September 30, 2024
Today, the Office of Missional and Community Engagement can offer more ways United Methodists can be supportive of communities that have been impacted by Hurricane Helene. We imagine you like us have seen images coming from around the southeast in the wake of this catastrophic storm. First and foremost, we must commit to being a people of prayer and holding all those impacted by this tragedy close to our hearts in this time.
We also recognize this is a time where many of us feel a call to take action and do something. This is worth celebrating! And we want to do this in a way that is mindful of Wesley’s three general rules: Do no harm, Do good, Attend to the ways of God. Being mindful of this, here are three actions we would encourage you to consider today to take action and respond to those most impacted by Helene:
Flood buckets
• All of the kits that we have collected at this past year’s Annual Conference and past year’s Annual Conference are in the process of being deployed into the areas of most need– so thank you!
• Now we will need more. Starting today, we will be collecting flood buckets to help replenish the Mission Central depot. This ensures that every area that has been impacted by Helene can get timely assistance.
1. There will be at least two sites on every district where flood buckets can be delivered as they are assembled. The list of drop off sites will be available and widely dispersed throughout the conference by Wednesday, October 2.
2. These buckets can be built now! We’d encourage flood buckets to be built and delivered to drop off sites by Sunday, October 13. Buckets will then come to Glen Allen to be blessed and delivered to Mission Central by October 16.
Volunteering your time to be present
We utilize something known as the Early Response Team certification to ensure people who will be onsite in disaster response have appropriate training to go and help. Remember – the first rule is do no harm.
If you are ERT certified, thank you! You will receiving email communication from your team leader about next steps very soon.
If you are not ERT certified but want to be a part of an on-the-ground response team to assist with relief efforts, we are organizing multiple trainings around the Annual Conference in the coming weeks. Today we can share that trainings are scheduled for…
1. Saturday, October 26 in the Coastal Virginia District
2. Saturday, November 9 in the Richmond Area
3. More details will follow for both and any additional trainings that will be offered.
Financial Generosity
Right now, financial gifts are one of the biggest sources of impact to help with these relief efforts. When you give to disaster relief through UMCOR, 100% of your gift goes to support this work.
We will continue to be in communication about ways you can make a difference and be in connection with those most impacted by Hurricane Helene. Tomorrow, Rev. Bob Pihlcrantz, our VAUMC Disaster Response Coordinator, will have some further information about what the UMCOR Disaster Recovery Process looks like and where we are in it as of right now. Additionally, we are in the process of preparing our disaster response tool trailers and shower trailers to be sent out to impacted areas when we receive the invitation for them.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our office by email at [email protected]. Thank you so much for bearing witness to the love of God in this time. Please be praying, be preparing, and be providing. This is the power and the beauty of what it means to be a church in connection.
Blessings,
Rev. Amanda Garber, Director of Missional and Community Engagement
Rev. JoAnn Batteiger, Assistant Director of Missional and Community Engagement