleveland police officer Wayne Leon by a fugitive in 2000. A career law enforcement officer, Marshal Elliott realized that desperate people commit desperate acts, sometimes with tragic consequences. He believed that many non-violent fugitives wanted for low-level felonies desired a second chance at life but were fearful of turning themselves in to police officers, sheriff’s deputies, or the Marshals Service. Seeking a creative alternative, the Marshal partnered with local criminal justice authorities, Cleveland’s religious community, and other civic leaders to launch the first Fugitive Safe Surrender program in August 2005.

During that operation, 850 fugitives surrendered at Cleveland’s Mount Sinai Baptist Church – more than 13 times the number arrested in the three-day sweep conducted soon after the surrender period ended. As a result of this successful effort, Marshals Service Director John F. Clark adopted the Fugitive Safe Surrender concept as a national program. Since then, highly successful FSS operations have taken place in Phoenix, Arizona, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Akron, Ohio. In all, approximately 3,800 individuals have surrendered during the four operations.

The Nashville program has the full support of Metro Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall, and District Attorney General Torry Johnson. Also on board is United States Attorney Craig Morford, who recently was named as the incoming Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

“After hearing of the success of Fugitive Safe Surrender from Marshal Elliott, I knew of no reason that it couldn’t work here,” said Marshal King. “I brought the concept to Chief Serpas and District Attorney Johnson, who both quickly endorsed it. Nashville has put its program together quicker than any other city thus far.”

Fugitive Safe Surrender has no religious requirement, and it has wide appeal within the law enforcement community. “Persons on the run because of a criminal warrant in Nashville have put themselves and their loved ones in danger,” said Chief Serpas. “This program affords offenders an excellent opportunity in a neutral setting to take care of business and get back on the right path.”

The program does not grant amnesty and those who surrender are held accountable for their crimes. “My office will closely examine the case of each individual who surrenders and look at favorable consideration,” explained General Johnson.

Fugitive Safe Surrender was authorized by Congress as part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which was signed into law by President Bush on July 27, 2006. More than two dozen other cities are under consideration for their own Fugitive Safe Surrender operations in the coming months and years. Calling the program “a powerful new initiative,” on May 15, 2007, U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales authorized the USMS to conduct at least three Fugitive Safe Surrender operations this calendar year as part of a consolidated Department of Justice effort to combat violent crime.

Participating partners in the Nashville Fugitive Safe Surrender operation are the United States Marshals Service for the Middle District of Tennessee, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee, the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Davidson County Public Defender’s Office, the Davidson County General Sessions Court and Criminal Court, and the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole.

Bishop Wills speaks from experience when he comments on the August 26th Katrina Recovery Appeal

A special offering is scheduled to be taken in United Methodist churches on August 26, 2007. The United Methodist Bishop’s Katrina Recover Appeal acknowledges that a great deal remains to be done in Mississippi and Louisiana as recovery continues from hurricane and flood damage. This particular appeal focuses on rebuilding United Methodist church presence along the Gulf so that the church can continue to meet the spiritual and emotional needs, sometimes even the physical needs, of persons whose lives and property were battered by the storm.

Bishop Richard J. Wills is a strong supporter of the Appeal, and he speaks from the experience of a Florida pastor living through the aftermath of an earlier storm, Hurricane Andrew. Wills recently said, “I hope our churches will take a special offering on August 26 for the Bishops’ Katrina Church Recovery. I know from personal experience, with my family, that hurricane Andrew took a good 5 years of recovery work."

“From that experience,” he adds, “I know that now is the time we need to continue to do the work of ‘recovery.’ Hurricane Katrina no longer in the headlines, yet there continues to be much work to be done. The Bishops’ Hurricane Katrina Church Appeal will help with the recovery work so desperately needed by the churches in that area. I thank all congregations for whatever they can do to help rebuild our churches in these devastated areas."

This is no idle request from the Bishop – the Cabinets of both the Tennessee and Memphis Annual Conferences are heading to Mississippi at the end of September to help with recovery work on behalf of the Nashville Area.

