Missouri Methodists surpass building goal in Mozambique

Working with Habitat for Humanity Mozambique, United Methodists from Missouri build a house July 16 in Massaca near the capital city of Maputo. UMNS photos by the Rev. Mark Dumas.

A UMNS Report
By Jennifer Lind*

United Methodists in Missouri built 16 houses in Africa during eight days in July to surpass their goal of building 75 houses in three years through Habitat for Humanity Mozambique.

When all the dust had settled, the church's Missouri Annual (regional) Conference and its Volunteers in Mission program had completed 82 houses in the southeastern Africa nation since 2006.

An eight-member team from First United Methodist Church in Jefferson City and Kingsway United Methodist Church in Springfield dedicated the final houses July 24 in the community of Massaca, a former refugee camp near the capital city of Maputo.

"It was a lofty goal, but when we saw how quickly houses went up last year, we said, 'Of course we can do this,'" said the Rev. Mark Dumas, pastor at the Jefferson City church.

The houses were built on circular concrete slabs using thatch and reed and other building materials native to the area.

Many occupying the new homes are some of the nation's most vulnerable people-widows, orphans and single mothers and grandmothers caring for children left behind by HIV/AIDS.

"When we were presented with the needs of orphans who live in a world that doesn't make it easy for them, our hearts went out to them," said Dumas.

Approximately 17 percent of Mozambique's population is living with HIV/AIDS, which has left behind 1.5 million orphans, or 8 percent of the population.

"HIV-that's the biggest problem in Mozambique right now," said Andrew Lind, manager of HFH Mozambique's Orphans and Vulnerable Children program. He lauded the churches' efforts for "creating a relationship with Mozambiquans."

Missouri United Methodists have strong ties with churches and people in Mozambique.

"There are more than 900 United Methodist churches in Missouri, many who are partnered with United Methodist churches in Mozambique for a number of ministries, so building Habitat for Humanity homes together was a natural match," Dumas said. "The Catholic Church is also building homes, and a local group of businesses are digging latrines and installing outhouses for improved water conditions."

Formed in 2000, Habitat for Humanity Mozambique has worked with poor communities, local volunteers and international teams to build hundreds of houses in Maputo Province and the provinces of Manica and Gaza.

Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, thanked United Methodists in Missouri for their compassion and commitment.

"This has been a remarkable example of how churches around the world, which have already built relationships together, can partner with Habitat for Humanity to make a huge difference in communities where the need is so great," Reckford said.

On the Web: http://www.habitat.org/.

*Lind is an intern at United Methodist Communications and a senior religious studies major at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

United Methodists prepare for post-Fay relief work

A satellite image shows the storm over eastern Florida on Aug. 20. A UMNS photo by Jeff Schmaltz, NASA.

A UMNS Report
By Erik Alsgaard*

With Tropical Storm Fay still swirling off the east coast of Florida, United Methodists in the waterlogged state are beginning to assess the damage and coordinate relief efforts.

"We are receiving reports of catastrophic flooding and debris in parts of the state," said Marilyn Swanson, director of Disaster Recovery Ministry for the Florida Annual (regional) Conference. "We are trying to anticipate the needs that will be arising in the next few days."

Bishop Timothy Whitaker is asking the United Methodist Committee on Relief for a $10,000 emergency grant to help with initial needs.

The conference is poised to provide flood buckets filled with cleanup supplies to homeowners. It has 1,400 buckets stored in a warehouse in Madison, about an hour outside of Tallahassee.

The Disaster Recovery Ministry is pre-positioning flood buckets and FEMA tarps for the church's South West District for use when damage assessments are complete in Glades County near Lake Okeechobee, where Fay has dropped upwards of 15 inches of rain.

Meanwhile, in the case that relief teams are needed, Swanson is working with Nick Elliott, executive director of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission for the church's Southeastern Jurisdiction.

