A conference this summer will celebrate, reconnect, educate, and inspire people who have been involved with the long term Young Adult Mission Service programs of the United Methodist Church. These growing programs have sent and supported over 60 years of US-2s and 35 years of Mission Interns.  The event will take place August 2 to 5, 2012, in Arlington, Virginia

The goal of this conference is to bring alumni and partners together who have been involved in mission and justice work around the world. Participants can expect to network, to learn about groundbreaking efforts led by current partners, and to gain tools and strategies to support alumni’s continued social action work. 300 attendees are expected.

For more information or to register log on to, http://www.umcmission.org/Learn-About-Us/News-and-Stories/2012/April/celebratingyoungadults.


New Collegiate Ministries Program for Young Adults
The General Board of Global Ministries (Global Ministries) and the General Board of Higher Education Ministries (GBHEM) have announced an exciting new partnership. Starting in 2012, select young adults from the Mission Intern and US-2 programs will be commissioned as Collegiate Ministries Mission Interns (CM Mission Interns) and Collegiate Ministries US-2s (CM US-2s). The program will allow these young adult missionaries to focus on ministry to college and university students with a justice and service emphasis.
 
For more information, log on to http://www.umcmission.org/Learn-About-Us/News-and-Stories/2012/May/New-Collegiate-Ministries-Program-for-Young-Adults.

Dr. Larry R. Hygh, Jr.
Associate General Secretary
Director of Communications
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General Board of Global Ministries | The United Methodist Church
475 Riverside Drive, Room 1473 | New York, NY 10115
(T): 212-870-3770 | http://www.umcmission.org

Residents of Logan County in West Virginia are mucking out homes and businesses after flash flooding hit the area last week.

The West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church is serving those suffering in the aftermath of the flooding. Rev. Dan Lowther, co-coordinator of the conference’s disaster response team returned from the region Thursday night. “We took in flood buckets, health kits, and paper products for folks,” he said. Initial assessment work was also done during Lowther’s visit.

“At this point, we really need trained, credentialed Emergency Response Teams (ERT) to help with clean-up and organization of donations,” he said. The other thing these teams do, according to Lowther, is provide rest for those who have been helping victims since the flooding began.

Please contact Rev. Dan Lowther if your team can help: 304-642-0897. Learn more about the West Virginia Annual Conference’s disaster response team at: http://wvumc.org/disasterrelief


Gregory A. Forrester
UMVIM NEJ Coord.
32 N. Church St.
Cortland, NY 13045
607-756-7799 office
607-345-2928 cell

In Wake of Tornadoes, Too Much “Stuff” Causes Hardship

By Susan Kim*
March 14, 2012 — What will help tornado survivors more – 20 cases of Frosted Cake Confetti Pop-Tarts or $20?

At the Prater Memorial United Methodist Church in Salyersville, KY, boxes of Pop-Tarts are crowding the altar and piled in the pews.

Another row of pews is filled with donated stuffed animals that seem eager to help in their own cuddly, inanimate way, picking up the vibes of their human donors, who just want to give something – anything – to people who have been devastated by the March tornadoes that ground through the Midwest and South.

Volunteers are busy sorting donations, taking down contact information, offering meals and listening to the harrowing stories of tornado survivors.

Read more: What to Give?

Dear friends in disaster ministry:

UMCOR has received a number of communications from eager volunteers, many of whom are trained and ready to respond to the recent disasters to help. UMCOR is requesting your help  – Conference Disaster Response Coordinators and UMVIM Coordinators in particular – to help to get the word out as a reminder to all these dedicated servants about one of UMCOR’s basic principles for disaster response.  

UMCOR’s disaster response training is based on the principle that the disaster response is “owned” by local community.  

If and when the Annual Conferences are overwhelmed, they will reach out to their neighbors for help.

Early Response Team members know that they must be invited into another annual conference, and this is true of all volunteers.

The Annual Conferences affected by these recent tornadoes are managing the response and taking a measured approach to assessment and planning for next steps. The Conferences have reported that they have sufficient human resources and are able to respond; there is no need to extend an invitation for help from outside of the local area.

Tom Hazelwood, Assistant General Secretary for UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response reports the following:
“At this time, all of the areas of IL, KY, and IN are over-run with local volunteers. Every site that I have visited this week has more volunteers than can be managed. Some of the communities are dealing with pre-existing environmental issues, and the Conferences are working with emergency managers who are managing the clean up in these communities.”

It is great to know that United Methodists are deeply committed and ready to respond! The offer of assistance is appreciated, and there may be opportunities for volunteers to assist in the future. In the meantime, please graciously respect the direction of the affected conferences. Visit the conference web sites for updates regarding volunteer opportunities.

Thank all for caring so deeply, and for affirming our shared values and priorities in disaster ministry!

Cathy


Catherine Earl, MSW
US Disaster Response
United Methodist Committee on Relief
100 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 315
Washington DC 20002
Office: (202) 548-4002
Mobile: (202) 680-8824
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www.umcor.org