News

Bookmark and Share

printable email

Mission News for January 25, 2010

HOOSIER UNITED METHODIST Mission Opportunities

For Monday January 25, 2010
This newsletter is paid for through your annual conference connectional ministries tithe.
Edited by Dan Gangler, director of communication

The Rev. LeKisha Reed, Associate Director of Mission and Advocacy, is available to you in the new Indiana Conference Center and would like to hear what your congregation is doing in mission and advocacy. Submit mission news, information and volunteer opportunities to lekisha.reed@inumc.org or call 317-924-1321. The Indiana Conference Mission and Advocacy area has created a Facebook Fan Page. Check it out here.

PRAYERS FOR HAITI
UMCOR – UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF ON FACEBOOK

UMCOR – United Methodist Committee On Relief is now on Facebook.

Keep up to date with UMCOR FB updates. Subscribe to receive SMS messages with news about UMCOR’s work in Haiti and around the world. UMCOR has more than 19,000 fans at www.facebook.com.

MORE WAYS TO GIVE TO HAITI RELIEF

CONCERNING VOLUNTEERS FOR HAITI RELIEF EFFORTS

A great many United Methodists are indicating a willingness to serve as relief or rebuilding volunteers in Haiti. In response to this outpouring, Global Ministries has prepared information here.

A letter on volunteers from Bishop Martinez, interim general secretary, to members of the Council of Bishops is linked to the site.

Please note that the bishop requests that groups and individuals not set out on their own for Haiti at this time. Reasons are given. Please refer persons asking about volunteer opportunities to the site above. Thank you.

COLLECTION POINTS NEEDED FOR KITS BOUND TO HAITI RELIEF

If your church is willing to be a collection point for health and layette kits for Haiti relief efforts, please contact the Rev. LeKisha Reed, Indiana Conference associate director of mission and advocacy, at LeKisha.Reed@inumc.org or call the conference center at 317-924-1321 ext. 1006. If your church would like to assembly health and/or layette kits for Haiti relief, lists of what is needed in these kits and how to assemble them are available in this newsletter. Thank you for your generous gifts to helping the people of Haiti.

HEALTH AND LAYETTE KITS NEEDED

According to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), there will be a great need for volunteers to help rebuild once the initial crisis is past, but it is not safe or possible for volunteers to go to Haiti at the present. However, UMCOR’s two relief supply warehouses are asking United Methodists to provide health kits and layette kits that will be sent to Haiti. Instructions for assembling and shipping health kits are available on the UMCOR Web site at www.umcor.org.

Here is information for those who would like to take a volunteer team to the Midwest Mission Distribution Center in Illinois to assemble the shipment to Haiti. There is a need for volunteer groups in the months of February and March. Please contact MMDC to make your team’s reservations. Contact: Midwest Mission Distribution Center, 1022 New City Road, P.O. Box 56, Chatham, IL 62629, phone: 217-483-7911, fax 217-483-7981 or online.

KITS

Please be sure all items are new.

Health Kits – Suggested shipping donation $1 per kit to defray costs. 1 hand towel (not finger-tip or kitchen size), 1 wash cloth, 1 comb (regular size, not pocket size, no rat-tail combs, no barber combs; suggestion – Little Goody 2 Pack), 1 fingernail clipper or file (no emery boards), 1 bar of soap (3 oz. or larger in original wrapper), 1 toothbrush (in original single wrapper, no multiple packs), 1 tube of toothpaste (3.5 oz or larger, in original wrapper. Check expiration dates; it must be at least ONE YEAR ahead.), 6 adhesive bandages (*Band-Aids; no pictures or colors, regular size and wrapped in a rubber band). Wrap the items in the hand towel. Items may be placed in a one-gallon plastic zip-closure bag. All new items please. Please make sure all items are correct sizes. If they are not the correct size they are unusable.

Layette Kits – Suggested shipping donation $1 per kit to defray costs. All new items. Many women do not have clothes with which to welcome a newborn into the world. Layette kits provide them with basic supplies. Include: 6 cloth diapers (3-ply birdseye, new), 2 undershirts or onesies, 2 baby washcloths 2 gowns or sleepers, 2 diaper pins, 1 sweater, and 2 receiving blankets (no quilts or knitted). Bundle the items inside one of the blankets and secure it with diaper pins.

DONATIONS

We are grateful that donations continue to come in online. Donors may also contribute by placing a check in the offering plate at any United Methodist church or by mailing it to UMCOR, P.O. Box 9068, New York, NY 10087. Checks should indicate “Advance #418325” in the memo line.