Swanson and her team of district disaster coordinators, field workers and staff located at the Conference Center in Lakeland, Fla., meet by conference call every day at 11 a.m. during a storm event. Information is shared and response plans are put into motion.

With the storm stalled over the eastern coast, some catastrophic flooding already was reported in the Atlantic Central District. More than 33,000 Floridians were without power on Aug. 21, including 10,000 in Brevard County alone.

Four churches had reported minor damage, including First United Methodist Church in Hobe Sound, which was looted during the storm, according to Mark Thomas, director of the conference's Department of Ministry Protection.

The North East District was still anticipating the brunt of the storm, according to Will Clark, its disaster coordinator. Four churches in the district have been identified as collection points for relief supplies as needed.

Churches throughout the conference are being asked to notify Swanson's office if they have flood buckets or FEMA tarps stored at their church. To contact the Disaster Recovery Ministry, call (800) 282-8011, ext. 149, or e-mail DisasterRecovery@flumc.org.

United Methodists are also asked to re-stock their local food pantry or food bank. Recovery from flood damage is a long-term effort, Swanson said, and many people will rely on food donations, possibly depleting already strained local food banks.

Work teams are expected to be needed after the water recedes. To volunteer, visit www.flumc.org/disasterrecovery and complete the online registration form.

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

*Alsgaard is the communicator for the Florida Annual Conference.

Sock monkey ministry brings comfort to thousands

By John Gordon*

Beth VanSickle, founder of Sock Monkey Ministries, visits with Shelby Haire, a leukemia patient who received some of the group's handmade toys.UMNS photos by John Gordon.

CHELSEA, Ala. (UMNS)-Beth VanSickle still remembers the comfort she felt as a child when her grandmother gave her a sock monkey.

"It always brought me joy, no matter what I was going through in my life," she says of the stuffed, handcrafted doll.

Now, struggling with cancer, VanSickle is spreading that same comfort to thousands of others, including children with cancer and troops and children in Iraq.

Volunteers for Sock Monkey Ministries, which VanSickle founded in 2005, find it difficult to keep up with the demand. They have made 8,500 sock monkeys in the last two years, and there is still a waiting list.

"When you look at them, you can't help but smile," she says of whimsical toys.

VanSickle started making sock monkeys in Texas when she was a member of First United Methodist Church in Sugarland. The first were given to the homeless, then she started making them for cancer patients.

"I started having more intense chemotherapy treatment," she recalls about her own illness. "And when I would go to M.D. Anderson (Cancer Center), I would look around and I'd see fear and loneliness and discouragement in many of the faces of the women and children there."

After her family moved to Chelsea, Ala., near Birmingham, they joined Lakeview Pelham First United Methodist Church, where members embraced the ministry.

VanSickle e-mailed about 200 orphanages across the United States offering sock monkey gifts for children. She expected to receive one or two replies, but every orphanage responded with a toy request. Soon, VanSickle recruited several dozen churches and other organizations across the country to help. She calls the volunteers her "monkey posse."

The ministry has given sock monkeys to cancer patients, children with autism or Down syndrome, soldiers and children in Iraq and Afghanistan, the homeless and anyone else who needs comfort and encouragement.

"I love them," says Shelby Haire, 14, who has Down syndrome and has been treated for leukemia. "I always play with them and talk to them."

Her mother, Christy Haire, joined the effort and makes sock monkeys for other children with Down syndrome. "For Shelby, they're probably her best friend," she says. "She plays with them every day."

The monkeys are made with thick, red-heeled socks manufactured by Fox River Mills in Iowa. American crafters made sock monkeys with them for generations.

VanSickle adds her own special touches, including funny faces and colorful yarn for hair.

Volunteers also place a foam heart inside each doll and pray for the recipient. "Kids nowadays are so used to the high-tech toys," she says. "But you get a sock monkey and it's something that's nostalgic and vintage. This is a toy that will never get old."

Each monkey takes at least three hours to make and is truly a labor of love.

Volunteers stitch sock monkeys at Lakeview Pelham First United Methodist Church in Pelham, Ala.

"Miss Beth has touched everybody's lives," says Donna Corbin, a volunteer with VanSickle's church. "If you're lonely, you get a sock monkey. If you're sick, you get a sock monkey."

Jim Stedman, another volunteer, calls the gifts a symbol of hope. "It puts smiles on people's faces who seem like they have no hope. It's something to hold on to," he says.

VanSickle says her own battle with cancer led her to start the ministry.

"It just gives me a renewed sense of purpose," she says. "Every day when I wake up, if I'm feeling down or in pain, all I have to do is think about a monkey and think about the recipient."
She wants the ministry to continue, even after she is gone.

"None of us live forever and when you're diagnosed with a terminal condition, you know that your life is limited. We can do something with the time that you're given, or not. And it's a true blessing for me, personally, knowing that I'm leaving this world a better place than when I came in."

To learn more about Sock Monkey Ministries, visit http://www.sockmonkeyministry.com/.

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

Ohio church comes again-and again-to Gulf Coast

Volunteers from Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, work on a home in Slidell, La., damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. UMNS photos by John Gordon.

By John Gordon*

SLIDELL, La. (UMNS)-As soon as the winds of Hurricane Katrina died, a United Methodist church in Ohio was among the many groups sending work teams to help.

For members of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, however, the 14-hour drive from the Dayton area to New Orleans would become an especially familiar path.

In the three years since Katrina hit landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, the congregation has sent 42 work teams to the Gulf Coast-and it's not finished yet. Church leaders pledge to keep dispatching teams until the work is complete.

"You realize that at any given moment, you could be in the situation that these people were in," said Jim Meyer, a church member helping rebuild a home flooded by the storm.

Ginghamsburg (http://www.ginghamsburg.org/) draws more than 4,500 people weekly to its campus and has an active mission ministry ranging from local food pantries to international mission experiences in Africa, Europe and Asia. Trips to the U.S. Gulf Coast are the most popular, however, as people ranging from students to retirees step forward to offer their time and skills for a week at a time.

"We don't call them volunteers at Ginghamsburg," said Nate Gibson, a team leader who is church's chief financial officer. "That's part of our DNA. We call them servants."

Erika Manis, 22, a church member and medical student, enjoys stepping out from her circle of friends at college.

Erika Manis, 22, a medical student and Ginghamsburg member, lends a hand.

"Often times, going to school, you're surrounded by a lot of very similar people, and you don't often see what's outside of your own window," she said. "I've also learned more about teamwork. It takes all of us and all of our different talents to come here and to finish this house."

Ryan Stammen has made three mission trips to the Gulf.

"It's hard not to be overwhelmed and to think the work will never be completed," he said. "But people like us keep coming and that's how it will get done."

The teams bring their own tools, trailer and generator to paint, hang sheetrock and lay ceramic tile and wood flooring.

Those tasks are signs of progress. When the first teams arrived in 2005, the work centered around cleanup-tearing out walls, hauling debris and gutting houses.

For Slidell resident Margaret Russell, 75, volunteers such as the Ginghamsburg crews have become her only hope after the assistance from FEMA, the Red Cross and her own insurance was not enough to cover rebuilding costs.

A retired nurse, Russell plans to live in the resurrected house with her grandson, whom she has cared for since her daughter's cancer death in 2002.

"If you could just see my heart, how much I thank God for every last one of you all for coming out to help us," Russell said. "My children, they've been coming over and seeing and they say, 'Ooh, mama, the house don't look like the same house.' They're just beautiful people."

Work on Russell's home was coordinated by Northshore Disaster Recovery, organized by the United Methodist Louisiana Conference and the United Methodist Committee on Relief to help people whose homes are uninsured or underinsured. Established in October 2005, Northshore has helped more than 7,500 residents and coordinated more than 23,000 volunteers.