The storm is over. The calm has come. But work remains to be done before United Methodist churches in Louisiana and Mississippi can meet the growing needs of their traumatized communities. All United Methodists are urged to open hearts and wallets to the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal (#818-001). Donations of money and service will help to:
.Renovate and reopen hurricane-damaged United Methodist churches, parsonages and other facilities.
.Provide skilled professionals as a labor force.
.Grow congregations where memberships have declined.
.Reestablish community-outreach ministries.
.Train new lay leadership and rebuild church infrastructure.
.Provide salaries for support staff (including associate pastors, church musicians, Christian education directors and others).

Congregations may respond in three ways:

1. Donate online or through the Bishop’s Katrina Church Recovery Appeal (#818-001) special offering on Aug. 26, 2007.
2. Form congregation-to-congregation partnerships with churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama-West Florida.
3. Send skilled workers such as electricians, plumbers, drywall hangers, finish carpenters, painters, landscapers and others to assist with rebuilding. Also needed are volunteers in church music, Christian education and evangelical outreach.

To go directly to the "donate on line" website click on the following web address:
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.coIHLNOtGpF/b.1223975/k.3532/Katrina_Church_Recovery_Appeal/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?c=coIHLNOtGpF&b=1223975&en=isKLJVMEJbIIKVOGJeLJK2ORIqI3I8NGIcKTL6OLKqJWI9OYG

UMCOR issues urgent call for disaster relief donations

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is assisting residents displaced by the June 24 Angora Ridge forest fire near Lake Tahoe, Calif. A wave of spring and summer storms and fires across the United States has almost tapped UMCOR's domestic disaster fund. A UMNS photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief is asking for financial donations to replenish its U.S. disaster relief fund after record-breaking rains, fires and winds have drained the account during the spring and summer.

"Although we are not reading or hearing about these disasters every day in the news, there are hundreds of people in dire need in Texas, Kansas, California and many other places in the U.S.," said the Rev. Sam Dixon, interim chief executive of UMCOR, which is part of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries.

United Methodists already have assisted recent flood and tornado victims in Texas, for example, and are assessing flood damage in Kansas and Oklahoma. Local United Methodist churches in the Lake Tahoe community in northern California are addressing the needs of residents displaced by the Angora fire, many of whom are service workers without insurance. An UMCOR grant assisted with emergency shelter, food, clothing and transportation.

But after two years of unprecedented donations designated for hurricane recovery, the relief agency is scrambling to provide long-term disaster response funding for domestic needs.

"Our Domestic Disaster Response Advance has been tapped for 28 U.S. emergencies in 24 different annual conferences since September of 2006," Dixon said. "UMCOR has delivered $856,146 in both emergency grants and long-term recovery initiatives in that time."

Additional requests for funding are anticipated, especially as recovery operations begin.

"We are profoundly thankful to United Methodists who have given so generously in the past," he said, "but now the need is threatening to outpace the resources."

All designated donations to UMCOR are directed to programs specified by donors. Dixon hopes church members will "continue to respond in a generous and timely way" to disaster-related needs.

To assist with donations, the agency is offering a new bulletin insert for church worship services, which can be downloaded online at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/resources/cbi/ on the UMCOR Web site. Emergency offering envelopes also are available at http://gbgm-umc.org/e-store/detail.cfm?ID=295 for the cost of shipping and handling.

Contributions by check can be made through a local church or directly payable to UMCOR and mailed to P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087, indicating Domestic Disaster Response Advance #901670 on the memo line. Credit card donations can be made online at UMCOR's Web site or by calling (800) 554-8583.

Nevada church gives livestock to faraway families

Nevada church gives livestock to faraway families

By Reed Galin*




Nick Beaton holds a sheep he brought to Yerington (Nev.) United Methodist Church for a Heifer International educational and fundraising event. UMNS photos by Reed Galin.



YERINGTON, Nev. (UMNS) - Nick Beaton, 13, crouches with his arms around the neck of a sheep. He is sweating under the Nevada sun.

"I think I do have a connection with people in Africa even though they're on the other side of the world," he says, "because I know how useful animals can be. They feed families and stuff."

Nick has brought some of his own sheep and goats to Yerington United Methodist Church, where they are gathered on the lawn in temporary pens for children to pet and feed. It's all part of a church fundraiser for Heifer International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending poverty and world hunger through self-reliance and sustainability.

