As the humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) assists United Methodists and churches to become involved globally in direct ministry to persons in need. UMCOR comes alongside those who suffer from natural or human-caused disasters to alleviate suffering and serve as a source of help and hope for the vulnerable. UMCOR provides relief, response and long-term recovery grants when events overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on their own.
* The VA Disaster Response Advance Special #5037 is used for Early Response Team (ERT) deployment, ERT training and maintaining equipment for disaster recovery and relief.
Three steps you can take for Hurricane Response:
(Click on the titles below to expand the boxes and read more)
Pray
God of compassion, we pray for those whose lives have been devastated by recent natural disasters. We remember those who have lost their lives so suddenly. We hold in our hearts the families forever changed by grief and loss, and we ask that you surround them with your consolation and comfort.
We ask your blessing on all those who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, their security and their hope. May these persons and communities have the courage to face the long road of rebuilding ahead, and may they feel surrounded and upheld by your Spirit.
Bless the work of relief agencies and those providing emergency assistance. May their work be guided by your grace and strength.
Help us to continue responding with generosity in prayer, with assistance, and with aid to the best of our abilities. We ask that the items in these buckets might be tangible reminders of your presence and offer hope in the midst of devastation. We are grateful for the countless persons who have worked tirelessly to coordinate, assemble and transport these buckets. Finally, help us remain focused on the needs of those affected, even after this crisis is over. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
A Prayer for the People of Western North Carolina
O God, we place our trust in you.
As the wind and rain has passed through the mountains
of Western North Carolina, we name before you
those whose lives have been devastated.
We especially remember those who have lost so much,
those with the fewest options, the most vulnerable.
Draw near to those who are the most exposed,
the most frightened, the most overwhelmed.
Hold space for a stillness and a peace even in the midst of the storm.
O God, we place our trust in you.
In the aftermath of ravaging wind and surging flood,
inspire those who give themselves for others.
Let that work be done justly, wisely, safely, generously.
Help us to turn toward one another in our need.
Strengthen our bonds of connection and love for each other.
O God, we place our trust in you,
and we say these words in the strong name of Jesus.
Amen.
In Christ,
+Ken Carter
Resident Bishop, Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church
Prepare
Early Response Team certification ensures people who will be onsite in disaster response have appropriate training to go and help.
Remember – the first rule is do no harm.
1. If you are ERT certified and your certification is up to date, thank you! You will receive email communication from your team leader about next steps very soon.
2. If you are not ERT certified or your certification has expired 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.
*Note: 1 CEU will be given to clergy who complete ERT training
Upcoming trainings are scheduled for:
November 9th – Three Notch’d District: Good Shepherd UMC (9155 Hungary Road Henrico, VA 23294) from 8-4 PM. Registration for this training is full. Please contact Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger if you would like to be placed on the waitlist.
More details will follow for both and any additional trainings that will be offered
*This training is for long-term disaster recovery work, after Emergency Personnel and Early Response Teams have come in and done their triaging and stabilizing work. If you are interested in Early Response Team training, please contact Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger at [email protected]*
Join us for the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) Team Leader Training on Saturday, November 2, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Raleigh Court UMC (1706 GRANDIN ROAD SW, ROANOKE, VA 24015)!
This training is for individuals who have attended at least one UMVIM trip and who are ready to take a deeper dive into servant leadership and leading UMVIM teams. This training will be led in collaboration with Kip Robinson, Lead Trainer VAUMC, Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger, Assistant Director of Missional Engagement, along with support and shared lessons learned from other certified/experienced team leaders. Check in will begin at 8:30 AM with light refreshments available, and the class will begin promptly at 9 AM with breaks in between. Registration for the class is $20, and lunch will be provided. The deadline to register is Friday, October 25, 2024. The link to register and pay online can be found here.
Once you have registered, an online training manual will be provided via email, however, if you desire a printed copy, we ask that you print and bring it with you in whatever format you prefer. Additionally, we ask for you to bring a little team spirit and a servant’s heart! For further questions, please contact Tim Wells via e-mail at [email protected] or call 703-517-0183. We look forward to having you and serving alongside you!
Provide
Help build flood buckets to replenish the Mission Central depot where UMCOR deploys flood buckets out to impacted areas most effectively. There are at least two sites on every district where flood buckets can be delivered as they are assembled. The list of drop off sites is available.
The second round of bucket collection at the VAUMC Conference Center will happen on Friday, November 1 at 12 p.m. Our districts will work to collect buckets from their designated drop off sites and bring them down to Glen Allen to be blessed, packed, and sent on their way to serve those most in need. Learn More…
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. Give Now…
News/Resources
Share this graphic on social media and at your local church to share ways VAUMC can best assist right now.
Our Impact
Over 1,500 cleaning (flood) buckets were delivered to Mission Central from the VAUMC for disaster recovery efforts.
Hurricane Relief Update
October 10, 2024
Dear Friends,
We have joined you in watching Hurricane Milton unfold in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Helene. We continue to pray for those who have been impacted, for emergency personnel and search and rescue teams, and for all those who are on the ground helping to ensure safety of affected communities. We are connecting with friends across the connection about how we can best respond to these events. We want to share a few updates about our VAUMC response in this time.
• As of this morning, we have OVER 1,200 UMCOR Cleaning (Flood) Buckets committed to be sent to Mission Central where they will be inspected and verified and then sent to all impacted areas. This is just the beginning, and we invite you to keep assembling buckets, contributing financially, and praying as we continue to respond to immediate needs.
• Our first round of bucket collection will be at the VAUMC Conference Center on Wednesday, October 16 at 12 p.m.. Another round of bucket collection at the VAUMC Conference Center will happen on Friday, November 1 at 12 p.m. Our districts will work to collect buckets from their designated drop off sites and bring them down to Glen Allen to be blessed, packed, and sent on their way to serve those most in need.
