United Methodists rally to help Iowa flood survivors

Debris pulled from flood-damaged homes line Ninth Street in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The massive flooding has displaced some 4,000 families in mostly working-class neighborhoods. UMNS photos by Marta W. Aldrich

By Marta W. Aldrich*

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (UMNS)-For 30 years, Doug Ward has invested himself in a working-class neighborhood of Cedar Rapids where his family has lived, worked and gone to church-all within a few blocks of each other.

On June 13, he lost all three-his home, his business and his church building-to the rush of floodwaters from nearby Cedar River. Left behind were shoulder-high piles of debris, the stench of dirty water and soggy buildings that may or may not be salvageable.

"They've been parts of my life for the last 30 years, and they're all flooded out," said Ward, 64, as he stood on the lawn of St. James United Methodist Church, his long-time congregation, just a few blocks from his family's A&W root beer drive-in.

Doug Ward stands beside his A&W root beer stand that was partially submerged in the flooding, along with his home and his church.

"You just trust in God, and he'll take care of us. It will work out. We take it one day at a time."

Flood survivors with such multiple losses are not uncommon in hard-hit Cedar Rapids and a special concern of United Methodist Bishop Gregory Palmer. "You imagine that, rightly or wrongly, I could handle one of these, and I could probably bear up under two. But how do you bear up under three: my livelihood, my home and the place that symbolizes my faith?" asked Palmer, of the church's Iowa Area, as he surveyed flood damage upriver in Charles City on June 23.

In Cedar Rapids, which has suffered the highest concentration of Midwest flooding in recent weeks, some 4,000 homes in mostly blue-collar neighborhoods were submerged after days of heavy rain swelled the Cedar River. The downtown river crested almost 20 feet above flood stage and spilled water over 1,300 blocks. So far, city officials have ordered 300 houses demolished and are determining whether structures in the most flood-prone areas can be rebuilt.

Those include the Time Check neighborhood where Ward lives, works and worships. Other neighborhoods affected also have primarily older homes, and some are in low-income areas. Many residents work in the service or manufacturing sectors at plants such as nearby Quaker Oats or Square D, which also were flooded.

Bishop Gregory Palmer and UMCOR representative Sandra Kennedy-Owes talk with flood survivor Phyllis Meyer, 81, in Charles City.

Palmer said the church is focusing on residents who have little resources and are dependent on the government, the church and volunteer organizations for assistance. Like Ward, most residents displaced by the floods don't have flood insurance.

First responders
The bishop praised the work of local pastors who are "heroically and nobly" ministering to their neighborhoods, even as their church buildings and sometimes even their own homes are flooded. Three Cedar Rapids congregations-St. James, Salem and Trinity-have buildings that were heavily damaged.

In the storms' wake, St. James established a makeshift hospitality center on its front lawn to provide residents with bottled water, health kits, cleaning supplies and food, in addition to pastoral care. "I think we were supposed to be out on the lawn instead of in our building the whole time anyway," said the Rev. Beth Straw, as she stacked boxes of American Red Cross cleaning kits. "People don't feel like there is a boundary of walls between us any more."

About a mile away at the Salem church, the Rev. Linda Bibb was coordinating assistance to help area residents find alternative housing, muck out their homes and apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency-a challenge that she likens to "triage."

"You have to decide what gets done first, so the first thing we did was not (to focus on) our church building," she said. "… We discover who needs us most in the community and we go there first because the church is not the building."

In the city's Taylor neighborhood, Trinity United Methodist Church moved its Matthew 25 ministry hub for economically challenged people to the dry basement of nearby Sharon United Methodist Church. The congregation is reaching out to a neighborhood that was struggling even before the floods hit. "If we ever get a better evangelism moment than this, I don't know what it's going to be," said the Rev. Bob Voels, pastor.

In the week after the waters receded, the district's United Methodist pastors scattered each morning to walk the streets of the Ellis Park and Time Check neighborhoods to minister to residents as they were allowed to return and inspect their homes. "I've gone to a lot of people's homes," said Straw. "Some of these people I've never met and they will just melt in my arms. They'll cry and we'll pray together."

First United Methodist Church of Marion, which was not damaged in the flooding, quickly became a local command center to coordinate church groups and other volunteers assisting in the cleanup process. The church already has hosted teams from Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee and booked more than 30 groups through next March. "Everybody does their piece. This is our piece," said the Rev. Mike Morgan, Marion's lead pastor.

More rain
Even as the church and volunteer organizations worked to respond to the needs, strong Midwestern downpours returned June 26 to already waterlogged parts of Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, renewing anxiety about more flooding.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief issued an urgent call for more flood buckets filled with cleaning supplies. UMCOR has shipped more than 5,000 flood buckets since June 16 in response to requests from United Methodist annual (regional) conferences in the Midwest, compared with about 4,000 buckets distributed during all of 2007. "We are down to only 200 flood buckets in stock, and we are only two weeks into the hurricane season," said Kathy Kraiza, who oversees the Sager Brown Depot in Baldwin, La.

In Iowa, where 70 of the state's 99 counties have been declared federal disaster areas, UMCOR has issued two $10,000 emergency grants to the church's annual conference in less than a month-one for a May 25 tornado that flattened much of the rural Parkersburg community and the latest one for the recent floods.

Sandra Kennedy-Owes, UMCOR executive secretary for U.S. disaster response, toured the state's northeastern communities on June 23 and pledged that the relief organization will partner with the annual conference to provide additional funding, training and consultation as the disaster moves into the long-term recovery stage.

The conference has identified three staging areas to host Volunteers in Mission teams and others in cleanup and rebuilding across Iowa. "The Volunteers in Mission kind of support is beginning to escalate, and we need it to," said Palmer. "… This will be unfolding for months to come and the disruption in some people's lives will be evident … for years, but certainly for the next year."

Palmer expressed his gratitude "for the ways in which we have felt the support and love, tangibly and spiritually, of United Methodists all over the world." The church's Western Pennsylvania Conference sent $20,000 in offerings collected at its recent annual conference meeting, along with a grant from its own disaster response fund. "Other conferences have sent or been in touch about how they can partner-whether through Volunteers in Mission or money or all of the above. To all of it, we say yes," the bishop said.

For information about how to help, visit the Iowa Conference Web site at www.iaumc.org/storms2008.

To donate to UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest, drop checks in church offering plates or mail them directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write Advance #901670 Midwest Flooding Relief on the memo line. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at http://www.givetomission.org/.

*Aldrich is news editor of United Methodist News Service.

United Methodists unite to send help to Sudan

Bishops Daniel Wandabula (left) and James Swanson sign covenant papers affirming the partnership between The United Methodist Church's East Africa Conference and the Holston Annual (regional) Conference. UMNS photos by Annette Spence.

By Annette Spence*

United Methodists from five annual (regional) conferences attended a summit to discuss sending urgent help to the suffering people of Sudan.

Days after the Holston Annual Conference overshot a goal to raise $125,000 for southern Sudan, a gathering was held to connect other United Methodists who want to serve in the same region.

The Sudan Summit also included two bishops, two Sudanese Lost Boys, and two staff members of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The gathering was held June 20-21 in Lake Junaluska, N.C., immediately following Connect, a Southeastern Jurisdiction meeting of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission.

The Holston Conference organized the June summit after signing a covenant with the East Africa Annual (regional) Conference in February. The covenant includes plans for a new school and clinic, scholarship assistance, leadership development, mission teams and a missionary superintendent in Yei, Sudan.

Since June 11, the 906 churches of Holston Conference have raised $185,934 for Sudan, surpassing a 2008 goal of $125,000, and advancing toward a total $250,000 goal to be achieved by June 2009.

During the summit, Bishop Daniel Wandabula, resident bishop of the East Africa Annual Conference, spoke of how the money will be used. He also addressed the challenges of poverty, hunger, and underdevelopment in a region ravaged by 50 years of civil war.