Curious youngsters surround caged chickens and rabbits as the children's parents peruse leaflets and fact sheets about Heifer International. The Little Rock, Ark.-based group distributes animals to poor regions of the world where a cow, goat or camel can make a huge difference.

"Twenty dollars buy a flock of chickens," a volunteer explains. "Give people live chickens, and they have eggs to eat and sell for years, instead of one meal."

"Thirty dollars buy a share of a llama, or water buffalo, or pig."

Standing at the donation table, Edna Bickel hopes someday her finances will allow her to pay $500 to give a whole cow. But for now, she hands over a few $20 bills, adding that her grandchildren really don't need more small cash gifts from their grandma.

Bickel likes how Heifer International teaches families how to care for their animals and how to handle money. The organization also requires receiving families to give their animal's offspring to others.

"It's a gift that keeps giving," says Bickel. In Nick's animal pen, a half dozen kids try to coax a light brown calf to drink from an industrial-sized baby bottle. Nick tells them why he wanted to get involved in his church's Heifer International fundraiser, which will help families in Africa. "I know it's hard there because we learned about it in school," he says. "AIDS kills a lot of people. They don't have a lot of food and they die of starvation, thirst, all that kind of stuff."

Located in a high desert community about 80 miles southeast of Reno, Yerington has its own problems. The main street has many empty storefronts, and some folks barely have enough income to take care of their own families. But the sign at the front door of the church beckons a faith-based approach to a sagging economy: "Try these four letter words: love, help, give, care."

As he flips burgers in the shade behind the church, church member George Mollart observes that this cookout would be a banquet for people who will receive the animals from Heifer International. "I think that speaks for itself that in our leisure time we can come here and do something for someone else in their desperate time," he says.

It's hot on this day - mid-90's. The dry landscape around Yerington is sparsely populated and there are few trees. Event organizer Linda Ingold suggests this land is not unlike some places in the world where Heifer International is at work.

The church has asked that money raised at the Yerington fundraiser be earmarked for a community of single women with children in Zambia. None of the 50 active members of Ingold's congregation has ever even been to Africa, but they now have a connection with the women.

"It's a small world now," Ingold says. "When we read about the project, you kind of get a vision. We could be way off in our visions of what they're like or what's happening. But I think they've had a pretty rough life, and we would like to help them out any way we can.

"Now they'll have milk from new goats, and they can drink it; they can make food with it and sell it. All of a sudden they may be making $20 a month when they've never seen that much in their whole life."

*Galin is a freelance producer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Morton Memorial UMC, Mountain T.O.P. Ministries, and Leamis International Ministires Could Use Some Additional Volunteers--Trip to MS Gulf Coast

Jason Brock, Conference Director of Love and Justice Ministries, has just been informed that an upcoming work team trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast can use more volunteers, particularly in the second week.

MORTON MEMORIAL UMC, MOUNTAIN TOP MINISTRIES, and LEAMIS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES
announce their return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast 10-24 August 2007.

It has been our privilege to be able to bring hope to people who have been touched by Hurricane Katrina.

Sometimes this has been only a smile. Sometimes it has only been a presence at worship service on Sunday.

The days of debris removal are over. That has been collected and hauled away. The days of rebuilding are here. You can look down “highway 90” and become quickly overwhelmed with the task. It becomes so evident that all that is left for many are the empty lots that once contained a home.

Lives have been forever changed. One of the things that you soon realize is that everyone you meet has a story to tell. Each one is important.

The story our ministries tell is one of the response of Christians from all over the US and all walks of life who give willingly of their time and talent. We tell of the hope that is evident on the faces of those we have touched with helping hands. It is not so much what we do but the spirit in which we do it.

Our team leaders for August are Bob Willems and Frank Schroer. Both of these LEAMIS missionaries have extensive experience with leading domestic and international teams. Bob and his family lived on the coast for twenty-three years and moved just prior to Katrina.

