As of late November nearly 200 homes in Beit Sahour had been heavily damaged by shelling. Beit Sahour is a Palestinian town overlooking Bethlehem and is the traditional site of the Shepherd's Field, where angels announced the birth of Christ. UMCOR is raising funds to rebuild the homes, and when it is possible, Volunteer in Mission teams will be sent to help with rebuilding. Please consider a special gift this Christmas to UMCOR's "Middle East Emergency" Advance #601740-2.

   Your gifts are urgently needed to provide food, heating fuel, and warm winter clothing for children in North Korea who continue to suffer from the famine. Please join in this ongoing response by giving to UMCOR Advance #226435-0, "North Korea Emergency." Please note that UMCOR is sending financial support only. The clothing will be purchased in China, and we cannot accept gifts of clothing.

   United Methodist Church sponsors are needed to help resettle approximately 300 young Sudanese refugees. These "lost boys" of Sudan are mostly orphans who fled the war in the 80s and have lived in several refugee camps since then. They will be resettled in the following areas: Atlanta, GA; Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX; Denver, CO; Lincoln and Omaha, NE; Louisville, KY; New Haven, CT; Phoenix AZ; Richmond/Virginia Beach, VA; and Lancaster, PA. If you live in one of these cities and are interested in being a sponsor, please call the Refugee Ministries Unit at UMCOR, (212) 870-3805.

   UMCOR has sent a grant to help with the rebuilding work in Camilla, Georgia from the Valentine's day tornado. Your gifts to Domestic Disaster Response, Advance #901670-1 make long term recovery work possible.

   As we enter the holiday season, you can give a gift to someone in another part of the world by assembling and shipping kits to the UMCOR Depot. Health kits are especially needed. UMCOR will pay shipping costs to the Depot for kits (except flood buckets) mailed before December 31, 2000. To find out more, call (800) 554-8583. For instructions on assembling kits, call the Depot at (800) 814-8765, or visit the UMCOR website at: http://gbgm-umc.org/umcor/kits.html

Gifts may be made through local United Methodist churches, or by calling 1-800-554-8583. Credit card donations are accepted. (Read more about how you can help UMCOR's emergency responses.)

   Please pray for all who suffer from violence, natural disasters, hunger, and poverty.

Further Information

• United Methodists to Assist Families in Beit Sahour, UMNS, December 5, 2000
• 'Lost Boys' of Sudan Find New life in America, Christian Science Monitor, November 7, 2000