"What we saw there was unacceptable," Wandabula said of southern Sudan, which he oversees along with the rest of Sudan, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya. He thanked the Holston Conference for its partnership and for "opening the doors for more partners to come in."

Forty summit participants shared information about other ministries in Africa, while considering Holston's invitation to join one of six mission trips to Sudan within the next nine months.

The Rev. Bradford Hunt of the North Central New York Annual (regional) Conference told of a community health care ministry organized by his church in Bor, Sudan. Southern Sudan Health Projects is an initiative of nine congregations and 15 Lost Boys who aim to empower local leaders in southern Sudan to address their own health needs. Hunt is pastor at Andrews Memorial United Methodist Church in North Syracuse, N.Y.

The Rev. Laverne Larson of the Wisconsin Conference spoke of traveling to Mbale, Uganda, each year since 2003 to train a class of 60 to 80 pastors. In 2009, her first class will graduate, after completing a curriculum based on the United Methodist Course of Study. Larson left the summit with a commitment to help the Holston Conference modify the curriculum for pastors in Yei, Sudan.

"I'm so appreciative that The United Methodist Church is finally doing something," Larson said. "To see how people are addressing this - there's so much cohesiveness, you can hear that God is really in this ministry." Larson is pastor of Viola and North Clayton United Methodist churches in Viroqua, Wis.

Members of the North Alabama and South Carolina Conferences came on fact-finding expeditions for their local churches and conferences. Ann Forgey of First United Methodist Church of Huntsville, Ala., left with a "sense of urgency to help these wonderful people [in Sudan]." Suzanne Jones attended the summit after leading her church, Trinity United Methodist in York, S.C., to raise $3,500 to help dig a well in Yei.

From the Virginia Conference, former Lost Boy Angelo Maker shared his testimony with an emotional audience, recalling how his mother and two brothers were fatally shot when he was seven years old and living in Rumbek, Sudan.

Maker, 28, and Ochan Hannington, 23, also provided information about southern Sudan's rainy season and culture as participants planned future mission trips. Hannington is from Yei, Sudan, and is currently working at Holston's Camp Wesley Woods near Townsend, Tenn. Maker is a member at Williamsburg United Methodist Church, near his current home in Newport News, Va.

"I was aware that Holston Conference was doing some work in southern Sudan, but not to level that I learned of this weekend," Maker said. "I wanted to offer my support and also do what I could to give them my insight."

Others providing hands-on information included Alberta McKnight and Sam Dixon of UMCOR, and Paul Turner, a former Holston native who has lived in South Africa and now works as a conflict prevention officer for the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C.

McKnight and Dixon answered questions related to UMCOR's assistance with building a school in Yei. Turner agreed to help Holston develop communications and management structures to coordinate mission trips and participation of other United Methodist groups.

"There is a real need to align The United Methodist Church in the U.S. and its desire to help the strategic plan of the East Africa Conference - to determine the best way to channel the passions exhibited at the summit," Turner said.

Representing Holston Conference, Bishop James Swanson announced that the Rev. Buford Hankins will be appointed to serve as Yei District superintendent in June 2009. Hankins and his wife, the Rev. Phyllis Hankins, will train local pastors and coordinate mission teams for a minimum of two years.

Phyllis Hankins echoed other Holston members when she spoke of feeling "overwhelmed" at the growing enormity of the ministry in south Sudan.

"But hearing from these other people made me realize that all of this is not resting on our four shoulders," she said, motioning toward her husband. "It's a big relief to see these other conferences are already doing some things in Sudan and Uganda."

Some participants expressed concern that most of Holston's work is currently based in Yei and does not yet benefit more of southern Sudan. However, Wandabula encouraged the group to stay focused on Yei.

"We are open to extending our ministry, but I think first we must strengthen where we are," he said. "Let's consolidate our efforts."

Maker noted that even those participants not joining in the Holston effort can "take the message back" to their homes: The needs are great in southern Sudan.

"In a sense, if one location gets help, we all get help," he said. "I believe the message will get to the people in time."

To learn more of the East Africa Conference/Holston Conference partnership in southern Sudan, e-mail connectionalministries@holston.org.

*Spence is the editor of The Call, the newspaper of the Holston Annual Conference.

Help Needed to Pay Hospital Bill for overseas delegate to 2008 General Conference, the Rev. Okoko Luhata

Editor's Note: Rev. Okoko Luhata, one of the delegates to General Conference 2008 from the Democratic Republic of Congo became critically ill at a stop-over in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. He has a strong Tennessee Conference connection -- four years ago he spent time itinerating in the Annual Conference lifting up the needs of the Central Congo Conference. He visited Brentwood UMC, Manchester First UMC, Christ UMC in McMinnville, and Cookeville First UMC. He is also a long time and personal friend of the Rev. Bill Lovell and recuperated for 10-days in Bill's home after hospitalization and surgery in the Western North Carolina Annual Conference. The uncovered hospitalization bill was over $28,000, and we include this letter from Mike Collins, Coordinator of Mission Outreach for the Western North Carolina Annual Conference, explaining the situation and asking for persons to help with the medical bill.

June 19, 2008

Dear Fellow United Methodists:

Following General Conference, Rev Okoko Luhata and three other delegates traveled back to the Democratic Republic of Congo through the Western North Carolina Conference, speaking at several churches sponsoring work in the Congo. While in the WNC conference, Rev. Okoko became deathly ill of what was later diagnosed as failed kidneys and cancer. He spent over one week in the hospital, several of these days in ICU. He underwent surgery and his kidneys, though very delicate, began to work.

Eventually Rev. Okoko was able to leave the hospital, rest in the home of a conference member and then traveled to Nashville to recuperate with a friend. On June 2, 2008 Rev Okoko left America and is now home in Kinshasa, D.R. Congo. His prognosis is very poor. We were able to send him home with a 60-day supply of pain medication. His cancer could not be contained and his kidneys contain splints that will eventually become infected, should he survive that long. Basically, Rev. Okoko has gone home to spend some time with his family before death.
No one in the Western North Carolina Conference signed any documentation making the conference legally obligated for expenses. However, as a conference, we believe the church, from the General Church and General agencies, down the line to the local church, as well as the Central DR Congo Conference and Reverend Okoko, himself, are morally and ethically responsible for the expenses.

Rev. Okoko did not qualify for a Government Medicaid grant because he was in the country legally (we were told at the hospital that if he had been illegal he would have qualified). The other possibility for payment would be a Charity Grant through the hospital. In May we applied for the Charity grant. On May 20th we were asked for documentation on Reverend Okoko’s salary. We sent letters to Bishop David Yemba asking for this documentation from the Central DR Congo Conference. We were given seven (7) days to apply for the grant and then this was extended for a period of time. To date we have not received this documentation and our time for applying has run out.

There were two alternatives: first, leave the bills of the hospital and doctors’ offices to be written off with costs passed on to paying patients through higher costs and insurance premiums, or, second, pay the bills. Though not legally responsible, the Western North Carolina Conference has decided to pay as much of the bills as possible. The total cost of the bills received comes to $28,838.69. Documentation for these bills is in the office of Michael Collins, Coordinator of Mission/Outreach. An emergency fund is being used towards these bills.

At this time we are requesting other members of the United Methodist connection to join us in the medical costs of Rev. Okoko. We are setting up a fund within the Treasurer’s Office to receive funds. Please send your contributions to the attention of “The Office of Mission/Outreach.” Address checks to “WNCC Treasurer,” P.O. Box 18005, Charlotte, NC 28218. Memo the check: “Emergency Medical Fund”

During the 2008 WNC Annual Conference we watched a portion of a DVD shared at General Conference promoting world healthcare. It is our opinion we need to match these words and images with our actions.

Thank you for your concern and care in this matter.

Sincerely,

Michael Collins
Coordinator of Mission and OutreachWNCC-UMC

Society of St. Andrew opens western headquarters in Kansas City

BIG ISLAND, VA – The Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) has opened its Western Headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri. Its goal: to fight hunger by salvaging excess produce grown west of the Mississippi and getting it to those in need.