The team will be housed in Biloxi, MS at the Seashore Methodist Assembly. The cost is $10.00 per day which includes room and board. The project site is in Long Beach, MS and will most likely be raising a new house in Long Beach, MS. All who are interested are encouraged to become part of this team. Do not say “I do not know how to build”. If it is in your heart to bring hope to someone and show Christ’s love by your willingness to serve, God is calling you and the opportunity to answer that call awaits your action. You can come for a few days or for the two weeks, just let us know.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Bob Willems
rwillems4824@charter.net
931 308-5319 (cell)
931 592-4824

Frank Schroer
frankschroer@leamis.org
931 636-3493 (cell)
423 837-4426

(Mountain TOP Ministries is a connectional ministry of the Tennessee Annual Conference)

Domestic Disaster Response Advance has been tapped for 28 US emergencies in 24 different conferences since autumn 2006 – Fund needs replenishing FAST

US: HUNDREDS NEED POST-DISASTER HELP

Floodwaters have inundated significant areas of Texas during rains lasting over a month. Kansans and Oklahomans are cleaning up flood- and tornado-ravaged sections of their states. Workers in northern California have begun the long walk back from forest fire damage around Lake Tahoe, where many displaced are service workers without insurance.

UMCOR grants in these disasters are assisting with emergency shelter, food, clothing, supplies, and expenses for scores of the displaced. But the agency is scrambling to meet all the needs. "Our Domestic Disaster Response Advance has been tapped for 28 US emergencies in 24 different annual conferences since September of 2006," said the Rev. Sam W. Dixon, interim executive. "UMCOR delivered $856,146 in both emergency grants and long-term recovery initiatives in that time," he said. UMCOR uses all designated donations in programs specified by donors. "We're beginning to worry about being tapped out in this fund," he added.

You can help! UMCOR is offering a new bulletin insert on line for churches that wish to lift disaster response in their worship services in coming Sundays. Emergency offering envelopes are available free for postage and handling from the E Store. UMCOR urgently seeks your gifts to the US Domestic Disaster Response Advance, #901670, so that the church's response to these and future US disasters can be generous and timely.

To download the new bulletin insert CLICK on the address http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/media/cbi-pdfs/eye_of_storm_revised0707.pdf

To reach the Board of Global Ministries E Store CLICK on the address http://gbgm-umc.org/e-store/

Conference gatherings cast nets for Nets and missions

Bishop Thomas Bickerton stands with youth wearing "Buzzkill" T-shirts in support of Nothing But Nets during the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference gathering. During their regional meetings, at least 22 United Methodist annual conferences contributed more than $1.3 million to the anti-malaria campaign.A UMNS photo by Mark Rehn.



A UMNS Report
By Linda Green*

In the spirit of Methodism founder John Wesley's declaration that the "world is my parish," at least 22 United Methodist annual conferences contributed more than $1.3 million in gifts and pledges to the Nothing But Nets campaign.

At least four other conferences announced activities for later in the year to benefit the United Methodist-supported fund-raising effort to end mosquito-borne malaria in Africa with insecticide-treated nets.

Nothing But Nets was one of the most visible beneficiaries of special offerings collected and promoted during the church's U.S. annual conference meetings this year. The people of The United Methodist Church are a founding partner of the campaign and have contributed to the total of $7 million raised thus far.

Supporters found a variety of creative ways to advance the cause during the denomination's regional gatherings.

In Central Texas, Joye Chamness honored her husband, Bishop Ben Chamness, and their 47th anniversary with a gift of a $10 net for every year of their marriage. Others at the meeting then made pledges in honor of a loved one or special event and, altogether, raised $100,000 for Nothing But Nets.

In California-Pacific, United Methodists celebrated the 60th birthday of Bishop MaryAnn Swenson by collecting gifts in increments of 60 to help people in need. Churches across the conference gave 60 bed nets for the campaign, 60 child immunizations and 60 tools for recovery work on the Gulf Coast.

The Commale family received a standing ovation from the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference session for raising more than $27,000 for Nothing But Nets.

In a modern-day "loaves and fishes" story in the Texas Annual Conference, one pastor's $20 gift to Nothing But Nets included a challenge to others that multiplied into $500,000 in donations and pledges by members and churches.

The highlight of the Pacific Northwest Conference was a basketball tournament between the "Bishop's Bunch" and "Youthful Yellow" teams. Donations from cheering fans netted $4,628.

