UMNS Commentary by Aloise McCullough: A mission trip takes me back 'home'

It has been two years since Hurricane Katrina slammed the U.S. Gulf Coast. The storm made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005. The recovery effort goes on.

New Orleans had an estimated pre-Katrina population of 454,863, including my family.
Today the population is estimated at 187,525 people, or 60 percent less, according to an October 2006 survey. My family of seven has relocated to Oklahoma City, where my father, Victor McCullough, is pastor of Quayle United Methodist Church. He formerly was pastor at Mount Zion United Methodist Church in New Orleans.

In August 2005, I was starting my first year of college. My classes began Aug. 22. One week later, my family was no longer able to live in New Orleans.

But we were only one family among the many affected - a reality that may allow others to begin to grasp the impact of the natural disaster and why United Methodists continue to extend help in the Gulf Coast.

Volunteers in Mission
According to Volunteers in Mission, 718 people on 54 Oklahoma VIM teams have served the affected region since Katrina struck.

In March, a VIM team of about 25 members from the Quayle church made the journey to New Orleans in the church's first-ever VIM project. I was among the team members, and this was my first trip back to my former hometown since we fled the storm.

Irving Baccus, in his mid-20s, led the team. He had the vision to form a church team to minister in New Orleans after he accompanied my father on a trip to the city in the summer of 2006. The March 2007 mission "was the first of many to come," Baccus vowed.

There were many hurdles, but Baccus focused on "getting everything organized and being real patient."

The team worked on one New Orleans home and also at Napoleon Avenue United Methodist Church.

Baccus said one of the most rewarding aspects of the mission was the positive reaction from people in Louisiana. He said it was rewarding "just getting feedback and seeing God's work be done." He already hopes to lead a return mission.

Team member Sally Ballard described how the trip changed her outlook. "It has been a growing, learning, letting-go and letting-God experience," she said. "It has helped me to be a more humble person and more willing to help others … and just be more caring and more loving.

"This is a humble, wonderful experience for everybody because you can learn to share. If you don't meet strangers, you will never make friends."

Ballard was ill in the weeks prior to the mission and feared she would not get to go. She praised God for strength and healing for herself. "It was my hope and prayer that I would be able to come, and here I am by the grace of God," she said.

As for me, the Quayle VIM mission gave me the closure I needed. It was good to see familiar faces and hear again the New Orleans dialect. I was glad to be with both of my church families. It was definitely a spiritual encounter between me and God.

*McCullough, 20, is an intern for the Oklahoma Annual (regional) Conference's communication department. She is a journalism major at United Methodist-related Oklahoma City University.

Student hikes to New Orleans to raise relief funds

A UMNS Report By Woody Woodrick*

Ben Poor

When Ben Poor told his parents he wanted to go for a walk this summer, he wasn't talking about a stroll around the block or a quick power walk.

Poor took a loooooong walk. Like 850 miles.

The 20-year-old United Methodist walked from his hometown of New Palestine, Ind., to New Orleans to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief. He left New Palestine, near Indianapolis, on June 26 and reached New Orleans on Aug. 9.

"It all started a couple of years ago with a mission trip to Oklahoma," Poor said during a stop in Jackson, Miss. "I knew then I wanted to go to New Orleans. Then I went backpacking in Europe with my family and decided, '"Why not do that for a purpose and a good cause?'"

As of mid-August, Poor's pilgrimage to New Orleans had raised $10,830, including $3,000 donated at the outset by New Palestine United Methodist Church, where Poor and his parents are members.

Along the way, Poor relied on the kindness of others for places to stay and many of his meals. He often contacted United Methodist churches for assistance.

"The church is united," said Poor, a student at Ball State University. "Everybody (in The United Methodist Church) is connected. They really helped me out. If people helping me couldn't contact another Methodist church, they called Baptists or Catholics. It's all about God. It's unbelievable how he has taken me on this walk."

One step at a time
As he began his journey, Poor was accompanied by friend Matt Gillott to the Indiana state line before going it solo. He carried some clothing in a backpack and brought along books on tape.

Most of the time, however, he was simply walking.

"It gives you a lot of time to think," Poor said of the walk. "I think about God and keeping safe, my family and friends, sports."

Walking 15 to 20 miles per day, he was often sore from the physical exertion. The key was finding someone willing to drive and pick him up at the end of each day's hike so he could eat and sleep before returning to that spot the next day to resume his trek.

Poor's journey through Mississippi came at the beginning of a heat wave. If actual temperatures weren't more than 100 degrees, the heat index usually was. "It was insane walking in all that heat," he said. "It really takes a toll on you both mentally and physically. Your body says you can't go on anymore, but you tell yourself you have to do it."

At one point during the Mississippi stretch, Poor's parents took a week of vacation and traveled with him.