Offerings received in congregations need to be send to their District Centers using the same P.O. Box address used when sending in the conference tithe. Checks sent to the conference office should have “Haiti Emergency” in the memo line. Thank you for your generous contributions,

Remember, 100 percent of gifts go directly to Haiti Earthquake relief efforts. Administrative cost has been paid through the One Great Hour of Sharing special Sunday offering.

For more Indiana Conference-related information about recovery efforts, early response training, kit assemblage and special offerings to UMCOR for Haiti Emergency, visit www.inumc.org and click on Haiti Emergency in left column.

MISSION NEWS

OPERATION CLASSROOM IS NOW ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER

Operation Classroom now has a Facebook and twitter page. The Facebook page is: www.facebook.com/pages/Operation-Classroom

If you want to be a regular reader of our Facebook page, send us your request and we will put you on the list. – Joe Wagner, co-director of Operation Classroom

SECOND OPERATION CLASSROOM/DOCTOR TEAM NOW IN SIERRA LEONE

The second medical team has arrived in Sierra Leone. They will work at the Kissy General Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Catch them on Facebook.com. Become a fan of Operation Classroom.

WORSHIP GOES ON BESIDE DAMAGED HAITIAN CHURCH

Pieces of walls painted a bright green gave a hint of the joys that once took place inside St. Martin Methodist Church and school. After the Jan. 12 earthquake, the jagged concrete blocks are part of a massive pile of rocks.

Even an earthquake doesn’t stop worship, however.

This past Sunday, Jan. 24, several men were busy trying to find ways to string tarps and sheets over the child-sized school benches and folding chairs wedged in between the ruins of the school and church. School notebooks and graded math papers not held down by rocks were flying in the wind.

Before the 9 a.m. worship began, the chairs and pews were full. Those who could not fit under the shade were standing in the back under any piece of shade they could find.

“All you are seeing now is through the power of our Lord,” said the Rev. Moncul Jean, one of the pastors in the Port-au-Prince circuit.

For full story, pictures and video from the worship service, click here.

MEDICAL SPECIALISTS TOP VOLUNTEER LIST FOR HAITI

NEW YORK (UMNS) – Medical specialists are the first category of volunteers needed to assist earthquake survivors in Haiti. Officials with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and other units of its parent agency, the Board of Global Ministries, said they would be working with the Methodist Church of Haiti and other organizations to provide medical and other services to Haiti. "We have already received an outpouring of inquiries and offers for volunteers to provide a variety of services," wrote Bishop Joel Martinez, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ interim top executive, in a letter to bishops. "While we are encouraged by this spirit of support, we strongly advise that teams and others not set out for Haiti at this time." Read more.

BLACK STUDENT LEADERS HOPEFUL FOR HAITI’S RECOVERY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) – If New Orleans can recover from Hurricane Katrina, there is hope the people of Haiti will find new life after the massive earthquake that struck Jan. 12. "I feel hope for those people," said Charlie Coleman, a student leader at Dillard University in New Orleans. "I know that those people in Haiti right now are feeling like there’s lost hope and there’s nothing that can be done because it was a natural disaster," said Coleman, a freshman. "If New Orleans can overcome the obstacle with the help of the United States and with other countries and everybody working together, Haiti can rebuild, as well." Coleman and 23 other young leaders who are enrolled in, or have graduated from, 11 United Methodist-related historically black colleges and universities gathered in Nashville for an orientation to The Black College Fund’s Lina H. McCord ambassador program.

UNITED METHODIST MUSIC VIDEO GIVES HOPE TO HAITIANS

RALEIGH, N.C. (UMNS) – Stefan Youngblood wanted to give hope to Haiti. First, he donated money. Now he’s donating a song. "We Will Rise," a song he composed, is being used in a music video to raise funds for Haiti through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. "It’s a song that’s meant to inspire people in the midst of all the hopelessness and despair," said Youngblood, 48, of Raleigh, N.C. He leads music for The Gathering, a contemporary service at Edenton Street United Methodist Church. Read more.