Also using a basketball was Bishop Thomas Bickerton of the Western Pennsylvania Conference. During interludes, he sank 100 basketballs from the stage to raise money for the effort, and conference members challenged one another. In all, the conference raised more than $125,000 for the anti-malaria campaign.

Money for missions
While annual conference meetings serve as the gathering places for United Methodists to conduct regional church business, they also provide a venue for Christian worship and fellowship-and another opportunity to give to mission work and special offerings.

To enhance quality of life for people across the globe and to seek justice, United Methodists contributed thousands of dollars to mission projects, disaster response and partnerships in Africa, Europe, the Philippines and Brazil. Twenty conferences contributed to or addressed the Global AIDS Fund and HIV/AIDS initiatives in the United States and abroad. The Red Bird Missionary Conference celebrated a mission offering of $14,253 for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

Louisiana United Methodists raised $127,000 for the Global AIDS Fund, and the month of November was identified as "Miracle Month" by Minnesota United Methodists. Congregations in Minnesota will raise $1 per member for the Global AIDS Fund and $5 per member to build a multi-use church center in Petersburg, Russia.

Every time a cell phone rang aloud during the Minnesota meeting, the phone's owner had to donate $5 to missions, thanks to Bishop Sally Dyck's warning on the first day of conference to encourage cell phone etiquette. On the last day of the session, members conspired to ring each other's phones at 11:30 a.m., and a mass of violators then paraded to the offering basket with more than $2,000 in donations. The conference also collected more than $80,000 for missions during a love offering.

Keeping with Wesley's admonition of helping the poor, 22 annual conferences sought to help pastors and church lay workers in annual conferences outside the United States retire with dignity, hope and an adequate pension. The conferences contributed at least $1.4 million to the Central Conference Pension Initiative by donating annual funds received from the United Methodist Publishing House.

Holston conference members celebrated its annual "hands-on mission project" as the conference's 12 districts more than doubled their goals for donations of school supplies for Liberia and Ishe Anesu in Zimbabwe. More than 6,300 kits containing food, clothing, health and school supplies were loaded into two tractor-trailer trucks and dispatched to Africa. Wisconsin also loaded a tractor-trailer for the Midwest Mission Distribution Center. The value of the 4,214 baby/youth blankets, shawls, quilts, tools and other items was nearly $63,000.

Bishop Woodie White, speaking to the North Indiana Annual Conference, challenged church members to work for justice for all "not because we are good, but because we experience a living God who says, 'This is my world; these are my children; and I love them.'"

*Green is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn. This story was compiled from annual conference reports.

United Methodists respond to floods in central U.S.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

Debris crowds the sidewalk outside of a Gainesville, Texas, business following a June 18 flood in the North Texas region. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is providing emergency funding and flood buckets to areas affected by widespread flooding across the central United States. A UMNS photo by Mat Matthews.

United Methodists are responding to flooding that has plagued the rain-soaked central United States from mid-June through early July.

In Texas, where several churches have served as Red Cross shelters for storm victims, volunteers are assisting with cleanup.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has sent an emergency grant to the denomination's North Texas Annual (regional) Conference-where Cooke and Grayson counties suffered from widespread flooding on June 18-and dispatched consultant Barbara Tripp there in early July. UMCOR emergency grants range from $5,000 to $10,000.

The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, UMCOR's domestic disaster coordinator, said flood buckets also have been sent. The agency is encouraging donations to its general domestic disaster response fund, UMCOR Advance No. 901670, to assist with recovery.

Hazelwood noted that donations are "desperately needed" for the domestic disaster fund, which is running low. "We've had a lot of these springtime storms this year, and we haven't had a lot of income to those accounts," he said.

In Gainesville, Texas, the newly remodeled education and office building at First United Methodist Church was flooded June 18, although its 115-year-old sanctuary escaped damage. The homes of several church families also were affected by the water.

The Rev. Don Yeager, First Church pastor, said carpet had to be removed due to water and sewage backup on the first floor. Fortunately, the church has a flood insurance policy, as well as coverage through the conference.