"Most people who do this sort of thing have a support team or others who travel with them," said Maria Poor, who called her son's walk "a pretty scary undertaking."

"He made it pretty clear we were not going to be able to talk him out of it," added Mike Poor.

Making new friends
In Jackson, Mike and Maria Poor found the United Methodist Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference office and got assistance from staffers Brenda McGloster and Krystal Bonds. They helped to secure places for Ben Poor to stay as he continued his journey south, including contacts with Lumberton United Methodist Church, Poplarville First United Methodist Church, Picayune First United Methodist Church and the churches of the Picayune Circuit.

In Poplarville, which was directly affected by the hurricane, church secretary Diane Weiss took care of the young walker.

"We were thrilled to death that he was doing this. We were open to doing whatever we could for him," she said. "We gave him a place to stay. We have a bed and breakfast here. The people that run the Blueberry Inn, Richard and Myra Sharp, took him in as their own. Their grandchildren had come to see them, and he just fit right in with them."

Pedestrians are not allowed on interstate highways, so Poor walked mostly two-lane highways after leaving Poplarville. He recounted only one close call - when one car was passing another just as it reached him.

Poor reached New Orleans on Aug. 9 to find a banner welcoming him to the city and a band playing. "Getting there was such a sense of accomplishment. It was unlike any feeling I've ever had."

Poor spent a few days in New Orleans before returning Aug. 13 to New Palestine. He since has returned to college.

"I put forth a little bit of effort and time, but it was nothing compared to what the volunteers have done and what the people there have gone through every day since the storm," he said.

*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi Advocate, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual Conference.

Families welcome reopened community center

By Betty Backstrom*

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) - When Sheryl Coleman saw Coach Jeffery Parker's car parked in front of the North Rampart Community Center, she did a U-turn and drove back to ask if it was reopening.

"She wanted to know about summer camp. 'Would we be open this summer?'" said Parker, the center's activities coordinator.

Parents like Coleman - who have returned to New Orleans to begin anew in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - are in search of programs like those at North Rampart Community Center, formerly known as St. Mark's Community Center, which closed after the deadly hurricane season of 2005.

"These families need the familiarity of something that was here before the hurricane. They want a sense of normalcy in a world that is still not normal," said Parker, adding that most children served by the center come from single-parent homes.

"Many times, Mom is working two or three jobs to support her family. The parents trust us and are very comfortable with their children being here all day."

A new start
The summer school program reopened in 2007 with a grant through the United Methodist Women's Division.

The Rev. Darryl Tate, board president for the newly incorporated center, said plans are in place to resume an after-school program beginning this fall.

"There is a new working board of six people consisting of members of the community, members of United Methodist Women and representatives from the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference and St. Mark's and Bethany United Methodist churches," said Tate. An executive director is being sought.

Over the summer, the center accommodated 50 children who swam, sang, painted and worked on computers. A waiting list had 27 children. "I would have liked to accommodate 100 children, but funding is an issue," said Parker.

Sixth-grader Christie Coleman was happy to be back. Like so many of her friends, she evacuated the city when the storm struck.

"I really missed my grandmother while we were gone. I wanted to come back and see how things were going," she said. "At the beginning, when I watched TV and saw people dying, I was very sad. My mom actually saw some of her students and co-workers walking on the bridge trying to leave. We were all crying."

Cleaning up, fixing up
The North Rampart Community Center suffered significant wind damage from Katrina. Work teams coordinated by the United Methodist Committee on Relief came from all over the world came to restore the center's pool, install a new kitchen and refinish the gymnasium floor.

"This building was erected in 1928. Honestly, even pre-Katrina, the building was in dire need of repair," Parker said of the property owned by the Women's Division.

Visiting work teams also retro-fitted existing rooms to serve as dormitories for future work teams, building bunk beds for 30 people and installing additional showers.

The Women's Division is also leasing space at the center to accommodate rooms used by the UMCOR-supported Louisiana United Methodist Disaster Recovery Ministry.

Parker knows the importance of the after-school program to the long-term education of local children. "We are keeping our kids on track to graduate from high school. And the impressive statistic is that a number of them have gone on to college. This program keeps them in school."

He emphasizes that North Rampart is ready to serve.

"We are here, able and willing. But we need funds to run programs. Any assistance allows us to have more kids in the camp. We are a very successful, well-organized camp with a specific mission … to advance the skills and knowledge of these children so that we may uplift their lives and help them to be successful."

*Backstrom is editor of Louisiana Now!, the newspaper of Louisiana Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Churches rebuild, recreate ministries in Louisiana

By Betty Backstrom*

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) - Forty-seven United Methodist churches in the Greater New Orleans area and three churches in Cameron Parish stand at different stages of recovery and ministry nearly two years after Hurricanes Rita and Katrina devastated the coastline of Louisiana.