UMCOR JOINS ON-THE-GROUND RELIEF FOR HAITI

NEW YORK (UMNS) – The United Methodist Committee on Relief and a host of other faith-based groups are on the ground in Haiti as they determine how to assist earthquake survivors. With more than $2 million in donations received by Jan. 20, UMCOR already has provided emergency grants to the Methodist Church of Haiti and GlobalMedic, a Canadian relief agency, to address immediate needs. An assessment team made up of representatives from UMCOR, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Communications was gathering in the Dominican Republic Jan. 20 and preparing to enter Haiti. Other United Methodist-supported organizations, including Church World Service, Action By Churches Together International and Stop Hunger Now, also are responding with aid. Read more.

FOR THE LATEST IN DISASTER NEWS AND RECOVERY VISIT www.disasternews.net and www.umcor.org.

REGISTRATIONS DUE NOW

EARLY RESPONSE TRAINING IS STILL OPEN IN EVANSVILLE ON JAN. 30

For those who are interested in response volunteer work in Haiti during future months, this training will be a must. Spots are still available. The class will be held at Old North United Methodist Church, 4201 Stringtown Road, Evansville, IN 47711. The time is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If we are snowed out, the make-up date will be Feb. 20. Visit the church Web site (www.oldnorthumc.org) for the required sign-up sheet, under Mission Opportunities. Cost is $25, which will include a light breakfast, lunch, booklet and supplies. Mail the check made payable to Old North United Methodist Church and the signup sheet to Bruce Wright, 4005 Herrmann Road, Evansville, IN 47711; home 812-422-9155; cell 812-598-2289; church 812-423-2483. – Bonnie Albert, UMVIM Coordinator Indiana Conference

NEWLY LISTED MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

OPERATION CLASSROOM ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR VIM TRIPS TO AFRICA

Here are the present opportunities for an Indiana United Methodist-related Operation Classroom volunteer-in-mission teams going to West Africa during 2010. The price is expected to be around $3,100 per person depending on the time of year and airfares.

Workteams to Sierra Leone 2010

  • May 2 to 23 To Koidu - University of Indianapolis, Lang Brownlee, team leader
  • June 12 to July 15 - Constructing a school for the blind –Les and Hope Law, team leaders
  • July 25-August 3 - Construction project to be decided –Kay Hess, team leader

Workteams to Liberia 2010

  • April- New Georgia school construction
  • June 21 to July 6 - Tubman-Gray School - Especially for College Students
  • Construction of Elementary Building - Jill Bowen Team leader
  • June 22to July 8 or July 20 to August 1 - Teaching seminar on reading, phonics and writing (elementary level)
  • Sept 7 to 27 – Kay Zeigler and Bob Evans Leaders, Construction project to be decided
VOLUNTEERS NEED TO PREPARE IF THEY WANT TO SERVE IN HAITI

Here is a note to Indiana VIMs from Lorna Jost, UMVIM-NCJ Coordinator

You are indeed in the North Central Jurisdiction! Each jurisdictional Coordinator is to keep a list of volunteers so that when we are allowed back in we can have a coordinated effort from our UMC members. Team members will need a valid passport, updated tetanus shot and hepatitis A and B shots.

Teams going into Haiti will have to have team leaders that are trained UMVIM team leaders. The team leader will have to have had some experience in Haiti. Some Early Response Team experience would not hurt also.

Your conference coordinator is Bonnie Albert and she has been copied on this note. She is offering team leader training soon in the Indiana Conference.

When going to Haiti, you pay your own way and may have to bring in all food and supplies. This is dependent on when we are allowed in and the conditions in the area you are placed in. Teenagers would probably be fine but I would suggest that a parent travel with them. What they might see is not going to be pretty.

We will wait for the word from the Methodist Church of Haiti and from UMCOR as to when it is advisable to go in. That will be the juncture when it seems that volunteers can help more than just consuming valuable time and food and other resources needed by the Haitian people. All will endeavor to do good, do no harm and definitely learn to love our God more while on this mission.

We are wanting to work on some spiritual formation resources - so that we are able to better serve the mental/ physical and spiritual issues that will be facing the Haitian people. Every family in Haiti has lost someone... many have lost a lot of relatives, some whole families are gone.

The Haitian people will need us. Thanks for sending in your contact information.

I will also put you on an e-mail list for updates on Haiti.

If you are interested in volunteering for relief projects in Haiti, send you contact information to LeKisha Reed.