Founded in Big Island, Virginia in 1979, the Society of St. Andrew (Advance #801600) salvages wholesome, nutritious produce that is destined to be wasted, and transports it to food banks and agencies that feed people in need. SoSA works with farmers, growers and produce packing plants at two crucial points – in fields and orchards after the harvest and during the produce grading process – to salvage nutritious, edible fruits and vegetables that don’t meet the aesthetic standards of many produce vendors.

Though the Society of St. Andrew sends produce to all of the 48 contiguous states, the bulk of its work has been concentrated east of the Mississippi River. SoSA West in Kansas City is its gateway to the West.

SoSA West will tap into rich sources of excess produce from states like California, Oregon, Washington and New Mexico. From an office located at the facilities of Harvesters – The Community Food Network in Kansas City, Missouri, SoSA West will work with Harvesters to provide tens of thousands of servings of nutritious produce to deserving recipients in the Kansas City area – approximately 5 million pounds by the end of the first full year of operation. SoSA West will eventually serve the western region of the country, establishing partnerships with farmers, growers and produce packing houses, recruiting volunteers, and coordinating produce distribution in Kansas City and across the western United States.

Lisa Ousley, director of the new SoSA West Headquarters, said, “SoSA West will fulfill a dream
of the founders of the Society of St. Andrew – to expand the organization west of the Mississippi. There is so much opportunity in the West. We look forward to partnering with
Harvesters – The Community Food Network in Kansas City and growers, volunteers and donors throughout the West as we work to address the nutrition requirements of people in need.”

Mike Waldmann, Executive Director of Society of St. Andrew, said, “Although SoSA has been distributing food to the hungry in the western U.S. for many years, the SoSA West office will provide many millions of additional pounds of highly nutritious food, each year, to some of the most under-served populations among our nation’s poor.”

About Society of St. Andrew

The Society of St. Andrew is a national, faith-based, non-denominational, nonprofit organization that gleans America’s fields and feeds America’s hungry. It is an Advance Special of the United Methodist Church, #801600. By resolution adopted by the 2008 General Conference, the United Methodist Church commend the Society of St. Andrew as a partner organization with the UMC in the alleviation of hunger in the United States. The resolution further commends this partnership between local churches and the Society of St. Andrew through volunteer service and gifts through the Advance Special.

SoSA effectively tackles the problem of hunger in America through its grassroots Gleaning Network, Potato & Produce Project and Harvest of Hope programs. SoSA is one of the nation's largest nonprofit suppliers of fresh produce to those in need.

To date, over 552 million pounds of fresh produce have been saved from going to waste by the Society of St. Andrew, providing more than 1.66 billion servings of nutritious food to those in need. More than 360,000 volunteers have helped SoSA save this food, which otherwise would have been dumped in landfills or plowed under. And all of it was saved and distributed at a cost of only about 2 cents a serving!

An independent audit has established the Society of St. Andrew's overhead for administration and fundraising at 9.6%, which is among the lowest of all nonprofit organizations. This means that more than 90¢ of every dollar donated to the Society of St. Andrew goes directly to feeding hungry people.

For more information about the Society of St. Andrew contact their national headquarters at sosausa@endhunger.org or online at www.endhunger.org.

Church looks to pinpoint Iowa flood relief response

By Arthur McClanahan*

DES MOINES, Iowa (UMNS)--As waters began to recede in central Iowa and the shock of a second "500-year flood" in 15 years became a numbing reality, the focus was shifting from the rescue phase to relief and long-term recovery.

United Methodists are among a statewide interfaith consortium and action teams from local churches that are reaching out to the estimated 38,000 people left homeless, farmers who have lost a projected 10 percent of the 2008 corn crop and countless churches and parsonages inundated from the ravages of nine rivers.

Bishop Gregory Palmer spent June 18 visiting clergy and surveying damage in the Cedar Rapids area, including Trinity, Salem and St. James United Methodist churches - all three of which have been partially underwater in the floods.

"The disruption caused by the floods is overwhelming, but the way in which people are pulling together in communities more than balances this out," said Palmer, of the church's Iowa Area. "The outpouring of tangible compassion from the church along with the resolve of local people to reclaim their lives is signaling hope … hope … hope."

Representatives from the United Methodist Committee on Relief are expected to tour Iowa by the first of next week to assess damage and formulate a response plan. UMCOR already has issued a $10,000 emergency grant to the conference to aid in responding to the May 25 tornadoes in Parkersburg.

Even as the water subsided from storms, flooding and tornadoes have ravaged Iowa since May 25. More levees broke and Des Moines' Birdland neighborhood, a low-income area near the Des Moines River, was flooded. In Cedar Rapids, the Cedar River was projected to continue to cover nearly 450 blocks of the state's second largest city well into the weekend.

In Iowa City, emergency measures were suspended when it became too dangerous to build up sandbag flood walls. At least 18 buildings on the University of Iowa campus were flooded, including the school's major auditorium and its art museum.

Interfaith efforts
Representatives of the United Methodist Iowa Annual (regional) Conference were among eight Christian groups networking to respond to emergency needs, and an ecumenical blog was set up at http://www.iowawaters.blogspot.com to share information. The Iowa Disaster Human Resource Council (IDHRC), which is an even broader interfaith coalition, was coordinating some of the first steps of the rescue response to complement efforts by the American Red Cross and Salvation Army in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Except for Iowa's Mississippi River areas, first-responders were invited beginning June 17 to support those returning to their homes for the first time since being evacuated. First United Methodist Church in Marion ramped up to serve as a host site for volunteer crews. As of June 18, teams from five states already had committed to assist in the Cedar Rapids area, according to the Rev. Mike Morgan, pastor of the Marion congregation.

Early response has included consoling residents who have lost many of their possessions. "This morning, about eight clergy went into the St. James United Methodist Church neighborhood about three hours after people were let into their homes. This was very necessary," Morgan said.

Marcia Young, the church's Iowa disaster relief coordinator, was working with Volunteers in Mission coordinator Susan Olive to mesh the services of the IDHRC and the long-term presence of UMCOR, particularly in equally hard-hit but lesser known areas such as Columbus Junction in southeast Iowa. There, a ministry action team already was in place to support the community's nearly 1,800 residents.

In Coralville, near Iowa City, the home of the University of Iowa, the Revs. Douglas E. Williams and Beverly Marshall-Goodell were coordinating crisis counseling by the area's faith leaders.

Coralville United Methodist Church received its first volunteers when 14 people from First United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kan., stopped to help while en route to a mission trip in Wisconsin.

"I know the worst hasn't hit in (Iowa City) and Coralville. We're keeping (Cedar Rapids) in our prayers," Williams said in a blog entry.

Resources
Iowa United Methodists were invited to share their experiences and photographs from the storms and flooding at a blog site established at www.iowastorms2008.blogspot.com.

Up-to-date information, photos, giving opportunities and ways to volunteer are being posted on the Iowa Annual (regional) Conference Web site at www.iaumc.org/storms2008.

Donations for relief efforts may be sent directly to the Iowa Conference Treasurer, with an indication of Storms 2008 Relief #223 (Treasurer, Iowa Annual Conference, 2301 Rittenhouse Street, Des Moines, IA 50321); or to UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest, by the Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670, with a designation for Midwest Flooding Relief.

UMCOR support checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at www.givetomission.org.

*McClanahan is director of communications for the Iowa Annual Conference.

Illinois college signs pact with university in Liberia

Bishop John G. Innis (center left) and James Polk sign a partnership agreement between United Methodist University in Liberia and Illinois Central College on June 9. The Rev. Timothy Bias (left) and John Erwin witness the signing. A UMNS photo by Paul Black.

By Paul Black*

EAST PEORIA, Ill. (UMNS)-An agreement fostering collaboration between an Illinois community college and the United Methodist University in Monrovia, Liberia, was consummated June 9 in a signing ceremony.

The partnership between Illinois Central College and United Methodist University formally "opens the door for student and faculty exchange for collaboration," said John Erwin, president of Illinois Central College.

Bishop John G. Innis of Liberia, president of the university's board of trustees, said global education is essential. "Education is redemption for life," Innis said. "It is the key to meeting world challenges. The world is for everyone, and it belongs to all of us."

Both Erwin and Innis credited the Rev. Timothy Bias, pastor of Peoria First United Methodist Church, with bringing the parties together for formalization of the agreement. Guy Goodman, a member of Peoria First, accompanied Bias on a trip to Liberia last fall.

"Guy was an emissary for us and in mission for the church," Erwin said. "A global perspective of education serves as a bridge to cross an ocean and builds understanding. When students are informed, they are more competent, and when they are more competent, they are more valuable."

Innis also thanked Bias. "He's a good friend," the bishop said. "He goes around the world and sees possibilities to be in partnership with one another."

Bias noted that part of the work of the church is bringing people together for the transformation of the community and the world. "Many times, you get involved and you can't see what it is going to look like, especially in the middle," he said. "One day, you'll look back on this day and say, 'that's what that was all about.'"

Illinois Central College, based in East Peoria, has 11,000 students with more than 185 programs of study on three campuses - the main East Peoria campus, a downtown Peoria campus and a North Peoria campus.

United Methodist University was established in 1998 and serves students from Liberia, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire. The university includes the College of Management and Administration; the Gbarnga School of Theology; the Winifred J. Harley College of Health Services; the College of Liberal Arts and Fine Arts; and the Joseph Jenkins Roberts College of Education. It has 1,600 students.

*Black is the director of communications for the Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference

Iowa United Methodists respond to storms, floods

By Arthur McClanahan*

DES MOINES, Iowa (UMNS)-Severe storms and rising floodwaters in Iowa have forced thousands of residents from their homes and shut down numerous roads as United Methodist disaster recovery leaders provide support amid potentially staggering long-term needs.

The emergency situation was changing nearly as quickly as the waters flowing in the Des Moines, Skunk, Raccoon, Iowa, Cedar and other rivers across the state. Nine rivers were at or above historic flood levels.

Eighty-three of Iowa's 99 counties were declared disaster areas by Gov. Chet Culver as of June 13. National disaster designation by the Federal Emergency Management Association covered four counties.

United Methodist leaders were working with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to monitor and respond to the state's emergency needs.

"Pray and faint not," Bishop Gregory Palmer said in a message of encouragement from the church's Iowa Area. "Remember when you pass through the waters, God will be with you."

In Cedar Rapids, more than 100 city blocks were underwater, forcing the evacuation of a downtown hospital and its 176 patients. In Des Moines, 100 miles to the southeast, officials issued a voluntary evacuation order for much of downtown and other areas bordering the Des Moines River.

The 188,000 United Methodists in Iowa have struggled right along with their neighbors. Many basements not flooded were seeping water because of the hydraulic pressure on foundation walls and floors. Sandbags were piled high around houses and businesses.

Even the Hilton Coliseum on the Iowa State campus in Ames, the site of the just-concluded 2008 session of the United Methodist Iowa Annual (regional) Conference, had flood barriers in place during the four-day gathering.

The latest flooding is poised to surpass the "hundred-years flood" that ran roughshod across Iowa in 1993, leaving Des Moines without water for 10 days after the Water Works was breached. Crops were destroyed, and businesses closed as U.S. President Bill Clinton flew in to inspect the damage personally.

Just 15 years later, the "200-500 years flood" has closed four bridges connecting the east and west sides of Des Moines. A levee gave way on June 12, unleashing a torrent of water into downtown Cedar Rapids and forcing evacuation of nearly 4,000 homes.

The town of Vinton lost power and a 15-block area was evacuated as the river there was expected to crest nine feet above flood stage. Residents in Chelsea and Palo were evacuated as well.

Poignant stories
Numerous interstates and highways were shut down and telecommunications was significantly affected.

Three of the eight district offices of the church's Iowa conference were without phone and Internet service on June 12, and one office was completely without power. Even so, conference superintendents stayed busy calling pastors and contacting congregations so that updated lists of churches affected could be posted. One communication from the northwest part of the state indicated at least a quarter of the congregations were suffering significant problems.

There are poignant stories. One pastor, whose parsonage was destroyed by an EF-5 force tornado just two weeks ago, had bundled up her remaining possessions for storage in the garage of the parsonage in an adjacent town. She has now lost everything because that neighboring "safe haven" has been flooded.

Another pastor rushed to the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in the Loess Hills area because an EF-3 tornado devastated the campgrounds where 93 youths, ages 14 to 18, and 25 adults were engaged in a weeklong leadership-training event. Four teenagers died, and 40 others were injured.

The June 11 tragedy brought responses from scouting ministries elsewhere in The United Methodist Church.

"Our prayers are with the families of these young scouts who are now suffering the loss of loved ones," said Larry Coppock, national director of scouting ministries for the Commission on United Methodist Men. "The 12th point of the Scout Law is 'A scout is reverent.' Now is the time to pray for God's healing power for these families as well as the Boy Scout staff and volunteer leaders in the camp and local council."

The United Methodist Publishing House dispatched 125 copies of the Boy Scout edition of the devotional book Strength for Service to God and Country to Iowa for distribution to every Scout, staff member and leader present at the Little Sioux ranch. The district Boy Scouts liaison was facilitating the distribution to ensure delivery.

UMCOR to assist
Marcia Young, the disaster response coordinator for the Iowa conference, was working with interfaith partner relief groups and UMCOR to provide support with both immediate emergency needs and long-term recovery.

"After everyone else has gone, when people are still putting their lives back together, UMCOR will be there," Young said.

Donations for UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at www.givetomission.org.

*McClanahan is the director of communications for the Iowa Annual Conference

Soggy Illinois struggles under more flooding

By United Methodist News Service*

United Methodist disaster response teams from Illinois were assessing needs after major flooding in the state's southeastern counties.

The June 10 flooding led to more problems as the water system for the town of Lawrenceville, with 4,600 residents, stopped working the next day, according to The Associated Press. Some 200 residents evacuated after levee breaks and could not return home because of flooded roads.

The latest heavy rains arrived after two floods hit the Pontiac and Watseka area in February, while two March floods hit the southern part of the United Methodist Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference. Both regions received a $10,000 grant from the United Methodist Committee on Relief at the request of Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher.

No additional funds have been requested yet for the most recent storms, although assessment teams asked for support from the conference's disaster response fund, according to Paul Black, conference communications director.

Flooding from the Embarras and Wabash rivers on June 10 left several areas under water. More than 200 families were displaced in Lawrence County, but the need for housing has been addressed by friends and neighbors, according to reports from emergency officials contacted by the Rev. Alan Rhein, Kaskaskia River district superintendent, and members of the conference disaster relief team.

In Coles County, Mission in Motion, driven by Diane Walrath, arrived in Oakland on June 11 with 150 flood buckets and 300 health kits from the Midwest Mission Distribution Center, according to Judy Doyle, the disaster response chairperson.

Although Oakland was not inundated by floodwaters from overflowing rivers, 11 inches of rain and clogged storm drains devastated the small eastern Illinois community. The Rev. Chuck Shelquist organized a group of volunteers to help unload the supplies as cleanup continued.

Coles County was hit from two fronts--flooding and a tornado that formed near the tiny village of Lerna southeast of Mattoon causing damage to about 70 buildings on June 6.

Neighboring Indiana
Meanwhile, floodwaters receded across central Indiana, where the Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared 21 counties as disaster areas. UMCOR has sent $10,000 in initial relief and established a relief center for flood survivors at Asbury United Methodist Church in Columbus. First United Methodist Church, also in Columbus, is playing a major role helping families of floor survivors with food, shelter and clothing.

More than 1,000 flood buckets were distributed across Indiana from the United Methodist-related Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Chatham, Ill., through churches and American Red Cross centers in Terre Haute, Worthington, Franklin and Columbus.

United Methodist volunteers were assisting flooded families in cleaning their houses in Franklin, Columbus and Edinburgh.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels toured flooded areas June 12 and told reporters he had hoped the agricultural damage would be limited. "It appears much more likely that the damage is severe and will not be salvageable in many cases for the balance of this year," he said, noting that many farmers say it is unlikely than can replant this year.

Donations for UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at www.givetomission.org.

*Information for this report was provided by Paul Black, director of communications for the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, and Dan Gangler, director of communications for the church's Indiana Area.

Nicole Witt headlining a benefit Concert for Cuba, June 28th, Bethlehem United Methodist Church

FRANKLIN---Curb Artist and hit songwriter Nicole Witt is headlining a benefit Concert for Cuba with critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Billy Montana on Saturday, June 28 at Bethlehem United Methodist Church beginning at 6 p.m. with a Silent Auction. The concert will assist a Bethlehem UMC Volunteers In Mission Team heading to Cuba in July.

Local teen, Maggie McNulty, is chairing the concert as part of her Girl Scout “Gold Award” project and is also a member of the twelve-person mission team.

“We are so thrilled and honored that Nicole and Billy will be headlining our benefit Concert. They are both amazing artists and have had incredible hit songs recorded by George Strait, Garth Brooks, Diamond Rio, Sara Evans, Jodee Messina and more. It is going to be a wonderful night of entertainment and for a worthy cause,” McNulty said. “We are also having a medicine and medical supplies drive. We will be taking the greatly needed donations to Cuba with us in July to help a country with one of the highest doctor to patient ratios but without enough supplies to treat their people.”

McNulty, a singer/violinist, is also performing at the benefit concert with three recent graduates of Franklin High School, Carrie Walker, Josh Castle and Ben Heacock. The talented four performed at the school’s Baccalaureate event in May and will be reuniting for the benefit concert.

BUMC Pastor Phil Ross is heading up the Cuban Mission Team traveling to Havana, Cuba in July to help with the renovation of a seminary building. The team must raise $5,000 for construction expenses. The building will be used to train Methodist ministers and leaders serving the Cuban people.

The limited Silent Auction begins in the church lobby at 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. Christian artist Stephen Curtis Chapman has donated several books about his precious, adopted daughters as well as hit CDs. A beautiful stained glass piece by artist Brenda Ross is also part of the Silent Auction. Donations are welcome.

Tickets are $10.00 per person and available through a reservation, at the door event night or in the church lobby on Sundays.. Contact the Concert for Cuba reservation line at (615) 791-6456, ext. 2 or by email at maggie.mcnulty@gmail.com. The event begins at 6 p.m. at Bethlehem United Methodist Church located at 2419 Bethlehem Loop just off Hillsboro Road in the Grassland area of Franklin, Tennessee. Visit www.bethlehemumc.com for more info.

Midwest Flooding Update

Link to the latest update from UMCOR on Midwest flooding and the response -- http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor. When the situation stabilizes over the coming weeks and local relief has been organized, we should receive information on volunteer needs and the best way we can help. We have agreements among all UMC conferences only to send teams and supplies when the affected annual conferences request them. The first groups allowed in will be those with appropriate training and those able to be self-sustaining (bring their own housing, food, water, tools, etc.)

At this time, financial donations(through UMCOR) to the many conferences affected would be the most helpful so they can purchase exactly what is needed, where it is needed. You can give to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670, either through your local church offering or directly online at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=901670&id=3018992.

Unless relief agencies make specific requests, it is best not to send donated items at this point in the response. A “flood” of donated items, ESPECIALLY CLOTHES, often overwhelms local relief efforts, distracting them from what needs to be done and often leaving them with many items that cannot at the time, or sometimes ever, be used.

However, if you want to assemble Flood Buckets to replenish those sent by UMCOR and from a Midwest UMC warehouse. We have a small load headed to Sager Brown by the end of next week and will ship others as we collect enough to send a load. Completed buckets can be dropped off at the TN Conference office in Nashville, Riverside UMC in Columbia, or Friendship UMV in Cookeville. Kit Delivery link http://tnumc.org/index.cfm?PAGE_ID=2094, Flood Bucket Contents link http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies

Indiana United Methodists respond to floods

A house in Johnson County, Ind., is underwater due to flooding that has affected 21 counties in southern and central areas. A UMNS photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

United Methodists in Indiana have mobilized to deal with flooding in the central and southern parts of the state.

President George W. Bush signed a disaster declaration on June 8 for the state of Indiana, which allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate federal assistance to the affected 21 counties.

Meanwhile, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is allocating a $10,000 emergency grant to the denomination's Indiana Area at the request of Bishop Michael Coyner.

Storms and the subsequent flooding also have plagued other Midwest states. In Iowa, where more than 40 counties already had been declared disaster areas, sandbags piled by thousands of volunteers held back the Cedar River in Cedar Falls early on June 11.

In Wisconsin, officials were monitoring dams that were threatening to give way because of high water from days of storms. Lake Delton, a manmade lake, emptied out into the nearby Wisconsin River, and television newscasts repeatedly showed a video of a home there being swept away.

In Indiana, the church's South Indiana Annual (regional) Conference was to begin June 11 assessing some of the flooded areas, according to Bob Babcock, the conference's disaster response coordinator.

"We haven't had any churches that have had flooding," he told United Methodist News Service on June 10. "But we've had numerous churches who have called in wanting to help."

The South Indiana Annual Conference met June 5-7 at Indiana University in Bloomington, and a number of attendees could not immediately return to Indianapolis or other northern destinations because of flooding on the afternoon of June 7. The conference was in session when Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels landed on the lawn of the South Indiana Conference Center in Bloomington to view flood damage in the area.

Up to 10 inches of rain fell that day and started "the worst flooding that we've seen," said Babcock, a retired general contractor who worked with UMCOR in Bosnia in 1993.

Terre Haute and Columbus were among the worst-hit cities. Through the Midwest Mission Distribution Center, which works with the UMCOR Depot in Baldwin, La., the South Indiana conference received 500 flood buckets in Terre Haute on June 10 and 100 flood buckets in Columbus. The North Indiana Conference also sent 80 flood buckets left over from January flooding there, which went to the Red Cross, according to Babcock.

Expansive needs
Only about 5 percent of the residents with flood damage had flood insurance, Babcock said. He anticipates the state will need the help of FEMA, UMCOR, the Red Cross and others to rebuild.

Asbury United Methodist Church in Columbus was assisting residents there by serving as a clothing site, emergency responder post and collection site. "We have many groups mobilized in helping Columbus residents with the devastation of their homes," reported the Rev. Al Stryon, senior pastor. "We will continue with our efforts as long as there are needs."

In Terre Haute, members of Centenary United Methodist Church checked on the residents of Bethesda Gardens, a local retirement/nursing home which was flooded and evacuated on the city's south side. Members also assisted at Terre Haute North High School, where evacuated residents were first taken.

Other congregations have offered their facilities to churches with flooded buildings and have been assisting the Red Cross efforts. Volunteers from Spencer (Ind.) United Methodist Church worked closely with the Red Cross center at the elementary school, and members of First United Methodist Church in Mooresville helped with the Red Cross response in Martinsville.

Donations for UMCOR's relief efforts in the Midwest can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit card donations can be made by calling (800) 554-8583 or online at http://www.givetomission.org/.

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

NGOs have role in China relief, says Amity staff

A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*

The enormous impact of the recent earthquake in China makes the involvement of nongovernmental organizations there more important than ever, according to the staff of a Chinese Christian organization.

She Hongyu, assistant director of research and development for the Amity Foundation and its overseas liaison, believes it is impossible even for China's government to take care of everyone in a situation "where nearly 70,000 people have been killed and nearly 17,000 are still missing," with millions relocated.

The official death toll from the quake climbed June 8 to 69,136, with 17,686 people still missing, according to the Associated Press.

The May 12 massive earthquake and its aftershocks caused extensive damage in China's Sichuan Province. Amity and the United Methodist Committee on Relief are both part of Action by Churches Together International and UMCOR has sent $50,000 to Amity through that partnership for its relief work. However, more donations to UMCOR Advance No. 982450 are needed for any additional support of earthquake relief.