While not all of the 50 church buildings in the Louisiana United Methodist Conference Mission Zone were damaged, "without a doubt, all of the congregations' ministries were affected," said the Rev. Martha Orphe, director of the mission zone.

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference created the mission zone to focus on special needs and ministries.

"We know all too well that the church is not the buildings. … The church is the people," Orphe said, noting that some badly damaged churches have been rebuilt and are coming back with determination.

One example is Hartzell United Methodist Church, located in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans and now serving as an outreach center.

"Despite the fact that the church is centered in one of the city's worst areas of devastation, the building and sanctuary have been restored," she said. "Side rooms now hold bunk beds to house volunteers on site. We also have staff working in collaboration with the local school to provide a summer program for area children."

The church has established a computer lab for the community since most residents continue to live in FEMA trailers and have no access to Internet service.

Ministries for hurting people
Orphe said United Methodist churches are ministering to people with every imaginable need.
"We are highly concerned about depression and post-tramautic stress syndrome and the need for emotional, physical and spiritual healing. As the church, we give hope and tangible services to a hurting people."

Churches that did not suffer as much physical damage started worship services shortly after the hurricanes, but not without struggles of their own.

"These churches have worked overtime, offering ministries to suffering people across the city," said Orphe. "In these congregations, there was an initial loss of membership due to the diaspora.

And even now, after the return of some membership, we are experiencing second and third waves of evacuations after people returned and decided they could not stay."

Church mergers are playing a role in determining the future of The United Methodist Church in New Orleans.

"In some cases, churches were struggling before the storm. So we have asked congregations to discern how they might serve the kingdom of God by merging with another congregation, combining their resources and membership," said Orphe.

Meeting the needs of Hispanic residents in New Orleans is a top priority for the conference. In addition to the Hispanic ministry at El Messias United Methodist Church, two more centers will offer services in areas with high concentrations of Spanish-speaking residents.

Shifting populations
In the two years since Katrina, a total of five churches in New Orleans have been decommissioned. They include Trinity Gentilly, Napoleon, Felicity, John Wesley and St. Philip United Methodist Churches.

First Street PW, St. Luke's, Bethany and First United Methodist churches have been designated as anchor churches in the mission zone. "These churches are receiving designated funds to strengthen their ministries in the very areas which are repopulating or are projected to repopulate the fastest in the city," Orphe said.

Every church building that was heavily damaged has been gutted, cleaned and secured. "But not every church will return as a worshipping congregation. Things are constantly evolving, and after another year of exploration and discernment, we have a clearer picture on things," she said.

Orphe encourages districts and local churches to consider becoming a partner church.

Congregations can join 162 other churches and become a special partner with a church or group of churches in Cameron Parish or the Greater New Orleans Area Church Partnership Program. For more information, e-mail churchpartnering@bellsouth.net.

"We know water, storms, hurricanes and tornadoes came and brought us despair and devastation," said Orphe. "But we also know that our United Methodist brothers and sisters bring us God's hope."

*Backstrom is editor of Louisiana Now!, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Louisiana Annual Conference.

Mississippi center coordinates disaster response

By Woody Woodrick*

MERIDIAN, Miss. (UMNS) - Overcoming chaos that comes with widespread disaster takes perseverance. For nearly two years, the Rev. Chris Bowers has helped bring unity and continuity to The United Methodist Church's response to Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.

Bowers has coordinated the church's disaster response center in Meridian since it was organized in September 2005 by the Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference.

"The most important thing the center has been able to do is unify the response," Bowers said.

"There was a lot of difference from how one (volunteer) camp worked to another. Each camp had a view of how things were going that was distinct from the others. The response center pulled everything together."

Beginning Sept. 1, Bowers will become associate pastor at Hattiesburg Main Street United Methodist Church. His departure from the center will come just a few days after the second anniversary of the storm on Aug. 29.

Making adjustments
Over the next several months, the call center will relocate from Meridian to the campus of Seashore Methodist Assembly retreat center in Biloxi. The move is part of the gradual reduction of resources expected by the response team.

Robert Sharp, director of the Mississippi United Methodist Katrina Response, said funding will start to drop off in April 2008. "We will be reducing structure," he said. "With the lessons we've learned in operations and procedures, I think we have a good handle on how to do this."

The United Methodist Committee on Relief has provided $7.4 million for the Mississippi response since Katrina, with another $2 million committed over the next two quarters and $2 million more expected for 2008.

Sharp cites three successes in the second year of the response effort. First, case managers have worked with families to find out their most pressing needs so they can get the help they need.

Second, building warehouses has saved 50 percent on construction costs by allowing items to be purchased in bulk and stored. Third, volunteers have saved countless dollars in labor costs.

The work continues
"We're still full bore," said Sharp. "We have 34,000 people still in FEMA trailers as the two-year anniversary approaches. Some of those are going to be a slow process to get back in homes."