Biggest concern
Elsewhere in Gainesville, Whaley United Methodist Church has served as a Red Cross shelter, providing beds for storm victims and volunteer workers and sleeping as many as 200 people on a few nights. The shelter has provided 250 to 300 meals at a sitting and sent out an additional 1,000 meals at a time via Red Cross vehicles, according to the Rev. Rob Spencer, Whaley's pastor.

The shelter was scheduled to close July 5, since most storm-impacted families have found apartments or houses to rent. A forecast for additional rain "remains our biggest concern," he told United Methodist News Service.

The Whaley congregation has three families "that have basically lost everything" and another three impacted by the flooding, Spencer said.

Church members responded in force, with more than 100 working at the shelter. That was not surprising to Spencer, given a new facility the church opened 18 months ago. "One of the reasons we built it was to be a shelter before and after a storm," he explained.

Spencer said he would like to see more local churches across the United States become involved in disaster response. "The dream that I have for The United Methodist Church is that we would really consider offering our facilities more throughout the country to be shelters," he added. "What we can do well is provide facilities and people who care."

Both Yeager and Spencer are part of the Cooke County Long-Term Recovery Committee, which includes community members and church representatives. A vacant store in an outlet mall, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency also has set up headquarters, will serve as a temporary outlet for clothing and furniture donations.

Braced for more floods
Several areas in the Central Texas Annual Conference were affected by flooding, according to Jennifer Coggins, conference director of humanitarian services. "The most extensive damage in our conference at this time is in Eastland," she said. "They had 100 to 150 homes affected."

First United Methodist Church in Eastland collected and distributed donations of items such as water and ice, including some from private companies. "Cleanup efforts have not really begun there," Coggins said.

In Granbury, 40 miles southwest of Fort Worth, the First United Methodist Church provided a Red Cross shelter for five days at the end of June. "Their community is doing well right now," Coggins noted. "We think we'll need to help with some rebuilding."

First United Methodist Church in Ennis was set up as a standby shelter when the nearby Trinity River overflowed, but the shelter was not needed, she said.

The Central Texas Conference will request a $10,000 emergency grant from UMCOR to start recovery work, according to Coggins. As of early July, the weather remained a threat. "The forecast is for rain through the (July 7-8) weekend," she said. "I think all of the communities are on standby for more flooding."

Several communities in Southwest Texas, including Marble Falls and Granite Shoals, also suffered major flood damage.

Record rain in Kansas area
In southeastern Kansas, the storms have resulted in record rainfalls-up to 22 inches-and record flooding along three major rivers, prompting evacuations in towns such as Osawatomie and Independence. Problems during the shutdown of a regional oil refinery in Coffeyville spilled tens of thousands of gallons of oil to the floodwaters.

Lonnie Bailey, a local church ministry consultant for the United Methodist Kansas East Annual Conference with experience in disaster response, said that although the water was beginning to recede, it was "too soon to tell how much damage we've really got."

Because of the broad area of storm coverage, there are some 30 towns to assess, he added, with hundreds of families affected in each location. Rural areas also were hard hit, and Bailey expects a lot of crop damage.

Donations to UMCOR Advance No. 901670, Domestic Disaster Response, can be dropped in church collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor.

*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.

Delegation delivers nets to malaria-infested township

By Shaun A. Lane*

The Rev. Ianther Mills prays with a Zimbabwean child receiving an insecticide-treated bed net to help prevent malaria. Mills was part of a team from the Baltimore Washington Annual Conference distributing 7,125 nets as part of the Nothing But Nets campaign. UMNS photos by Shaun Lane

CHAKOWA TOWNSHIP, Zimbabwe (UMNS)--Malaria robbed Herbert Mlambo of his family.
The devastating disease that kills one person every 30 seconds took one of his two sons, two grandsons, one granddaughter and his only sister. Another grandson is now battling for his life.
Mlambo has lost count of the many friends and relatives who also have died of malaria. He estimates the number to be in the hundreds.

The 53-year-old resident of Chakowa Township in Zimbabwe says he used to be a bitter man over malaria. But his attitude changed on June 11 as he quietly stood at a fence near the Chakowa United Methodist Church.