• Registration will go live by the end of this week for the two Early Response Team (ERT) Trainings and UMVIM Team Leader training happening over the next month. The details for those trainings are below, and you can register online at www.vaumc.org/helene.
• Early Response Team Training: For those who have never been Early Response Team trained OR if their Early Response Team Certification has expired:
• Saturday, October 26 at Heritage UMC in VA Beach from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Class Capacity: 24 participants
Cost: $30
Register: https://na.eventscloud.com/818447
Questions? Contact Rev. Kotosha Griffin at [email protected]
• Saturday, November 9 at Good Shepherd UMC in Richmond from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Class Capacity: 24 participants
Cost: $30
Register: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=818355&
Questions? Contact Kim Hood at [email protected]
• United Methodist Volunteers in MIssion Team Leader Training: For those who are interested in serving on the ground and leading a team once we move out of the Early Response Team phase:
• Saturday, November 2 at Raleigh Court UMC in Roanoke from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Class Capacity: 35 participants
Cost: $20
Questions? Contact Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger at [email protected]
**More trainings will be scheduled, so keep an eye out for more information and details.**
Finally, please do not self deploy or donate anything other than what has been requested. Please remain flexible as we respond and adapt to the ever-changing needs of the communities that have been impacted.
Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus!
Rev. Amanda Miller Garber
Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger
• Quick Links:
• Cleaning (Flood) Bucket Collection Sites: Flood Bucket Collection Sites
• Estimated Number of Buckets Form: https://forms.gle/X6MoQAj5SKvFT5Tx8
• Cleaning (Flood) Bucket Shipping and Financial Support to UMCOR: https://www.cognitoforms.com/NoVaUMC2/FloodBucketSupport
• Give to VAUMC Relief Fund to Support VA ERT Deployment, Training, and VAUMC Response: https://www.vaumcdonations.org/product/va-disaster-response/35?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false
Blessings,
Rev. Amanda Garber, Director of Missional and Community Engagement
Rev. JoAnn Batteiger, Assistant Director of Missional and Community Engagement
Friends,
We want to thank you for the outpouring of generous response around the Virginia Annual Conference over the last several days as we continue to navigate the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the connection. As promised, we have some updates to share with you today:
- Flood Buckets
- Flood bucket collection sites have been established in every district. A spreadsheet showing those sites is available here Flood Bucket Collection Sites
- Please note that if collection times are not listed for the site you wish to use, please reach out to that site directly to coordinate the best time to drop off.
- If your church or group is preparing to drop off flood buckets, please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/Y2evGmwwDHUEADXL8 This helps collection sites to be prepared to transport buckets most efficiently.
- As you are building and collecting flood buckets, consider taking pictures and helping to share the story of how we are living in connection in this season. Pictures can be shared via email: [email protected].
- As a reminder, flood buckets should be dropped off to collection sites by Sunday, October 13. All buckets will make their way to the Conference Office by Wednesday, October 16 where they will be blessed and sent out to Mission Depot.
- Because this timeline is quick for some, we are working to set up a second round of collections and deliveries of flood buckets later in October. More information will be available about this in the coming days.
- We are grateful that Brian Posey is serving as our flood bucket coordinator. If you have any questions about flood buckets, please email Brian: [email protected]
- Flood bucket collection sites have been established in every district. A spreadsheet showing those sites is available here Flood Bucket Collection Sites
- Financial Contributions
- If you would like to help with building a flood bucket, but don’t have the resources or ability to do so independently, you’re invited to make a financial contribution to the building of flood buckets. To help streamline financial generosity, you can use this link to pay online: https://www.cognitoforms.com/NoVaUMC2/FloodBucketSupport. Contributions can be made in three distinct capacities:
- To cover the suggested donation for sponges and shipping of flood buckets ($3/bucket x total number of buckets)
- To cover the cost of a flood bucket if you are unable to make one ($75/bucket)
- To make a general donation to be used towards buckets in whatever way is needed.
- If you would like to give via check, please make all checks payable to “Virginia Conference UMC” with “Flood Buckets/Kits (Advance #5041)” in the memo line.
- Please mail your check to the Treasurer, Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church P.O. Box 5606 Glen Allen, VA 23058.
- Additionally, UMCOR continues to ask for funding to provide needed assistance on the ground in areas most impacted by this storm. You can visit vaumc.org/helene and click the link to contribute there if you’d like to offer a gift to UMCOR.
- If you would like to help with building a flood bucket, but don’t have the resources or ability to do so independently, you’re invited to make a financial contribution to the building of flood buckets. To help streamline financial generosity, you can use this link to pay online: https://www.cognitoforms.com/NoVaUMC2/FloodBucketSupport. Contributions can be made in three distinct capacities:
- Continue to Pray and See the Impact
- We continue to encourage United Methodists and congregations throughout the Virginia Annual Conference to pray for the relief efforts and for the people and communities who are in spaces of grief, rescue, turmoil, and assessment right now.
- This week we’ve received word that one of our VAUMC shower trailers and a generator is going to be deployed down to Western North Carolina by the end of this week. Thank you for making this a reality!
- Most of all, thank you for your continued generosity, support, and interest in serving neighbors during this time. These are moments when our connectional nature feels most essential. We are grateful for you and for the work we are sharing by God’s grace in this season.
Please be in touch if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support – there is much still to be done and we will continue to move forward together.
Blessings,
Rev. Amanda Garber, Director of Missional and Community Engagement
Rev. JoAnn Batteiger, Assistant Director of Missional and Community Engagement
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