Bowers is pleased with the number of volunteers who continue to come. "I'm surprised at this point we still have so many people coming. We're still pretty much packed in at our camps through the end of the year, and January, February and even March are filling up," he said.

Many of the more than 40,000 volunteers who have scheduled trips through the center are making their second, third, fourth or even fifth trips to Mississippi. The work has begun to shift from repairing homes to completely rebuilding homes. Thus, the United Methodist Katrina Response team has begun working even more with other organizations, which Bowers said is "really awesome."

Hired to coordinate volunteer activity, Bowers admits the job was more complicated than he initially thought.

"My job description was to run this office and schedule where team leaders would go," he said.

"That sounds simple, but it's really not when you're working with so many churches and organizations. I came on board with the idea of scheduling teams. In the end my job included purchasing buildings materials, paying bills and all sorts of things I never thought I would have to do."

As he prepares to move into more traditional ministry, Bowers says he has learned a lot from his experience.

"I really think that a lot of what I've done over the last couple of years has been communicating, teaching and explaining to people around the country what we're doing," he said.

"The church at the general and conference levels in a lot of ways reflects the church at the local level. I had to learn to communicate with thousands of personalities. Hopefully I've become a better communicator and understand people better."

*Woodrick is editor of the Mississippi Advocate, the newspaper of the United Methodist Church's Mississippi Annual Conference.

Volunteers make lifelong connections in Gulf Coast

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

NEW ORLEANS (UMNS) - Some people just can't get enough.

The Rev. Marilyn Roeder and members of First United Methodist Church in Victoria, Texas, are scheduled to make their eighth mission trip to New Orleans in October to hammer away at the destruction left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

Equally dedicated to the recovery are youth from Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church in Ridgefield, Conn., who have spent most of their school holidays for almost two years working on churches and houses in Slidell, La.

To mark the second anniversary of Katrina, volunteers like these will be honored Sept. 6-7 in New Orleans during a United Methodist appreciation celebration sponsored by the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama West-Florida annual (regional) conferences.

New lifelong friends
Roeder has been to New Orleans at least once a month since the hurricane hit Aug. 29, 2005. She has found a new family in Elvina and Vince DiBartolo and their granddaughter, Gabby, who were evacuated to the small Texas town.

"An entourage of about 11 of us, dogs and all, ended up in Victoria, Texas," Elvina said. "We had no clue where Victoria was."

A lifelong Catholic, Elvina said she was shocked by Roeder - "this lady in a pair of shorts who introduced herself as a pastor" - upon their arrival at the Red Cross shelter in Victoria.

Since that first meeting, Roeder and a group of about eight senior adults of First United Methodist Church have called the DiBartolo house in New Orleans home whenever they come to the city on mission trips.

In addition to the DiBartolos, the group has bonded with homeowners Joyce Mohr and retired United Methodist pastor Helena Wright-Butler, whom they have helped on each of their trips.
Roeder has even taken Mohr to Victoria to introduce her to the members of First United Methodist Church.

"They can't do enough for me," said Mohr. "Sometimes I think I depend on them too much, but it has really been a wonderful friendship. I really appreciate everything they have done for me."
During the group's latest trip in June, Wright-Butler was close to leaving behind the tiny white FEMA trailer in her front yard for the comforts of her own home. She is a retired pastor from John Wesley United Methodist Church, one of five churches that the Louisiana Annual (regional) office has decided not to reopen following the storms.

While it "hurt my heart" to see her former church close, Wright-Butler is gratified by the dedication of Christians like those from Texas.

"It has been difficult but it has increased my faith," she said. "It helps to see people here. They could have turned their backs and said, 'Hey it didn't happen to me!' but they were willing to give of themselves, give of their finances and love. It makes it all worthwhile."

Friends and food
A group of youth from Connecticut has forged a connection in Slidell, where they have gone on numerous mission trips and, in the process, come to love its people - and its food.

"All they want to do is cook and love you and talk to you and tell you their story, and do things for you and make you happy," said 16-year-old Chelsea Ullman.

"I think that you don't really understand how big a disaster it was until you come. I mean, it was miles and miles of coastline and everything was totaled and damaged. So there's going to be years and years of work here. That's why people need to keep coming back."

Davey Rowe, 17, finds it satisfying to see the progress with each trip to Slidell.

"We can see what we've done, and we're actually sleeping in the room that we made last year - that we put up the drywall in and we finished. It's really rewarding."

The youth have returned to Slidell on every school holiday since Christmas of 2005.

"We're more than willing to come down here," said Rowe. "There's nothing better than spending our breaks here with these people and doing this work."

The Rev. Pattye Hewitt, associate pastor of the Slidell church, said she has been amazed at the youths' dedication and concern. "They are an amazing group of young people," she said.

"A hurricane brought us here," says Neal Bowes, director of youth ministries. "But the people we work with and encounter have brought us back three more times. And we plan to come back again."

Christian fellowship
The volunteers agree that people must witness the damage themselves in order to understand the scope of the need.

"I had seen pictures of the devastation in New Orleans but had never been inside a house before it was gutted," said Nancy Farris, 72, and a member of Victoria (Texas) First United Methodist Church.

"It just broke my heart. I couldn't believe what these people had gone through. This gave us a chance to show our Christian fellowship with our neighbors and I just keep coming back because I still have this same feeling of being able to help them get back on their feet."

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Katrina volunteers to receive hand-made prayer shawls

A UMNS Report By Kathy L. Gilbert*

United Methodist volunteers will be wrapped in "mantles of prayer" during a special celebration to honor the hours of blood, sweat and tears poured into the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast over the past two years.

The Katrina Partner Celebration is set for Sept. 6-7 in New Orleans to say thank you to the tens of thousands of volunteers who have given their time, money and prayers since Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005, said Bishop William Hutchinson, Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference.

The event, which also will encourage continued participation in Katrina recovery efforts, is sponsored by the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama-West Florida conferences. The conferences report that at least 63,550 volunteers have served the region during the past two years, mostly to clean up and rebuild after Katrina. The volunteers came from 42 states, two foreign countries and 60 United Methodist annual conferences.

A special part of the New Orleans celebration will include gifts of prayer shawls collected from knitters throughout the United States.

Each shawl is a "mantle of support and a mantle of praise to God," said Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, episcopal leader for the Mississippi Annual (regional) conference, who shared her dream with event organizers to provide a prayer shawl to each volunteer recognized.

"A mantle is a simple cloth used for protection against the cold. A mantle is a sign of the love and power of God. Let us pray that, through the gifting of mantles, we will love one another as Christ loves us."

Knitters respond
Barbara Dunlap-Berg, a staff member at United Methodist Communications, took on the task of collecting the shawls. She sent out the word through a network of United Methodist annual conference communicators, and colorful shawls by the box load began arriving at her office in Nashville, Tenn.

By late August, more than 1,000 shawls had been collected from knitters in 30 states. While most will be distributed during the celebration, the extras will go to those in the storm-stricken areas who are still in need of comfort. Others will be reserved for future volunteers, according to Dunlap-Berg.

The knitters represent a broad spectrum of the church. Williamsport United Methodist Church in Maryland sent 27 shawls. In Pennsylvania, knitters in 23 churches made shawls. Of the 31 shawls sent from Alabama, 12 came from the United Methodist Church in Gulf Shores, which is still recovering from Katrina as well as hurricanes in 2003 and 2004. The most distant prayer shawl came from Ventura, Calif.

"We trust that the volunteers will know the appreciation of a grateful people and church," wrote the Rev. Jim Proctor in a note included with shawls from United Church of South Royalton (Vt.), Federated. "The prayers woven into these shawls are prayers of thanksgiving for their sacrificial service to those in need."

Blessed to be a blessing
The shawls were blessed during an Aug. 8 worship service at the Nashville headquarters of United Methodist Communications, at which the Rev. Kathy Noble reminded worshipers of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis.

"After God promised Abraham land that stretches further than he can see and descendents more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the shore, God tells him he has been blessed to be a blessing. What many of us have discovered is that as we are a blessing to others, we too are blessed," said Noble, who serves as editor of the denomination's Interpreter magazine.

Each shawl includes a gift tag with the name of the knitter, the words from Isaiah 61:1-4 and these simple words: "May you be warmed by its beauty and comforted by its grace. May your life be wrapped in God's blessings!"

To contribute to United Methodist Katrina recovery efforts, give online or through local church offerings to the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal #818-001. Information about how to donate online, along with details about the Katrina Partner Celebration, are available at http://www.umc.org/katrina.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

Domestic Disaster, UMCOR Donations

For UMCOR donations to Domestic Disaster Response (U.S.) you have 3 options:
(100% of gifts go to project you specify)

1. GIVE ONLINE--Domestic Disaster Response (note: system does not allow you to designate a specific disaster, but donations always go to place of greatest need) http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=901670&id=3018992&CFID=14362523&CFTOKEN=94122102
2. MAIL--Check payable to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Include on check memo/attached note: Domestic Disaster Response, #901670, and include your church name, district, and TN Conference. If you only want your gift to go to a specific disaster, include the name on the memo.
3. CHURCH TREASURER--Check payable to your local church with note: Domestic Disaster Response, #901670. If you only want your gift to go to a specific disaster, include the name on the memo.
   

Hurricanes 2007, UMCOR Donations

For UMCOR donations to Hurricanes 2007 (U.S., Mexico, etc.) you have 3 options:
(100% of gifts go to project you specify)

1. GIVE ONLINE--UMCOR Hurricanes 2007 (note: system does not allow you to designate Mexico, but donations always go to place of greatest need) http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=982511&id=3019429
2. MAIL--Check payable to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Include on check memo/attached note: International Disaster Response, #982511, and include your church name, district, and TN Conference. If you only want your gift to go to Mexico, include Mexico on the memo.
3. CHURCH TREASURER--Check payable to your local church with note: International Disaster Response, #982511. If you only want your gift to go to Mexico, include Mexico on the memo.

Peru Earthquake, UMCOR Donations

For UMCOR donations to Peru Earthquakes you have 3 options:
(100% of gifts go to project you specify)

1. GIVE ONLINE--UMCOR International Disaster Response (note: system does not allow you to designate Peru, but donations always go to place of greatest need) http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=982450&id=3019041
2. MAIL--Check payable to Advance GCFA, P.O. Box 9068, GPO, New York, NY 10087-9068. Include on check memo/attached note: International Disaster Response, #982450, Peru, and include your church name, district, and TN Conference. Gift will be designated for Peru.
3. CHURCH TREASURER--Check payable to your local church with note: International Disaster Response, #982450, Peru. Gift will be designated for Peru.

Special Hurricane Katrina offering planned Aug. 26

By Kathy L. Gilbert*

Volunteers from Christ Church United Methodist in New York repair a roof damaged by winds from Hurricane Katrina in Biloxi, Miss. United Methodist churches will collect a special offering on Aug. 26 for the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal. UMNS file photos by Mike DuBose.

HELP WANTED: People with sturdy spirits, loving hands and bountiful prayers to rebuild lives, homes and churches on the Gulf Coast. Jobs available for the next 20 years. Rewards reaped in heaven.

As the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita approaches, the need continues for prayers, volunteers, partners and donations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. The recovery stage has evolved into the rebuilding stage in most areas, though some places in New Orleans have been untouched since Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29, 2005.

United Methodist churches will collect a special offering Aug. 26 for the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal. Donations go directly to the rebuilding of United Methodist churches, parsonages and other facilities as well as to salaries for support staff; training for lay leadership; and efforts to grow congregations where membership has declined.
New resources to help tell the story of rebuilding and recovery are available at http://www.umc.org/katrina.

"We have been able to reopen churches that were totally devastated and that was made possible only because of the gifts of the people of the church," said Bishop William Hutchinson, Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference. "At the same time, major parts of the city of New Orleans and surrounding area have not been touched and still need basic services."

A reason to celebrate
A special "New Orleans-style" celebration will be held Sept. 6-7 in New Orleans to say thank you to volunteers of the past, present and future - giving their time, money and prayers.

"At this point in the recovery process, we are deeply involved in casework management. Families continue to need help and we continue to need skilled construction teams who are willing to volunteer in this ministry," said Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster, Alabama-West Florida Annual (regional) Conference. "Our prayers are that all those affected by this tragedy will see the love of Christ in our work."

"As we approach hurricane season on the Gulf Coast, we remember what wind and water can do as we press onward to rebuild homes, churches, schools, communities. Your partnership is essential," said Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference.

One extraordinary example of Christian mission and volunteerism is a group of retired lay people from First United Methodist Church, Victoria, Texas, who were making their fifth trip to New Orleans this spring. They were helping the Rev. Helena Wright-Butler rebuild her house while the retired United Methodist pastor lives in a small white FEMA trailer.

“It has been difficult but it has increased my faith," said Butler as she watched volunteers put insulation between the studs of her walls. "It helps to see people here. They could have turned their backs and said, 'Hey it didn't happen to me!' but they were willing to give of themselves, give of their finances and love. It makes it all worthwhile."

Extraordinary contributions
At this year's annual (regional) conferences, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama-West Florida reported the contributions that volunteers have made to each area:
. Texas (hit by Hurricane Rita) hosted 4,401 volunteers serving 4,304 individuals;
. Louisiana (Katrina and Rita) hosted 26,156 volunteers serving 14,955 individuals;
. Mississippi (Katrina) hosted 30,500 volunteers serving 5,265 individuals;
. Alabama-West Florida (Ivan, Dennis and Katrina) hosted 2,590 volunteers serving 475 individuals.

Louisiana also helped nearly 15,000 people during the relief stage of the storm, bringing the total number of people served there to about 30,000. Volunteers came from 42 states, two foreign countries and 60 United Methodist annual conferences.

Mississippi helped more than 12,000 people during the relief stage of the storm, bringing its total to more than 17,000 people served.

As the work continues, ministries assisting in the rebuilding efforts need teams with at least one skilled laborer who can hang Sheetrock, install roofs and wire homes for electricity, according to Chris Bower, conference resource coordinator for the Mississippi Annual Conference.

"There is still tons of work to do," Bower said.

People can make contributions to the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal #818-001 through local church offerings or online through http://www.umc.org/katrina.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.