As the Chinese government has placed an emphasis on building the country's civil society, nongovernmental organizations have contributed to the development process, according to She.

"An enormous disaster like the earthquake provides an excellent opportunity for NGOs to get in with efficient work, care and concern for the victims and establishing the credibility of NGOs," She said in an e-mail message. "This is a huge platform for NGOs to develop and it is all up to individual NGOs to decide how they can best cope with the situation."

The flexibility and professionalism exhibited by such groups is an asset, in her opinion. "NGOs do pioneering projects and serve as … a kind of reference for the government for administrative and policy-making purposes," She added.

Relief teams from Amity have travelled to 13 of the 15 areas hit by the earthquake, particularly focusing on rural areas not receiving much attention from others. "Amity staff, immediately after the assessment with the participation of the farmers, prepared relief supplies and distributed (them) the second day after the assessment," She said.

Coordinating supply distribution
In other developments during early June, Diane Allen, who oversees the China Program of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, reported that Liu Lin will be coordinating Amity's distribution of supplies gathered by the New Hump Campaign in Shanghai.

The New Hump Campaign is a group of nongovernmental organizations. "The New Hump is probably taken from 'the hump,' which was a term for the Himalayan Mountains," she explained.

During the Sino-Japanese War from 1937-45, Western regions of China were unoccupied by Japanese troops, so supplies and people, including missionaries, entered or left the country by flying over the Himalayans - or "over the hump" - from or to India.

Liu will oversee distribution of the New Hump supplies in Mianyang and Mianzhu, where Amity did relief assessment work after the quakes.

A "desperate need" also remains for tents or materials like plastic material/sheets/tarpaulin and She has sent an appeal for the items to ecumenical partners.

"President Hu Jintao has personally visited tent factories to encourage workers to produce more and better tents," She wrote in the appeal. "However, with the limited supply of materials and limited staff at the factories, there is no way to produce the needed numbers of tents within a short period of time."

According to the New York Times, the Chinese government needs enough tents and other emergency supplies for people in an earthquake-scarred area that is roughly the size of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and New Jersey combined. A U.N. official said as many as 3.3 million tents may be needed.

Relying on local partners
Allen said that Amity is relying on its local partners "to help it channel aid where needed." In Sichuan Province, those partners include the Sichuan Christian Council and the Zhigong Party, founded in the 1920s by people who returned to China after being overseas, or were relatives of overseas Chinese. It is one of China's eight democratic parties, which are comprised of special interest groups.

Christian Councils in the Shaanxi and Gansu Provinces also are partnering with Amity, along with the Gansu Overseas Friendship Association.

Allen believes that Amity operates with realistic project goals. "In a country where millions still live on less than one U.S. dollar per day, the needs can be overwhelming in certain regions," she noted. "That's where Amity's good preliminary and project assessment practices help insure resources are used effectively."

The Board of Global Ministries has sent around $10,000 for Amity's future project with earthquake orphans and also has contributed to the rebuilding of churches though the Sichuan Christian Council, according to Allen.

Connie Wieck, a United Methodist missionary studying in Chengdu, the largest city in Sichuan Province, said in her June 4 blog that the 24-hour earthquake coverage is over in China as some places return to normal.

"The leftovers of the earthquake are quickly being hauled away - the rubble cleared, the roads smoothed, the buildings reconstructed," she wrote. "But in Chengdu, the remnants of a frightened city still lay strewn about in small pockets here and there. They are little ghost towns of dusty tents and tattered tarps that still fill numerous neighborhood open-air nooks and crannies. My apartment compound is one of them; the adjacent park another.

"It's hard to believe, just one week ago today, another report of possible aftershocks caused schools to close and upper-story residents once again to collect their things for an outdoor sleepover. … I now walk through my apartment compound and along the walkways of the park to find an eerie silence. The shelters are still there, but the people are not."

Donations to UMCOR's relief efforts in China can be made to International Disaster Response, China Earthquake, UMCOR Advance No. 982450. Checks can be dropped in church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit-card donations are accepted online at www.givetomission.org or by phone at (800) 554-8583.

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

Volunteers stitch comfort clothes for wounded soldiers

Shirleen Harms sews adaptive clothing for a wounded soldier as part of the sewing ministry at First United Methodist Church in Oviedo, Fla. A UMNS photo by John Gordon.

By John Gordon*

OVIEDO, Fla. (UMNS)-After sewing a pair of boxer shorts for more than two hours, Shirleen Harms pauses to "say a prayer for the young man that's going to wear this."

"And I pray that he's going to be strong enough to heal," Harms adds.

Harms is part of a sewing class at First United Methodist Church in Oviedo that makes adaptive clothing for soldiers who have lost limbs or need special attire to fit over casts or medical equipment. The sewing class is part of Sew Much Comfort (http://www.sewmuchcomfort.org/), a U.S. organization that distributes adaptive clothing to military hospitals.

"They need to know that we still see them as whole entire people," says Margaret Morris, a church member in the sewing group. The soldiers are "people first, but with a disability-not a disability attached to a person," she says.

At military hospitals, hospital gowns are often the only clothing available, but are drafty and do not cover many patients adequately. The adaptive attire gives wounded soldiers an alternative and is designed to make their recovery comfortable, both physically and emotionally.

"Anyone who's ever been in a hospital realizes that a hospital gown doesn't give you much dignity," says Joy Campbell, regional director for Sew Much Comfort in Florida. "And we're talking about injuries to our troops that are of such a degree that they are not going to get well within a week, a day, a month."

Founded in 2004, Sew Much Comfort is trying to meet the needs of about 30,000 soldiers wounded in the Iraq war. Campbell says about 30,000 items were made and shipped in 2007 by the organization's volunteers.

"If you give someone one pair of boxer shorts, then you really haven't done them a favor. They need six or seven pair," she says. "And the same thing with T-shirts, athletic shorts, long pants. One pair is not good enough."

Jeffrey Lightbourn, a patient at U.S. Army Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, tries on clothing developed by Sew for Comfort founder Ginger Dosedel. A UMNS photo by Thomas Warner, LRMC Public Affairs.

At the Oviedo church north of Orlando, about a dozen members attend the sewing class and have made more than 600 items in a little over 15 months, according to Pat White, who coordinates the ministry for the sewing club.

"We had no idea that we would be able to do that much," says White, a former Navy nurse. She checks each piece of clothing to make sure it meets the specifications of Sew Much Comfort.

Some of the seamstresses have personal reasons for volunteering to help.

Georgette Hester has both a son and a daughter-in-law deployed in Iraq. "I appreciate that I have enough skill to participate and I can only imagine what it would be like to receive a gift like this," says Hester. "It's a very, very rewarding experience for me."

Shirley Peters empathizes with the soldiers due to her family's experiences from a different war in a different time. "One of my brothers was a Vietnam casualty. He didn't make it back," Peters says.

While members of the sewing volunteers discuss the latest stitches and patterns during their meetings, the politics of the Iraq war are not part of the discussion.
"I can't stop the war. I can't stop them being wounded," says White. "But I can at least make their recovery process a little smoother--and give them some indication that there are people out here who care."

*Gordon is a freelance producer based in Marshall, Texas.

United Methodists in Texas raise $1 million for nets

Bishops Benjamin Boni and Janice Riggle Huie affirm a proclamation signed in May establishing a covenant relationship between the Côte d'Ivoire and Texas annual (regional) conferences. UMNS photos by Eleanor Colvin.

By Eleanor L. Colvin*

THE WOODLANDS, Texas (UMNS)--The groundbreaking covenant partnership between the Texas and Côte d'Ivoire annual conferences of The United Methodist Church has yielded its first fruits--more than $1 million in donations from Texans to fight malaria in West Africa.

