United Methodists to Air Messages of Hope for Southern California Fire Victims

SAN DIEGO – Southern California United Methodists will air television commercials sharing messages of hope with millions of their neighbors affected by the wildfires that have destroyed nearly 2,000 homes and scarred more than 600,000 acres.

The commercials will air Nov. 5-11 on cable television networks serving the residents of San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Southern California United Methodists are spending nearly $25,000 to air the commercials on CNN, CNN Headline News, Fox News Channel, The Weather Channel, and MSNBC.

“Lives have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of persons have been displaced. Yet, in the midst of such chaos, we see powerful stories of neighbors helping neighbors and communities helping communities,” said Bishop Mary Ann Swenson, leader of United Methodists in the region.

The commercial says:

In the past few weeks, we’ve lost a lot of things, but we still have hope. We still have kindness. We still have gifts to share with others.

We are here to serve this community as it rebuilds. Together, we can make a difference.

Our hearts, our minds and our doors are always open.


The commercial was developed by the California-Pacific Annual (regional) Conference of The United Methodist Church and Nashville-based United Methodist Communications.