United Methodist Women Leave Seminar Set for Justice Action

Joyful worship and Bible study charging members to work in their communities for God’s vision of justice wrapped up United Methodist Women’s quadrennial National Seminar at Scarritt-Bennett Center, Aug. 11-16. The justice action training event with the theme, “For Christ’s Sake, Turn the World Upside Down,” kept the more than 200 participants on the go in Bible study, issue education and accompanying Nashville advocacy groups modeling how to work with others for justice.

“National Seminar is a place to learn about social action as mission so that we can bring about change in areas where there is injustice,” explained Kyung Za Yim, president of the Women’s Division of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries, the national administrative body of United Methodist Women.

Each day of the event began with worship and interactive Bible study on the Gospel of Mark led by Nashville United Methodist clergywoman, the Rev. Janet Wolf. After reading the day’s passage, Ms. Wolf asked the women to separate into small groups for focused discussions on the actions of each of the characters in the story. Each small group then shared their insights with the larger group.

“’Listen to Jesus,’” said Courtney Jones of South Georgia Conference United Methodist Women, sharing her small group’s thoughts after reading of the Transfiguration story in Mark 9. “That was important to use because it was saying Jesus is going to continue to tell us to take action, and we have to listen.”

Ms. Wolf compared the story’s description of the disciples’ offer to build temples for Jesus, Moses and Elijah to the church’s focus on buildings today.

“What might happen if we invested all the time and energy and resources we invest in buildings into actually being the church?” she asked. “We might turn the world upside down!”

Throughout the event, the women took one of seven tracks of workshops focusing on:
.Health care;
.Immigration;
.Economic justice;
.Public education;
.Environmental justice;
.Community food security; and
.Militarism, peace and national security.

Leaders of Nashville advocacy groups served as resource persons in the workshops and guides for community visits. Women visited local a mosque, a landfill, homeless shelters, community clinics, a farmers’ market, a community garden, a public high school, and a Civil War monument. Each visit included one-on-one conversations with community members as well as more formal panel discussions and presentations.

Aug. 14 was a day of action as the women joined forces with Nashville advocacy groups in public vigils on living wages, immigrant rights, and homelessness and poverty at several locations around the city. United Methodist Women members attending the living wage vigil joined a broad coalition of faith, civic and labor groups at Vanderbilt University’s Benton Chapel celebrating a new contract between the university and its lowest paid workers while pushing for more respect for the workers. At Nashville’s Riverfront Park, United Methodist Women members stood alongside homeless people in 100-plus degree heat for a more somber vigil protesting lack of housing as well as neglect and harassment of the homeless. About 100 people attended the vigil called in memory of Tara Cole, a homeless woman murdered and thrown into the river Aug. 11, 2006. United Methodist Women members at the Tennessee capitol vigil against immigration raids heard testimonies about the fear and damaging impact of the raids on immigrant families.

At each vigil, a United Methodist Women representative shared the denomination’s positions on the issues of collective bargaining, housing and homelessness, or immigration and refugees by reading related excerpts from the United Methodist Social Principles or Book of Resolutions.

Women left National Seminar ready for action.

“I took the public education study,” said Denise Knight of Western New York Conference United Methodist Women. “I’ve been involved in the public schools in my community. For many years people have been asking me to run for school board, but I said, ‘That’s not something I can do.’ But after this week, I think that’s something I need to do. I’m going to run for school board.”

United Methodist Women is an organization of approximately 800,000 members within the United Methodist Church in the United States. Its purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. United Methodist Women members give more than $20 million a year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and around the world.

UMCOR offers aid in Peru earthquake

By United Methodist News Service

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief is responding to the Aug. 15 earthquake that leveled several cities in Peru and killed more than 400 people - making the quake the deadliest in the South American country since 1970.

The relief agency has offered aid to the Methodist Church of Peru and is working to provide a grant to Action by Churches Together, an international relief alliance that has mobilized a response team to Peru.

UMCOR also is inviting United Methodists to contribute to its international disaster response fund to help in the recovery efforts.

"… Please know of our continuing prayers for the people of Peru as the recovery effort begins," wrote the Rev. Sam W. Dixon, interim top staff executive of UMCOR, in an e-mail to the Rev. Jorge Bravo, bishop of the Methodist Church of Peru. "UMCOR would like to be of assistance to the conference in any recovery efforts the church may be planning."

Authorities in Peru report more than 800 people injured in the 8.0-magnitude earthquake and many people displaced. More than 16,000 homes were seriously damaged, nearly all in the southern cities of Pisco and Ica. The death toll is expected to rise.

As damage assessments continue, UMCOR officials say aid to the Peruvian church is likely to include funding to address immediate relief and long-term recovery, as well as deployment of experienced disaster response personnel. Noting that Methodist churches exist in the southern part of Peru, where damage was heaviest, Dixon said a portion of the funding will assist with rebuilding uninsured churches that were damaged.