"I thought that no one cared about my small town," Mlambo said. "We are dying a slow, steady death. Malaria has really destroyed our population and the families here. … I thought we would all eventually die of it. But it looks like some help has arrived. This is beautiful to see."
Help arrived in the form of a blue net.

The Baltimore-Washington Annual (regional) Conference joined with the United Nations Foundation for an 11-day mission trip to distribute 7,125 insecticide-treated sleeping nets in and around Mutare, Zimbabwe.

The 13-member team of Baltimore-Washington pastors, staff members and volunteers delivered nets to more than 15 communities. Many pastors prayed with recipients as they received their nets.

Send a net, save a life
The nets are the instrument of Nothing But Nets, a global, grassroots campaign to fight malaria with sleeping nets. The people of The United Methodist Church are one of the founding partners of the campaign.

As Bishop John R. Schol of the Baltimore-Washington Conference and delegation members distributed the nets, women and children danced and sang to express gratitude.

"It's exhilarating for The United Methodist Church to be able to touch people's lives, knowing that they will live longer because of what we're doing," Schol said. "On the other hand, it leaves a lump in my throat knowing that so much more needs to be done."

While malaria has been eradicated in the United States, between 350 and 500 million people, primarily in Africa, are still infected annually. Nearly 3,000 people die from malaria every day in Africa, and 75 percent of those are children younger than age 5. According to the 2005 World Health Organization World Malaria Report, only 3 percent of African children under 5 sleep under an insecticide-treated net, a measure that substantially reduces the chance of contracting the disease since mosquitoes transmit malaria primarily at night.

The economic impact is crippling as well, costing Africa about $12 billion a year in lost productivity due to illness and death from malaria.

"It is a critical situation," said Blessing Zimunya, who works at the Chitora Clinic of The United Methodist Church in Chitora. "We are thankful for the kindness of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. These nets will help. But we need more help. We need more nets than what we have. There are still many children who will go without."

Bed nets work in two ways: They prevent mosquitoes from biting during the night and spreading the disease, and the insecticide on them also kills mosquitoes.

"The nets are a much better remedy than what we had before," said Wardlove Dhlakama, a nurse at the Chitora Clinic. "Before we used a special soap and cream to try to prevent the mosquitoes from biting people, but that is very expensive and we cannot afford to do that for everyone.

"It was also not very effective all of the time," she said. "The nets will do a much better job of preventing malaria infections and hopefully saving lives. And the children will sleep more comfortably. But we need more kindness like this."

According to the United Nations Foundation, half of Zimbabwe's population lives in malaria-prone areas. Increasing resistance of the malaria parasite to drugs has contributed to increasing outbreaks of malaria epidemics--one of the primary reasons the nets are among the most effective ways to prevent transmission.

"I wish I had known about the nets earlier and knew what some of the signs were," said Patricia Chikaka of her 2-year-old daughter's death from malaria. "She would have slept in it every night. I have two other children and I will use it for them. The mosquitoes are very bad, especially during the summer. It is hard to sleep. Maybe we will sleep well now and not worry. That will be a blessing."

Blessing to be a blessing
At the Munyarari United Methodist Clinic, the Rev. Kendrick Weaver of St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Bowie, Md., said it was as much a blessing for him to give out the nets as it was for others to receive them.

"When they walk up to you and you see the gratitude in their eyes, you immediately want to do more," Weaver said. "Some of them dropped to the ground right in front of me and just gave thanks. It was an incredible experience--one that I will never forget. To directly contribute to a life-saving cause like this in the name of Jesus is truly a blessing."

People in clinics, villages and churches said there is still much to be done. Many people at mission stops were turned away because there were not enough nets for everyone. But instead of being angry, they remained optimistic.

"We just hope that the pastors remember us and come back," Chikaka said. "We need them to pray for us and continue to bring nets. We thank them."

Mlambo, the man who seemingly lost everyone close to him because of malaria, said he gives thanks as well. As nets were distributed in front of the Chakowa church, he stood motionless behind a fence and watched from a distance.

"This is a great day for them," he said, pointing to women and children receiving their nets. "I don't want to get in the way. I know all of them. It's good to see them happy. I just want to stand here and enjoy what I am seeing."

*Lane is director of communications for the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference