The Methodist Church will be prepared for its Disaster Response

Editor's Note: Thanks to Ingrid McIntyre for sharing an article from the Bahamas. In sharing the article she writes: I am writing today to give you some news about the ministry my brother, Abraham McIntyre, is involved with. He is the Executive Director of Bahamas Methodist Habitat in Eleuthera, Bahamas. Several of our TN Conference Churches and individuals have been to BMH in the past and have connections with the camp, the families on the island and with Abraham.

Currently Tropical Storm Hanna is SOAKING the area and Hurricanes Ike and Josephine are ready to roar right behind her. They have not been hit hard in 4 years have been preparing themselves for the past two weeks for what may come. If disaster strikes, I would love to see the TN Conference rally behind one of its ministers in service and behind an area that it has been in service with.

This is an article written by Dr. Reg Eldon from the Bahamas about the BMH program and the help the UMC has been in the past.

Ingrid McIntyre
Director of Connectional Relations
General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
The United Methodist Church
__________________________

The Methodist Church will be prepared for its Disaster Response
by Dr. Reg Eldon

Persons involved in the Disaster Relief Programme along with staff members and Conference Officers met in an emergency meeting on Tuesday, September 02 to ensure that the Disaster Response/Relief programme is ready to work, in partnership with NEMA, should the approaching hurricanes cause damage to the Bahama Islands.

Mr. Abraham McIntyre, director of Methodist Habitat, the BCMC Organization that will work with both immediate and long term disaster relief, is presently working from the United States securing relief groups and making arrangements for relief supplies to be shipped to The Bahamas.

One of the assets in the Methodist Habitat Programme is the partnership with an In Flight Christian Pilot Association that is on call to fly in relief teams to any island in The Bahamas and to be available for first response efforts following any natural disaster. “These pilots have already participated in two ‘Fly In Weekends’ to Eleuthera and Andros”, Dr. Reg Eldon said, “so they are familiar with the islands and the set up of Methodist Habitat; when they were here before they worked on some of the building projects of M.H. on the Islands on Eleuthera and Andros, Dr. Eldon said.

The BCMC began its Disaster Relief Programme following the disaster created by Hurricane Andrew in July 1992. This was before the BCMC became an autonomous Conference in July 1993. The Methodist Church was at that time operating as The Association for the Renewal of Methodism (ARM). Hurricane Andrew devastated North and Central Eleuthera and the Methodist Relief efforts led the way in partnership with the Government to bring relief to many of the settlements in North and Central Eleuthera. It was during that time that the BCMC partnered with The Presbyterian Church in Nassau and between the two churches built a number of houses in Eleuthera and Abaco following Hurricanes Andrew and Floyd.

The early beginning of the Methodist Disaster Relief Programme in 1992 led to the establishing of a formal Organization now known as Methodist Habitat. This is a full time outreach programme of the BCMC, based at Camp Symonette in James’ Cistern, Eleuthera. The outreach ministry falls under the Division of Service to the Community where Mr. Gordon Pinder serves as the Director. Rev. Godfrey Bethell is the Director for the Methodist Habitat Board of Directors and Mr. Kenneth Culmer serves as the Treasurer.

This past year over 500 volunteers came to The Bahamas to work on rebuilding and repairs. Repairs to houses, especially for older persons, have recently been carried out in Cat Island, Andros and Eleuthera. Methodist Habitat did a lot of work in Grand Bahama following Hurricanes Francis and Jean in 2005.

“The model of partnership of our Disaster Relief Programme has been a positive experience for all concerned, said Dr. Reg Eldon. “We have had incredible support from The United Methodist Church through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and The United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) and our partnership with the Bahamas Government, NEMA and the Department of Social Services has worked extremely well. We will continue to work hard and faithfully to assist all people of The Bahamas who may suffer loss and disaster from the hurricanes presently threatening our Country”, Dr. Eldon said.