Meanwhile, a United Methodist Volunteer in Mission team from North Carolina was not impacted by the earthquake and planned to return as scheduled Aug. 19 from its 10-day mission trip. The crew from North Raleigh United Methodist Church was working at a Methodist church north of Lima when the quake hit, according to the Rev. Kim Lamb, associate pastor at North Raleigh and leader of the mission team.

"The ground started shaking and the power lines started dancing," Lamb wrote in an e-mail to church staff members. "… No one of us seemed really frightened, which was good. The people here were pretty panicked. We lost power. Watching the transformers blow against the desert mountains was one of the most amazing things to see."

The Methodist Church of Peru and the North Carolina Annual Conference share a covenant relationship, begun in the 1990s with visits of mission teams and volunteers.People wishing to donate to recovery efforts in Peru may give to UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response, and designate it for the Peru earthquake. Checks can be placed in church offering plates or mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Credit-card donations may be made by calling (888) 252-6174 or by going online to http://new.gbgm-umc.org/

Faith-Based Disaster Response Training -- Bring a team from your church, and be prepared to respond to local, regional, national disasters

Saturday, October 13
Bellevue United Methodist Church
Nashville, Tennessee
8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon

To Register Call 615-646-4146

Training is for congregations seeking to be better prepared to serve their communities in the event of a disaster. Facilitated by Christy Smith, UMCOR Disaster Consultant . Christy is a Tennessean (Memphis Conference) who fully understands the Tennessee disaster situation. Also – Red Cross sheltering information will be available.







Christy Smith at prayer with UMCOR training team.

UMCOR Sager Brown Needs More Flood Buckets

BALDWIN, LA., AUG. 6, 2007— UMCOR Sager Brown Depot has nearly depleted its supply of flood buckets. The response effort to the recent Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma storm emergencies have severely taxed flood bucket stores. This low inventory is a serious concern especially when the Atlantic hurricane season is still uncertain.

For Kathy Kraiza, Executive Director the empty racks in the Baldwin, La., Depot are a “good news, bad news” situation.

“The good news is that we have sent over 3,800 flood buckets to Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma—over half the stock in the warehouse,” she explained. “But that means we have fewer than 3,000 flood buckets in stock, and we’re only halfway through the 2007 hurricane season.”

Now, increasing the stock of flood buckets has become the most recent emergency at the Depot, as Midwest communities continue the clean-up process.

UMCOR needs your help to ensure this kind of support continues to be readily available. UMCOR has responded to 28 domestic emergencies in 24 annual conferences since September 2006. The many emergencies over the past months have depleted response supplies.

How You Can Help
“We would like to rebuild our inventory quickly,” Kraiza continued. She invites congregations and individuals to send bucket contents or a contribution to purchase supplies. A list of the contents can be found in the Relief Supply section of www.umcor.org, or you can give $45 towards the purchase of these items.

Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write “Material Resources, Advance #901440,” on the memo line of your check. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal, including appeals for flood buckets, goes to support the designated program.

Matamoras Trip #12 Needs YOU! October 17-21, 2007

Buenos Dias, Amigos!

I am the new Murfreesboro District Program Coordinator and will be taking over Nan Zoller's work organizing the District's Mexico Mission Trips.

The next scheduled District Mission to Matamoras, Mexico (trip #12!!) will be October 17-21, 2007.

The trip cost is $600 per person and covers transportation from Nashville to Houston, Harlingen, TX, then via bus to Mexico. Lodging will again be provided dormitory style by El Buen Pastor Iglesia. The fee also covers insurance and food in Mexico. You must pay for your own meals enroute.

We are requesting a deposit of $350 (due by August 8th) to secure a place on the mission team. The balance of $250 is due August 20th. There will be two orientation meetings scheduled with dates, times, and locations TBA.

If you are unable to participate in the October trip please remember there are still ways to participate. Help underwrite the cost of someone else's trip, be a prayer partner for a missioner, or organize your own church to provide funds to purchase Bibles, vitamins, construction and medical supplies.

As each of you know, this trip is designed to be a 'first taste' of international mission work. While we engage in construction work, medical aid, and evangelism in colonias (neighborhoods), the goal of the trip is to familiarize participants with the serious economic and social issues surrounding poverty in Mexico rather than a rush to complete a specified construction project. There is always more that we can do for others and additional work to be done there in Matamoras, but this trip is a starting place and not an end. Join us -again-or send a friend!

If you have further questions or concerns please call or e-mail and I'll be happy to address them. I can be reached at 615-893-5886 (District Office) or by e-mail at heidi.geib@vanderbilt.edu.

Thank you again for your faithful witness to and participation in the Matamoras, Mexico Mission Trips.

Dios te bendiga!

Heidi Geib