HURRICANE VOLUNTEERS: KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
United Methodist volunteers have stepped forward in large numbers to assist with Hurricane Katrina Recovery. Before you make your own plans to volunteer your time and skills to assist in Hurricane Katrina recovery, give your Jurisdictional United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) coordinator a call. The jurisdictional coordinators are each responsible for a region of the US. You can find a list of coordinators with their contact information at http://gbgm-umc.org/vim/vimcoords.htm. Deciding to volunteer on your own without coordinating with an organization can lead to personal harm as well as hinder the work of others.
The volunteer effort in response to Hurricane Katrina will continue for a long time. Right now, UMCOR is making assessments in three states affected by Katrina to determine where and how volunteers can be best used. There are also specially trained Early Response Teams of volunteers at work in Mississippi and ready to deploy as soon as it’s safe to Louisiana. Many areas are unsafe because of health risks and structural hazards. The Early Response Teams are physically and emotionally ready to work in these environments. Once areas are determined safe, regular volunteer teams, with a trained leader, can enter the effected areas and begin work. Your UMVIM coordinator will know what the needs are, what teams are going from your area, and how you can be a part of the response.
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.
Get the free UMCOR Hotline
Telephone: 1-800-841-1235; Web: http://gbgm-umc.org/UMCOR-Hotline/
Email: http://list.gbgm-umc.org/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=umcor-hotline
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