The UMCOR Hotline
October 11, 2005
In Today's Hotline:
Pakistan: Providing Relief, Now and in the Future
Central America: Digging Out after Hurricane Stan
Hurricane Recovery: $5.4 Million Approved for Hurricane Response
Sri Lanka: Helping Methodists in Sri Lanka Respond to Disaster
UMCOR Calendar: Make 2006 a Year of Hope
PAKISTAN: PROVIDING RELIEF, NOW AND IN THE FUTURE Saturday’s massive earthquake centered in Pakistan toppled innumerable buildings and took tens of thousands of lives. UMCOR is working through partner agencies, International Blue Crescent (IBC) and Action by Churches Together member agency Church World Service (CWS) in Pakistan to respond to this disaster. These agencies are also preparing long-term response plans to assist families long after the initial emergency has passed. In addition to sending a rescue team from Turkey and providing food, IBC is also purchasing some 50,000 blankets from local markets to distribute to survivors. This quake comes just as the cold Himalayan winter approaches and items such as blankets and shelter are primary needs for the affected community. CWS is also on the ground in Pakistan providing food items and other supplies to 1,600 families. Medical camps are also being set up in affected areas. Camps can serve populations serve populations of 50,000 to 100,000 people. There is tremendous need in the earthquake-affected areas. Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #232000, Pakistan Earthquake, will help the healing begin. CENTRAL AMERICA: DIGGING OUT AFTER HURRICANE STAN Elisandro Pérez, a mudslide survivor, told the New York Times, "Our corn fields have been ruined. Many of our animals are dead and our house is close to falling down. We need help.” Mr. Pérez’s situation mirrors that of thousands in the region. Hurricane Stan’s unrelenting rains caused massive flooding and mudslides in Guatemala, Mexico, and El Salvador. UMCOR is assisting a GBGM missionary in Guatemala, Eunice Arias, who is working with local leaders to respond to this disaster. Additionally, UMCOR is assessing the situation along with partner agencies to determine the most effective long-term response to this tragedy. Please give generously to UMCOR Advance #501300, Central America Emergency, to help this region recover.
HURRICANE RECOVERY: $5.4 MILLION APPROVED FOR HURRICANE RESPONSE “While offering countless supplies and volunteers in the emergency phase of a disaster, The United Methodist Church offers the unique gift of long-term recovery,” writes Bishop Hope Morgan Ward. “Soon the organizations that offer emergency assistance will withdraw from our communities. The United Methodist Church will offer ministry for years, helping people return home - literally return home - as we provide staff, work teams, and materials for rebuilding.” The $5.4 million in hurricane recovery grants approved by UMCOR's board of directors on Monday signify UMCOR’s commitment to helping hurricane survivors in the long-run. The grants to Louisiana ($2 million) and Mississippi ($1.39 million) will provide funding for initial expenses, assessments, case management, and direct assistance for the next six months. The remaining grants will support work in Alabama, Texas, and Florida for the next year. Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005 - Katrina and Advance #901323 Hurricane Rita support UMCOR’s ministry of providing relief, healing, and hope to hurricane survivors
SRI LANKA: HELPING METHODISTS IN SRI LANKA RESPOND TO DISASTER
Twenty-seven Methodist Church of Sri Lanka (MCSL) pastors came together late last summer to learn and envision in a two-day workshop what it would mean for them to have their own disaster response organization. UMCOR personnel led the pastors through an envisioning and planning process that will help them respond to the long-term needs of tsunami survivors and be a beneficial force in future disaster responses The tsunami was the precipitating event to cause MCSL to recognize its own need to have a separate organization prepared to respond to disasters. The new organization will be called Methodist Relief Development Services (MRDS) and under the experienced guidance of UMCOR, MCSL is formulating its own disaster recovery plan. UMCOR CALENDAR: MAKE 2006 A YEAR OF HOPE UMCOR’s 13-month wall calendar, Harvest of Hope, highlights UMCOR’s work around the world. As you turn each page you will encounter programs that sow seeds of mercy and compassion, and reap a harvest of hope in our world. The Harvest of Hope calendar is just $10 and includes a free CD containing a computer screensaver using the calendar’s rich images and bulletin inserts to print and share with others. Order now! Limited quantities are available. Call 1-800-305-9857 or visit the GBGM E-Store 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.
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