October 3, 2003: Because of the generosity of many United Methodists-- individuals, congregations and annual conferences-- the most vulnerable around the globe receive the basic necessities. Thank you for your gifts of money, presence, pastoral care and supplies.
UMCOR volunteers have created response centers in the four-state area where Hurricane Isabel is one of the worst storms in recent memory. UMCOR is providing emergency grants in response to requests from the North Carolina, Virginia, Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences. Consultants in two states find high percentages of homes completely uninhabitable. UMCOR expects to be involved in long-term case management. You can help! If you can participate directly in cleanup efforts, call the Volunteer Hotline, 1-800-918-3100. Your generous donation to Hurricanes 2003 Advance #982438 will extend your heart and hands to those who need help the most.
Disaster response teams have been handing out flood buckets filled with sponges, bleach, rubber gloves, facemasks and other cleaning item essentials. More kits are on the way to the Delmarva Peninsula, where flood and wind damage has displaced 70% of families in some communities. Cleanup efforts in the hardest hit areas have depleted UMCOR's inventory of flood buckets. For assembly and shipping instructions, call the UMCOR Sager Brown Depot at 1-800-814-8765 or visit UMCOR's Emergency Kits web page.
In Afghanistan UMCOR's Kabul staff distributed school kits, prepared by United Methodist volunteers, to boys and girls of primary-school age. School kits, with their pencils, crayons, scissors, and more, bring joy to children who endure the hardships of instability and scarce supplies after so many years of war. The specifics on school kits, including a school bag pattern, are yours for a visit to http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.cfm. Also in Afghanistan, some 248,000 families seek to reconstruct their homes in the central part of the region. Read a report on first impressions from the new head of mission, Warren Harrity.
As a way of focusing on the real meaning of Christmas and countering the marketing blizzard of the upcoming holiday season, order Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? An Advent and Christmas Resource for Families and Churches. The resources in the booklet provide an especially good way to help children understand the real meaning of Christmas. Included also is "UMCOR's Christmas Wish List," which puts some of our ongoing programs into "gift" sizes for anyone's budget. Order the catalog by calling 1-800-305-9857. Additional resources are online at: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/whose.stm.
Support UMCOR's programs by sending Christmas cards to friends and family. Sets of twelve cards (four designs) and envelopes can be ordered for $10.00 plus shipping-- only $2 for orders up to $20. Two series of cards are available. Look for a chart of shipping charges and an order form online or call 1-800-554-8583 to place your order.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.