Frustrated by government red tape, Russell finally sought help from Northshore. "Everybody has been so nice and so wonderful to me. They have been so beautiful to us, in helping us out in every way they can," she said.

Meeting Russell was a highlight of the mission experience for Jeremy Greth, who was installing tile at her home. "It kind of raised my spirit a little bit, seeing how happy she was," he said. "I couldn't imagine going through it."

Gibson estimates recovery efforts in the New Orleans area could continue for another four to seven years. Meanwhile, homeowners like Russell say the volunteers are a godsend.

"They gave me new hope and new faith," she said. "I thought I had a lot of faith, but they gave me new faith-and a new home."

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

Community Golf Classic on September 11 Will Benefit A.C.T.I.O.N. Program

A.C.T.I.O.N. services children grades 5 - 8; one of the few programs in Nashville for this age group

Madison, TN – Business, community school, and civic leaders will join forces once again to present the 9th Annual Maxwell Cares for Kids Community Golf Classic at the Hermitage Golf Course on Thursday, September 11. Funds raised at the tournament will benefit A.C.T.I.O.N., a free youth outreach program serving students in grades 5 – 8 in the Madison-Inglewood community. The four-person scramble tournament will begin at 11:00 a.m. with lunch, registration, driving practice and a putting contest. A shotgun start is set for 1:00 p.m. The event will conclude at 6:00 p.m. with an awards ceremony.

The event is named in honor and memory of Bob Maxwell, who was an active supporter of the tournament and whose leadership was instrumental in launching A.C.T.I.O.N., an important service to the families in our community, particularly single parent families and low income families. A.C.T.I.O.N. is one of the few programs in the city designed specifically for children of this age. At this crucial time in their development, the program helps them learn how to be of service to others, while offering opportunities for social, spiritual and intellectual growth.

The Maxwell Cares for Kids Community Golf Classic is the major source of funding support for A.C.T.I.O.N. (All Children Together in Our Neighborhood), a free before-and-after school program serving students in grades 5 – 8 who attend public schools in the Madison-Inglewood community. In addition to providing a supervised environment for youth, the A.C.T.I.O.N. program features recreational activities, arts and crafts, games, tutoring, computer lab opportunities and classes ranging from cooking to music. The program operates weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Breakfast is served in the morning and snacks are provided after school. The program extends throughout the summer in a daily summer camp.

Roy McDaniel and John Capshaw are this year’s co-chairmen. They are hoping for a successful fundraising event so that Bob Maxwell’s vision for this program can continue.

Entry fee for the September 11 golf event is $125.00 per person / $500.00 per team. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. Registration deadline is September 1. To sign up for participation or for additional information about the Maxwell Cares for Kids Community Golf Classic, please call 868-1673.

Columbia District VIM trip, October 5-11, 2008, Greenville, Kentucky, to repair tornado damaged homes

When: October 5-11, 2008

Where: Greenville, Kentucky

Who: Anyone can go. No experience or special skills needed

Cost: $100.00 (we request an additional $100.00 for construction supplies)

Work: Repair of homes that were damaged by tornadoes earlier this year.

Contact: Robin Wilhite robin@wilhite.com or (931) 388-2279
Anne Murrel murr5200@cpws.net

Kenyans displaced after elections still need assistance

A UMNS Report
By Melissa Hinnen*

Theresa, a widowed mother of three, wakes up every morning in a crowded tent at a camp for internally displaced people in Mathare, Nairobi.

She has lived in the camp since January, after her home was destroyed during political and tribal unrest following the Kenya presidential elections last December. More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence.

Theresa Wanjiku, a widowed mother of three, is one of more than 62,000 Kenyans uprooted from their homes due to election violence last December. She works small jobs to support her family. A UMNS photo by Melissa Crutchfield, UMCOR

Although the violence has subsided, more than 62,000 people remain displaced in settlements like that in Mathare. Many more of the displaced live with family or friends. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is providing assistance.