FLOOD RECOVERY INFORMATION (UPDATED)

UNITED METHODISTS CONTINUE IN FLOOD RECOVERY EFFORTS STATEWIDE

The floods may seem long gone and out of the news, however, volunteers are still needed to assist residence in northwest, far northwest and in the central parts of Indiana. (updated 6/15/09)

In far northwest Indiana, contact the Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery in Indiana (LARRI). Visit www.larri.info located at the United Way of Porter County at 951 Eastport Centre Drive, Valparaiso, IN 46384; ph 219-447-3583 or toll-free 877-LARRI4U; fax 219-477-5845. Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery in Indiana (LARRI) has been approved as an eligible volunteer location for Disney’s program Give a Day. Get a Disney Day. Effective Jan. 1, volunteers can go to the Disney site and sign up to work at a LARRI location and receive a voucher for a day at a Disney Park (Disneyland® Resort or Walt Disney World® Resort). Click on photo to go to the official Disney site. Watch for program updates. For details, click here. When asked for city online, type in Munster, IN. (updated Jan. 2010).

Across central Indiana. For work team schedules in the Columbus area, contact Angie Huebel at the United Way of Bartholomew County, 1531 13th Street, Columbus, IN 47201, ph 812-314-2344; ahuebel@uwbarthco.org. For other communities, Bonnie Albert, Indiana UMVIM Coordinator; ph 219-464-1447; bonkay@hotmail.com (Updated 12/14/09).

In Northwest Indiana contact Alan H. Welch, director, DANI-Disaster Assistance for NW Indiana, 1021 N 10th Street, Lafayette, IN 47904; ph 765-742-4718; welchah@gmail.com. DANI information is available by visiting http://daniflood.org.

Morgan County (Lannie Stecher, ph 765-318-8344, pastorlannie@yahoo.com) is in need of both skilled and unskilled volunteers to assist with rebuilding and repairing homes damaged by the June 2008 floods. The “500 year flood” impacted over 2,700 households, 48 percent of which fall below the Federal poverty guidelines. Housing in churches can be provided. Go to www.mcltrc.com to register and for more project information. (Updated 10/24/09)

Southern Indiana - Contact Disaster Response Coordinator: The Rev. David Powell, 820 W Mill Street, Danville, IN 46122; ph 317-745-4330; info@danvilleumc.org. Terre Haute and Bartholomew County areas in need of volunteers.

PREVIOUSLY LISTED MISSION OPPORTUNITIES

IND. VOLUNTEER-IN-MISSION COORDINATOR REQUESTS YOUR INFORMATION

Where are you stepping outside the church walls to be in service to others? Do you have plans for a team to serve beyond your community? Would you please send me the team leader’s name and contact information, the date of your mission trip, and the project your team will serve.

– Blessings, Bonnie Albert UMVIM Coordinator Indiana Conference,
ph 219 464-1447 or 219-241-7250 or by e-mail.

FLOOD OF JUSTICE MISSIONS

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Central United Methodist Church in Evansville, Ind., has created a unique and exciting mission opportunity for your senior high youth. Flood of Justice Missions was created to help youth put feet on their faith through tangible acts of love and service. The camp dates will be July 18-24 and we will add July 11-17 as a second camp if our initial camp fills up. Your youth will be working on homes during the day and be involved in dynamic programming in the evening focusing on the theme of being “Rescued.” The cost is $250 per registrant, which will cover all building materials, meals, programming and lodging for the week. You can find out more about this great opportunity at www.floodofjusticemissions.com.

ONGOING MISSION PROJECT REMINDERS

For more information about these opportunities, listings of ongoing projects and contact information, please visit http://inumc.org/pages/detail/171.

NOMADS VOLUNTEERS WORK IN RESPONSE TO DISASTER
RELIEF AGENCY DEPOTS NEED SUPPLIES
  • UMCOR Sager Brown in Baldwin, La. and UMCOR West in Salt Lake City need replenishing.
  • More information about needed supplies can be found online
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN NORTH DAKOTA
  • All rebuild is done in Dickinson! Volunteers are needed for Rebuilds in Fargo/Moorhead and the Jamestown areas. Contact: Joan Buchhop, ph 701-775-6151.
STUDENTS IN SIERRA LEONE NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE
  • For only $75 you can provide a work/study grant for a youth in the Ganta school.
  • Visit www.operationclassroom.org and click on Donate
  • Or you can send a check to Operation Classroom.
  • For more information, contact Operation Classroom, Inc., PO Box 246, Colfax, IN 46035; ph 765-436-2805.
HURRICANE RECOVERY VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN LOUISIANA
  • You can register your team by going to www.laumcstormrelief.com and clicking on Louisiana Disaster Response.
  • There are five locations: New Orleans, Lake Charles, Grand River, Slidell and Houma.
  • Contact the LA Conference of the UMC Disaster Response, 141 North 6th Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802; ph 225-346-5193; fax 225-346-6974; laumdisastermin@bellsouth.net
  • Web site: www.laumcstormrelief.com
  • Contact person: The Rev. Yvonne Dayries, Volunteer Coordinator, ydayries@ladrm.org

MISSION OPPORTUNITIES REMINDERS

For more information about these opportunities, listings of ongoing projects and contact information, please visit http://inumc.org/pages/detail/172.

