November 25, 1998

United Methodists Planning for Mitch Volunteers

New York Working with church partners in Honduras and Nicaragua, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is making plans for volunteer assistance to Hurricane Mitch survivors.

Two board executives-- F. Lloyd Rollins, assistant general secretary for emergency response, United Methodist Committee on Relief(UMCOR) and Robert Walton, assistant general secretary for mission volunteers--- will travel to Central America the week after Thanksgiving.

The pair will meet with representatives of the Commission for Christian Development (CCD) in Honduras and the Council of Evangelical Churches (CEPAD) in Nicaragua.

Walton said a coordination of efforts is needed so volunteers can be used effectively to help rebuild both countries. "We don't want volunteers to be a burden," he added.

Names of volunteers are being collected through the board's volunteer phone line at (800) 918-3000. Once a plan is in place, the scheduling of teams and individual placements will begin. Volunteers also will be place in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, countries badly damaged by Hurricane Georges.

As of Nov. 20, UMCOR had distributed $30,000 in initial grants to ecumenical partners in Nicaragua and Honduras. It also had participated in a shipload of relief items from Houston and sponsored a Nov. 9 airlift of 38,000 pounds of relief goods to Nicaragua and a separate container shipment there to be distributed through the Brother's Brother Foundation.

UMCOR also is coordinating efforts with Church World Service (CWS), the relief agency of the National Council of Churches. CWS has airlifted and shipped relief supplies to Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala. It is sending two U.S. volunteer medical teams to Honduras. The first team left Nov. 24 and the second will leave Nov. 30. CWS also will assist in travel costs for a 10-doctor team from Cuba, sent by the Cuban Council of Churches.

Stop Hunger Now, led by the Rev. Ray Buchanan, a United Methodist pastor, has been involved in Hurricane Mitch relief assistance with UMCOR and with other groups.

With partners relationships established last January in Nicaragua and Honduras, Buchanan said Stop Hunger Now was able to provide $5,000 in each country within 48 hours after the hurricane struck "to buy food available locally."

Stop Hunger Now also:

• Worked in conjunction with UMCOR and Amigos Internationales to send $1 million worth of medicines to Honduras. The United Methodist Virginia Annual Conference donated $10,000 toward the cost of procuring the medicines.
• Helped acquire use of the ship, "Spirit of Grace," which recently sailed from the Houston harbor to Honduras and contributed water, corn and other food, general supplies and medical equipment to its load of relief items.
• Worked in cooperation with Hearts With Hands to airlift corn and water to Honduras from Pope Air Force Base in North Carolina.
• Secured, with Amigos, three NASA-approved million-gallon-a-day water pumps, valued at a half million dollars apiece. Stop Hunger Now will ship one to Nicaragua, assisted by UMCOR, and Amigos will install the other two in Honduras.

UMCOR is collecting material resources for Hurricane Mitch survivors at its depot in Baldwin, La. For a needs list and shipping instructions, call (800) 918-3100.

Financial gifts can be made through UMCOR's Advance #982515-0, Hurricanes '98. If desired, the check can be earmarked for a specific country or to Stop Hunger Now. Checks should be placed in church collection plates or mailed to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115.

Source: United Methodist News Service.