"UMCOR has not forgotten them," said Melissa Crutchfield, an UMCOR executive. "We are working in partnership with the East Africa Annual Conference, the Methodist Church in Kenya and the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide medical supplies, blankets, dry food goods, school supplies and more to help communities that are most in need across Kenya."

During the crisis, Theresa's home was burned to the ground. She now lives in a camp constructed on the Star of Hope Academy school grounds, just steps from where her former home stood. Her children, like many of the people who were displaced, are staying with family members until Theresa can find a new home.

Though she earns a small income, she is uncertain when she will have enough money to obtain suitable housing and care for her children. She is thankful for food, supplies and support from the Methodist Church in Kenya.

Churches step in
Because the government has expressed it will provide assistance, humanitarian agencies have wound down their operations and no longer distribute food and supplies, Crutchfield reported. The government programs are still not accessible in many areas, however.

Communities of faith have stepped in to take responsibility for their neighbors. With the help of UMCOR, the Methodist Church in Kenya and the United Methodist Church in Kenya are serving hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people.

Lucy Kaindio, a coordinator for Methodist Church in Kenya, rhetorically asked who looks after the people now that humanitarian agencies are gone and the government is not able to respond fully. "Churches," she answered.

Churches are coordinating large-scale distributions of goods and supplies, in addition to working in small camps and unofficial settlements, assisting families and communities that have the fewest options. They are creating networks of care, providing host families, securing donations, arranging for medical care and setting up child care.

In addition to addressing immediate needs, United Methodists in Kenya are continuing to support small-scale microfinance projects to help rebuild livelihoods; HIV and AIDS awareness workshops; and scholarship programs for orphans and other vulnerable children.

Donations to assist UMCOR's work with the displaced in Kenya can be given to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance No. 982450. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Online donations can be made at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/umcor/donate.cfm?code=982450&id=3019041.

*Hinnen is a staff writer for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

UMCOR coordinates supplies for Georgia

Military forces in Russia and Georgia have been engaged in fighting in the contested South Ossetia region since Aug. 7. A UMNS map courtesy of University of Texas Library.

By Michelle Scott*

NEW YORK (UMNS)-The United Methodist Committee on Relief is coordinating medicines and medical supplies being provided through U.S. government-sponsored emergency airlifts to the conflict zone in the former Soviet republic of Georgia.

The South Caucasus nation has been fighting with Russia over the contested region of South Ossetia since Aug. 7. A cease-fire agreement, reached on Aug. 12 and brokered by France, apparently was not holding the next day, according to news reports.

As a member of the United Nations Health and Nutrition Coordination group, UMCOR Georgia is heavily involved in organizing and distributing supplies. UMCOR also is providing health kits to displaced people and assisting local hospitals by distributing medical supplies housed in its Tbilisi warehouse.

South Ossetia is a long-conflicted region along Georgia's border with Russia. While UMCOR has no current projects in South Ossetia, UMCOR's agriculture program operates in the province of Shida Kartli along the southern border of South Ossetia.

The World Council of Churches and Conference of European Churches issued a statement calling for prayers and assistance for those affected by the conflict in the Caucasus. The statement affirmed the interventions of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Georgian Orthodox Church and the Evangelical Baptist Church of Georgia, all of which have called for a cease-fire, a negotiated solution to the conflict and urgent relief for those affected.

Escalating crisis
George Gedevanishvili, head of office for UMCOR Georgia, is working with agency staff to provide assistance while also keeping personnel safe. Some of UMCOR's operations near the conflict zone have been halted, while work continues in areas unaffected by the violence.

"Our team was profoundly disturbed by the escalating crisis and the impact on the civilian population," said Thomas Dwyer, UMCOR's director of operations for its non-governmental organization, about the changeable environment in Georgia. "Responding to immediate needs in the first days of an emergency such as this requires a great deal of flexibility."

UMCOR's staff in Georgia is actively engaged in these activities, which include addressing immediate localized needs as well as conducting comprehensive assessments to map out a broader response in the days ahead.