At $10 a net, the gift will buy more than 100,000 nets planned for distribution in Côte d'Ivoire in November as part of a national vaccination campaign. The distribution will include another 400,000 nets authorized by the United Nations Foundation through the Nothing But Nets fundraising campaign.

The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries will play a key role in helping with the logistics of the distribution through its Health and Welfare unit and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. The Texas Annual (regional) Conference has commissioned a team of 35 clergy and laity, representing all nine districts of the conference, to help distribute the nets.

The Texas funding was generated sooner than expected. Members of the Texas conference pledged at its 2007 legislative meeting to raise $1 million in two years to cover Côte d'Ivoire with insecticide-treated mosquito nets. During its 2008 meeting held May 25-28 near Houston, a 60-member Ivorian choir led the celebration that the goal had been surpassed in a single year.

"The spirit of support for this effort among our congregations has been energizing and exciting," said Rev. Cynthia Harvey, director of the Texas Conference Center for Missional Excellence. "More than 350 churches have supported Nothing But Nets financially, and many continue to do so."

The $1.1 million from Texas also is donated through Nothing But Nets, a campaign launched in 2006 with founding partners that include the people of The United Methodist Church, the U.N. Foundation, the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares and Sports Illustrated magazine. Thus far, the campaign has raised more than $20 million for nets, including more than $4 million from United Methodists.

Nothing But Nets and the involvement of United Methodists and other partners, including the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Union for Reform Judaism, was highlighted in a front-page story on June 2 in The New York Times.

Casting a wider net
Bishop Janice Riggle Huie explained to the 2008 Texas conference legislative assembly how the power of partnerships is helping in the fight to eradicate malaria in Africa. She shared about the additional 400,000 nets being sent to Côte d'Ivoire from other donations to Nothing But Nets.

"In addition to that, the General Board of Global Ministries is giving money to offset travel and distribution costs, so everything you've given goes for Nothing But Nets only," she said.

Dr. Allah Kouadio Remi, the Côte d'Ivoire minister of health who helped identify regions to receive the first shipment, affirmed the need for insecticide-treated nets. He told a partnership meeting in April that 27 percent of children in Côte d'Ivoire sleep under bed nets, but only 7 percent of those nets are treated to repel insects. Of children under the age of 5, he said, 17 percent sleep under bed nets, and only 3 percent of those nets are treated. Covering the entire country will require 7 million nets.

"Our goal is to still cover the country of Côte d'Ivoire," Huie told the Texas assembly. "We're not there yet, but friends, God is good … and with God all things are possible."

In addition to commissioning the team who will help distribute the nets, the conference affirmed the covenant relationship between the Texas and Côte d'Ivoire conferences. Huie of Texas and Bishop Benjamin Boni of Côte d'Ivoire signed a proclamation outlining the scope of the relationship and read the document aloud in French and English. The primary focus areas are evangelism on both continents; eradicating the diseases of poverty--HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles and tuberculosis--in Africa; and educational support of children, youth and pastors in Côte d'Ivoire.

The covenant signing was ratified with a standing ovation of Ivorians and Americans waving handkerchiefs, or "spirit cloths," found at any Ivorian celebration.

"May we give the world a glimpse of the kingdom of God united in faith and in service," Boni said. "In spite of our differences, in faith we know with Jesus we have the strength we need. If we unite and work together and show our solidarity, we will always be strong."

'Truly a partnership'
Harvey said the spirit of partnership has been visible as the relationship has been defined and will remain a focal point of the net delivery.

"This is truly a partnership. We both give and receive. It's a covenant relationship," Harvey said. "For every person from the U.S., we want to have an Ivorian partner so that together they can distribute nets. This will not be a Texas Annual Conference distribution of nets in the Ivory Coast, but a delivery of the partnership."

Because pregnant woman and children age 5 and younger are most susceptible to the mosquito-borne disease, the distribution this fall will target those two populations. Another fruit of partnering is the free vaccinations that the Measles Initiative will provide in conjunction with the net delivery.

The two United Methodist conferences are working to distribute the nets in cooperation with the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Health, U.N. Foundation, CARE, UNICEF, Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Communications and other organizations.

"The work before us is bigger than we are," Harvey said.

Donations to support the Nothing But Nets effort in Cote d'Ivoire can be made online through the Advance, the designated giving arm of The United Methodist Church. Give to Advance #982015 at http://www.givetomission.org/. Checks can be placed in church collection plates or mailed to GCFA, P.O. Box 9069, New York, NY 10087.

*Colvin is the director of communications for the Texas Annual Conference.

Stop Hunger Now marks 10th with million meal event

School children in Haiti eat food provided by Stop Hunger Now and the United Methodist Committee on Relief. A UMNS photo courtesy of Stop Hunger Now.

A UMNS Report

By Linda Bloom*

The Rev. Ray Buchanan had spent years working to banish hunger in the United States when an experience in Sierra Leone made him re-think his focus.

In 1997, during the height of the African country's civil war, he visited with a number of United Methodist pastors in the city of Bo who told him "they wore their clerical collars when they begged in the streets because people would be more generous."

Returning home "in a self-righteous fit," Buchanan raised $65,000 in six weeks, enough to provide rice for every pastor's family in Sierra Leone for a year.

That experience in Africa helped propel Buchanan to found Stop Hunger Now in 1998. During its 10-year existence, the Raleigh, N.C.-based organization has provided more than $44 million in direct aid to more than 60 countries, including more than 5 million meals for the poor.

For 2008, Stop Hunger Now has set a goal to package 5.5 million meals. On Aug. 23, its "University Million Meal Event" hopes to bring together 4,000 volunteers from nine colleges and universities to assemble 1 million meals in one day.

"We have a vision of ending hunger in our lifetime," the 61-year-old pastor told United Methodist News Service in a June 4 interview. "In order to do that, it's not enough to feed the hungry. We've got to inspire, motivate and educate the whole world community to be involved."

Personal approach to hunger
Buchanan, a Texas native, former U.S. Marine and clergy member of the United Methodist Virginia Annual (regional) Conference, long ago took a personal approach to the problem of hunger.

In 1979, he and the Rev. Ken Horne co-founded the Society of St. Andrew and moved their families into what he called "an intentional community of covenant lifestyles" on a 58-acre farm in the mountains of Virginia. A $15,000 grant from the United Methodist Board of Discipleship helped them get the community started. "They realized, as we did, that you'll never deal with hunger unless you deal with the issue of lifestyles," Buchanan explained.

They combined the living of a simple life "considerably under the poverty level"--growing their own food and using solar power--with a mission to educate college students about hunger and lifestyles and integrated their message into the community through local United Methodist congregations.

"We saw firsthand how much good food was being thrown away," he recalled.
Although the farm community disbanded after three and a half years, that knowledge about food waste led to the society's very successful "potato project," which was supported with funding from the Virginia Annual Conference. "I can't say enough about the faithfulness of the church to make that happen," Buchanan said.

He and Horne continued to expand the work of the Society of St. Andrew but, at a certain point, his attention was drawn to the international scene. "It was obvious to me that the need internationally was so much greater than the need in the United States," Buchanan said. "The hunger here is real, but we have such enormous numbers of safety nets."

After the experience in Sierra Leone, he remembered a potential major donor, John Hewitt, co-founder of Jackson Hewitt and currently founder and CEO of Liberty Tax Service, who had once contacted the Society of St. Andrew about feeding famine victims. Soon, Hewitt helped Buchanan realize his dream of being able to travel to a crisis area, assess the situation and quickly deliver food to the people who need it.

Stop Hunger Now was born. "I wanted to do a half million dollars worth of hunger relief in the first year," he said, noting that the organization actually dispensed $2.9 million worth of aid in 18 countries that year.

Partner organizations
Today, Stop Hunger Now accomplishes its work through dozens of partner organizations across the world. "We don't have international staff," he said. "We seek out the best partners you can find in the areas where we work."

Although the mission of the first eight years focused on crisis relief related to wars or natural disasters, Buchanan knew that such circumstances were only a small percentage of the hunger problem. He wanted to address the systemic causes of hunger and needed a way to get volunteers involved.