SAINT LUCIA UNITED METHODISTS SEEK VIM TEAM FOR 2010
  • Leaders are currently writing up the project.
  • If interested, contact C. Stilson Cato at juditha_c@hotmail.com.
CAMEROON INITIATIVE CONSULTATION - EARLY 2010
  • Hosted in Florida. Dates have not been set yet. For more information, contact Rev. Patrick Friday in the GBGM office; pfriday@gbgm-umc.org.
IOWA TEAM MEDICAL TEAM SEEKS VOLUNTEERS FOR HAITI TRIP
  • Feb 25-Mar 8
  • For information or to sign up for the team, contact Terry Dewald, 3812 Eisenhower Avenue, Ames, IA 50010; ph 515-231-1914; tdewald.rn@gmail.com
MINNESOTA OPERATION CLASSROOM ANNOUNCES TRIPS TO AFRICA
  • Sierra Leone, Kabala, March 10-25, to begin constructing a new school building. Team leader: Lyndy Zabel, ph 952-829-7179.
  • Liberia, Camphor Mission, Feb 25-Mar 15, 2010, work on the guest house. Team leader: Linda Koelman, ph 612-598-7743.
MISSION TRIP TO EL SALVADOR
UPCOMING UM VOLUNTEER IN MISSION TRAINING SESSIONS IN INDIANA
  • Mar 20, 2010: UMVIM Team Leadership training – Bloomington, Ind. at St. Mark’s UMC, 100 North State Road 46. Contact: Bonnie Albert, Indiana UMVIM Coordinator; ph 219-464-1447; bonkay@hotmail.com. Possible ERT training to be included.
  • April 10, 2010: UMVIM Team Leadership training – New Life UMC, 3039 W 400 N (US31) near Mexico, Ind. Contact: Bonnie Albert, Indiana UMVIM Coordinator; ph 219-464-1447; bonkay@hotmail.com. Possible ERT training to be included.
RUSSIA INITIATIVE CONSULTATION XV
CHAIN SAW TRAINING COURSE IN WISCONSIN
  • May 15 at Pine Lake United Methodist Camp
  • Limited to 10-15 beginners or experienced cutters
  • Cost: $35 includes lunch
  • Register by May 7
  • More information: Chuck Wedemeyer 414-354-8285
CONSTRUCTION VOLUNTEERS NEED TO CONSTRUCT NEW HOUSES
  • Work Camp Schedule for S.O.W.E.R. 2010 (Sharing Our Witness – Enriching Relationships)
    • Week 1 May 16 – 22 Frame shell
    • Week 2 May 23 – 29 Roofing, interior walls, exterior doors, windows, siding
    • Week 3 July 11 – 17 Install insulation and drywall, finish siding and soffit
    • Week 4 July 18 – 24 Finish drywall & paint, install porch railing
    • Week 5 August 8 – 14 Finish interior trim, install underlayment, and flooring
    • Week 6 August 15 – 21 Install interior doors, trim, and kitchen cabinets
  • To learn more or to join one of these camps contact Ralph & Carolyn Brandon, SOWER VIM Team Leaders. 231 McMillen Dr., Newark, Oh 43055, ph 740-344-5581, SOWER@wocumc.org
VOLUNTEER IN MISSION TRIP PLANNED TO AFRICA UNIVERSITY
  • May 20-June 8, 2010
  • Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe, Africa
  • Cost of the trip: $3800
  • For more information, contact Rev. Anyike at 317-925-1997 or Ruth Ellen Stone at ruthellen1@juno.com.
ELGINS TO LEAD TEACH UM TEAM TO MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
  • teachUM teams to Managua, Nicaragua
  • June 14-23, 2010
  • For more information, e-mail rrelgin@comcast.net
ORPHANAGE #4, PAVLOVSK, RUSSIA
  • June 27-July 11
  • For more information, contact Glenna Boughton at glennab33@msn.com or call  563-557-9260