UMCOR has been involved in medical and health care in Georgia since 1993. A UMNS photo by Paul Jeffrey, UMCOR.

"Our current hope is for the cessation of hostilities to be permanent to allow for addressing the emergent civilian needs," Dwyer said.

UMCOR staff at the New York headquarters has been in close contact with the office in Tbilisi to provide support and assistance in response to the conflict.

The agency began its humanitarian operations in Georgia in 1993 to address the basic health needs of women and children. Since then, UMCOR has added agriculture and reconstruction to its work throughout the country.

Donations to support UMCOR's work in Georgia, including its response to the conflict, can be made by giving to Georgia Emergency, UMCOR Advance #250305. Checks can be mailed to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Write the Advance number and name on the memo line of the check. Online donations can be made at http://secure.gbgm-umc.org/donations/advance/donate.cfm?code=250305&id=3018670

*Scott is the director of communications for the United Methodist Committee on Relief.

Congregations Reach Out, Teach English

Area Congregations Host English Language Learners

One of the most direct ways in which local congregations welcome newcomers to our country is by hosting English as a Second Language, or ESL, classes. Throughout our conferences, many churches are active in this ministry. In opening doors, literally, and inviting immigrants into our places of worship, we open other doors both with increased job opportunities and connectional relationships. Below is a partial listing of area UM churches which offer ESL classes. Liz Shadbolt, Refugee and Immigration Coordinator (TN Conference Mercy and Mission Team)
_________________

Belmont UMC (at the corner of Acklen & 21st Ave in Hillsboro Village) has an active ESL program. For more information, please contact either Mary Jane Duke 377-3138 or Mary Kaye Jordan 833-0685 who are both ESL teachers and Belmont members.

Brentwood United Methodist will be beginning an ESL program on June 16th that will launch a new Hispanic Ministry. Rev. Mack Strange is the staff person heading these efforts. You may reach him at mstrange@bumc.net.

Crievewood United Methodist hosts classes for refugees through Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Adult Education Department. To enroll, please contact Deborah Cohen at deborah.cohen@mnps.org. For more information on Crievewood’s outreach ESL program, please contact Linda R. Whited 615-749-6414 (day).

Donelson Heights United Methodist is a Pencil Partners with three schools their area and discerned that an ESL class would help local families. Class is offered one night a week (Tuesdays) to parents and child care is provided. Currently, the class is only for parents of McGavock Elementary students but there are hopes for expanding it. Dr. Kay Gray is the contact person at 883-6103.

First United Methodist in Murfreesboro proudly celebrated the completion of their ESL course by 40 students last spring. Classes there continue in both English and Spanish. Contact Carlos Uroza at 893-1322 or curoza@1stmethmboro.com.

Hillcrest United Methodist in South Nashville will resume classes in September. Contact Barbara Garcia, Associate Pastor, for details at 832-0157. Hillcrest also hosts ESL classes for refugees who must register through their resettlement agency and Metro Nashville Public with Deborah Cohen [deborah.cohen@mnps.org].

West Nashville UMC holds weekly sessions at Cockrill Elementary through their Community Ministries program. Call Sherry Woolsey at 297-3216 for more information.

Midwest Storm Volunteer Info

For those interested in helping clean up after tornadoes and floods in the Midwest, please visit the SEJ UMVIM web link below for contact information for each of the affected conferences. The most likely work they will have will involve “muck-out” of mud/flood debris and removal of furniture, drywall, flooring, etc. Please follow closely what each annual conference asks of you in terms of tools/equipment you bring and how you do the work.

Teams are scheduled directly through each of the annual conferences. If they are ready to schedule teams, they will want a “guesstimate” of team size, capabilities, lodging/food needs, tools you can bring, etc. Please contact me if you schedule a trip, so we can celebrate your service with the rest of the conference. Also, if you’d like some additional training/consultation in preparing your team, I can help.

http://www.umvim.org/Disaster_Response.htm