The Rev. Ray Buchanan (left), founder of Stop Hunger Now, and board member the Rev. Michael H. Browder travel to Quito, Ecuador, to distribute food. A UMNS photo courtesy of Stop Hunger Now.

A solution presented itself after the Asian tsunami in late 2004 when Stop Hunger Now received a call from Kids Against Hunger, a Minneapolis-based group that had food for tsunami victims but needed transportation. The food was similar to a dehydrated soup mix used by Stop Hunger Now in the past, but it was more like a "hearty casserole," he said, and was not manufactured in a factory but assembled by volunteers.

When Buchanan paid a visit to Minneapolis and saw young children, the elderly and the developmentally disabled working to assemble the meals, he knew he was on to something and received permission to use the formula for Stop Hunger Now. "What we have come up with is a way to involve folks hands-on into making a difference in international hunger," he said.

Stop Hunger Now distributes most of these meals through schools around the world. "All the experts agree the best way to end hunger in our lifetime--and that's possible--is through school feeding programs," Buchanan said.

The meal packaging operation is run under the Operation Sharehouse Program located in Raleigh, Goldsboro and Charlotte, N.C., and South Hill, Va. Each six-serving assembled package includes rice, soy, dehydrated vegetables and a flavoring mix with 21 vitamins and minerals. The easily transportable food packages can keep for five years without refrigeration and cost only 20 cents a meal to create.

A grant from the Duke Endowment was used to open the Goldboro location as a way of engaging rural churches in mission. "In less than a year, we've had over 30 rural churches in the surrounding counties involved," Buchanan pointed out. By inviting other denominations and community groups to participate, United Methodists become leaders in the community, he added.

Assembling 1 million meals
During the million meal event on Aug. 23, students at North Carolina State University will be joined on their campus by participants from Meredith College, Peace College, Shaw University and St. Augustine's College to make up a team of 1,500 packagers.

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill packing site will draw 1,500 volunteers from that school, Duke University and North Carolina Central University. At East Carolina University, 750 volunteers are already lined up, and coordinators expect to bring in more participants from surrounding colleges. Liberty Tax Service is the title sponsor of the million meal event.

Several of the schools have taken part in meal packaging in the past. Last August, North Carolina State put together more than 300,000 meals in one day. In January, Duke and North Carolina Central volunteers worked with the Durham Rotary Club to assemble more than 90,000 meals.

Stop Hunger Now has maintained ties with United Methodist annual conferences and agencies, such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief and its parent, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.

The Rev. Steve Hickle, pastor of Fairmont United Methodist Church in Raleigh is chairman of the board of directors, and Rod Brooks, a member of Fairmont, has served as chief operating officer of Stop Hunger Now since July 2006. "We're very ecumenical, but my heart is with The United Methodist Church," Buchanan said.

Hickle said he contacted the Rev. Sam Dixon, UMCOR's chief executive, this spring to see if the agency could fund an emergency shipment of packaged meals to Haiti, where the government recently was toppled in the midst of food riots.

Two 40-foot containers have been shipped to Haiti, one in April and one in early June, each holding more than 285,000 servings of food. "The food was already packaged, warehoused and paid for by packing teams that had prepared them," he explained, adding that UMCOR supplied "the crucial link for delivery," around $5,000 per container.

"In early fall of 2007, UMCOR also funded a container of this food to go to Peru in relief of earthquake victims there," Hickle said. "We look forward to the continuing opportunity to work with UMCOR for such compassionate responses."

More information on the University Million Meals Event or Stop Hunger now is available online at http://www.stophungernow.org/ or by calling (888) 501-8440.

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

Tornado-ravaged Iowa picking up after storms

The Rev. Betsy Piette (center) sits among the ruins of the Parkersburg United Methodist Church parsonage after a F-5 tornado hit the small Iowa town on May 25. A UMNS photo by Owen Piette.

By Arthur McClanahan*

PARKERSBURG, Iowa (UMNS)-- Power is being restored in parts of tornado-ravaged northeast Iowa after an F-5 tornado killed seven people, destroyed much of Parkersburg, damaged homes and buildings in nearby New Hartford, Dunkerton and Hazelton, and scattered debris more than 100 miles away.

United Methodists were at work in the May 25 tornado's aftermath there as well as in Hugo, Minn., near St. Paul, and after the May 22 tornadoes that struck northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. Training and support from the United Methodist Committee on Relief has assisted church members as they manage the immediate and long-term response to the tornadoes.

Communities in Iowa mourn seven who died as a result of the tornado, care for nearly 70 who were hospitalized, wonder when scores of businesses will reopen, and try to make plans in the aftermath of some 400 homes being damaged and 280 houses destroyed in Parkersburg alone.

The twister had an estimated wind speed of 200 miles per hour. It hit Parkersburg -- a small community of 2,000 residents -- the hardest. The high school, city hall, bank, convenience gas station and grocery story were destroyed, as were some 21 businesses. Municipal records dating back to the 1800s are simply gone. The fire station was heavily damaged.

And yet, amidst the rubble that lies in the wake of the mile-wide tornado is the Parkersburg United Methodist Church. According to its pastor, the Rev. Betsy Piette, "the windows in the education wings are all blown in, glass is everywhere, tables and chairs are tossed around…it's a real mess." There are holes in the roof of the sanctuary, "but only one stained glass window was destroyed," she said.

"Water damage is significant," Piette said, "and yet the three crosses still stand." Three crosses stand atop a tower on a sanctuary wall of the red brick building. One was bent by the tornado's winds, but the three still remain.

"Two years ago," Piette recalled, "the tower wall needed some shoring up. This congregation decided that the crosses are an important witness to the community…and so the people of the church did the work to strengthen the support for the crosses."

"It's ironic, now," she added, "that the first thing people see when they come in to town, when they look past the rubble from the storm is the three crosses, still there, bowed a little, but still reaching up in faith."

"It was all gone"

Piette's personal faith is strong, too. When the tornado warning sirens went off "my daughter and I went down into the basement. When it passed we came back upstairs. Two of my kitchen walls were still there, but everything else was gone…walls, furniture, clothes, computer…it's all gone."

Yet, her first instincts were to look after her parishioners and others in the community; she and others are ministering from the central dispatching point for volunteers - the church she serves.

The Rev. Carolyn Bittner, pastor of the nearby New Hartford United Methodist Church, reported that the parsonage and church had sustained some damage - roofing shingles were gone on the church and the gutter system on the parsonage needs repair after a falling tree cast a glancing blow.

United Methodist Bishop Gregory Palmer, Iowa area, invited the Iowa Annual (regional) Conference to keep "the people of the Parkersburg United Methodist Church and the traumatized residents of that small community in your prayers." In a letter, Palmer added, "Likewise, remember persons in New Hartford and the surrounding area."

Palmer received a $10,000 emergency grant from UMCOR to support disaster response in Buchanan, Butler and Blackhawk Counties.

By May 29, volunteer crews were being permitted in to help with the tornado cleanup. Those groups were given access by the sheriff's office and directed to the Parkersburg United Methodist Church to be dispatched to work with residents whose homes and property had been seen by insurance adjustors.

David Lillie, Rocky Mountain Annual Conference disaster response coordinator, has been working with the Rev. Linda Pelletier and others to respond to the tornado damage in Windsor, Colo. Pelletier, pastor of First United Methodist Church, is "plugging into" the disaster response and recovery system through Colorado Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, while at the same time addressing the nearly $100,000 damage to the church and parsonage.

In Minnesota, UMCOR-trained emergency response teams were beginning debris removal in the area around Hugo, where about 50 homes were destroyed and 120 homes damaged.

Contributions for tornado relief work can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance No. 901670. Checks can be dropped into church offering plates or mailed directly to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, N.Y. 10087-9068. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Credit-card donations are accepted online at http://www.givetomission.org/ or by phone at (800) 554-8583.

*McClanahan is director of communications for the Iowa Annual Conference. Susan Meister of UMCOR contributed to this report.