| NEWS | Help for Case management | If you would like to help the Hurricane Isabel disaster recovery case management effort by supplying computer equipment, contact the Maryland Interfaith Recovery Team (MIRT) at (866) 513-5663. If you want to volunteer as a case manager, contact the Rev. Andrea Middleton King at (410) 309-3495 or toll-free at (800) 492-2525, Ext. 495, or by e-mail at
. | | One great hour of sharing March 21 | UMCORs work is funded primarily by gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, which is received churchwide on the fourth Sunday in Lent. On March 21 United Methodists can support UMCOR and continue its ministry of response to disasters and human need through this Special Sunday offering. The offering funds UMCORs administrative costs, which account for less than 10 percent of its total budget. UMCOR is administered by the General Board of Global Ministries. For more information visit the Web site at http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor. | | Special offering helps UMCOR respond to human need by John W. Coleman Jr.UMConnection Staff As communities on the eastern seaboard followed news reports of Hurricane Isabel racing up the Atlantic coast last September, the United Methodist Committee on Relief was already mobilizing resources to help people whose homes would be damaged or destroyed by the storm. Five months later, UMCOR is still aiding the Baltimore-Washington and the neighboring Peninsula-Delaware conferences as the two work with other faith groups and agencies in Maryland to help people recover from the worst flooding in the areas history. Long after the media and public attention have moved on to other catastrophes, the tragic aftermath of Isabel remains, especially among lives forever changed by the powerful storm. The emotional, physical and financial toll is expected to continue for months, if not years, said the Rev. Andrea Middleton King, pastor of John Wesley UMC in Clarksburg and disaster recovery manager for the Baltimore-Washington Conference. From the beginning, UMCOR has been a godsend for us, she said. They enabled us to respond to immediate needs, but more importantly, they are helping us plan and implement collaborative measures to address the long-term impact and unmet needs. The non-profit, international humanitarian aid organization helps churches and communities respond to natural and man-made disasters ranging from hurricanes, earthquakes and floods to famine and refugees uprooted by civil war and poverty. Its highly regarded systematic approach has been critical in responding to recent disasters in Iran, Turkey, Bolivia, India, Eastern Europe, southern Africa, and areas of the United States stricken by floods, fires, hurricanes and tornadoes. UMCORs relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts include: planning assistance; cash grants; collection and distribution of supplies; training and management of volunteers; crisis counseling; and health, agricultural and community development projects. The agency has provided or facilitated some of those same services for the Baltimore-Washington Conference in the wake of Isabel. UMCOR disaster response consultant Larry Powell came to the conferences aid immediately after the storm to assess damage, identify needs and advise conference staff and pastors. Then came a $10,000 emergency grant requested by Bishop Felton Edwin May, followed by further consultation and training for volunteers in case management to help them respond to long-term and unmet needs. Powell continues to advise King and her recovery team, which includes associate council director Sandy Ferguson, conference disaster response coordinator the Rev. James Miller and conference Volunteers in Mission coordinator Sandy Rowland. King also works with district superintendents and disaster response coordinators in the affected areas; federal and state agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and leaders of other faith groups who coordinate their efforts statewide through the Maryland Interfaith Recovery Team. This multilayered web of response to Isabel is crucial because of the sheer breadth and depth of needs created by the devastating storm. The assistance of UMCOR, supported by United Methodists through their gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, has been a key factor in that response. This is, above all, a ministry for us, said Powell. It allows us to work together with conferences, churches and other partners to respond to human need and suffering caused by disasters of every kind, and to do it in the name of Jesus Christ through The United Methodist Church. Barbara Coward. contributed to this story. |
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