News & Features
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Devastating Earthquake Brings Immediate Response from the Amity Foundation
Within five hours of the May 12 earthquake near Chengdu, China, the Amity Foundation, a Chinese social service organization and Global Ministries' partner, had sent staff to the city to initiate relief efforts.
UMCOR Responds to Active Tornado Season
Tornadoes and severe storms raced across the mid-South Saturday evening, May 10, carving up towns throughout the region. Reports indicate that 27 persons died in the storms.
Relief to Myanmar
“The United Methodist Committee on Relief is persistently pursuing all avenues to provide relief in Myanmar,” said Sam Dixon, UMCOR’s top executive.
New Orleans Clinic Offers Healing and Hope
In the heart of uptown New Orleans, historic Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church had its steeple destroyed and sanctuary badly damaged from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
UMCOR Provides Help to Myanmar
Cyclone Nargis tore through Myanmar (Burma) May 2 with unexpected fury, causing a tidal surge that swept inland that devastated Myanmar's most populated regions leaving homes and businesses flattened and families forever changed.
Multiple Tornadoes Destroy Parts of Virginia
As many as eight tornadoes ripped up parts of central and southeastern Virginia on Monday, April 28.
Transformation Through Mission
Brother John Bowie volunteered in New Orleans for a week in February, 2008, and came home a transformed man, proud to be a part of The United Methodist Church.
Two New Disaster Response Executives Join UMCOR
Melissa Crutchfield will serve as the assistant general secretary for International Disaster Response. Sandra Kennedy-Owes began is executive secretary for Domestic Disaster Response.
Arkansas Takes Another Pounding
In a state already reeling from the “Super Tuesday” tornadoes, ice storms and flooding, a night of powerful tornadoes blew through Little Rock, Ark. on Friday, April 4.
Early Response Teams Secure Homes After Tornadoes in South Carolina and Georgia
UMCOR-trained Early Response Teams (ERTs) were busy with tarps and chain saws across a wide region of North Georgia and South Carolina in the week following severe storm systems that moved through on March 15.
Even as Flood Waters Rise, UMCOR Works with Annual Conferences in Their Response
Maxine Allen describes the situation in Arkansas as a “nightmare”—families in the counties affected by the February 5, 2008, tornadoes suffered an ice storm two weeks later, and are now dealing with devastating flooding along a nearly identical track.
Annual Conferences Build on Training and Experience in "Super Tuesday" Tornado Response
Preparedness, training, experience, and ongoing relationships enabled United Methodists to be in the forefront of the response to the recent “Super Tuesday” tornadoes.
Community Services Agency "Stretches" to do Disaster Response
Miss Bonita Jethro was born and raised in East St. Louis, Illinois, and remembers Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House from her childhood days.
As the conflict in Kenya continues and the nation’s leaders struggle to find a path to peace, United Methodists are bringing comfort to those left most vulnerable by the conflict.
Continued Kenya Violence Disrupts Food Supply
Continued violence in Kenya has displaced hundreds of thousands of citizens and disrupted the food supply in parts of that African nation.
Abu described how the wave came towards him like a mountain, and how he unsuccessfully tried to warn other people to run.
UMCOR Responds to "Super Tuesday" Tornadoes in Five Southern States
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and its regional church partners are responding as rapidly as conditions allow to tornadoes that struck five southern states on Tuesday night, February 5.
Delivering Hope to the Congo
A diverse coalition of organizations have come together to provide medicines worth up to $14 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
More than a week of violence following disputed elections has left the lives of many Kenyans in shambles. Nearly 200,000 people have been displaced.
More Refugees Crowd into South African Church
Twelve hundred refugees sleep each night at Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A Hope That Brings Healing
Sounds of painful groans, a child kept from school, and a violent strike from an ex-husband. Life has been far from easy for Layla Ismailova* who lives in Azerbaijan.
UMCOR is Still a Beacon of Hope for Tsunami Survivors
Three years ago the waves of the Indian Ocean turned an incalculable number of lives inside-out.
Clean Water Saves Lives
Over half of the people who live in Nicaragua’s rural communities do not have access to clean drinking water
UMCOR is Committed to Help Cyclone Sidr Survivors
Super Cyclone Sidr, a deadly category four storm, battered the already-struggling nation of Bangladesh on Nov. 16.
Help in the Wake of Hurricane Noel
Hurricane Noel’s drenching rains wreaked havoc across the Caribbean and Mexico as sustained rains caused severe flooding across the Caribbean and Mexico.
Hope for New Mothers in Sierre Leone
"At the time of civil war, the hospital was seeing three patients a day," said Janet Bio, head midwife at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
World Malaria Day: A History of Success, High Expectations for the Future
On the first World Malaria Day, United Methodists celebrated their contributions to eradicating this disease.
Global AIDS Event Encourages Participants to "Lighten the Burden"
On the eve of the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination's Global AIDS Fund celebrated its first four years of work toward an AIDS-free world.
Providing Health to All
The boxes of antibiotics, analgesics and anti-malarial drugs that arrived in late March at Mpasa United Methodist Medical and Nutrition Center outside of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, were the first medicines they have received in over a year.
Hope After AIDS
“I was afraid I was going to die,” said Terrence* one of 63 people who come regularly to the Friends Unit of Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for group counseling sessions and antiretroviral medication.
Malaria Filling a Deep Need
"Nothing is sufficient," says Henrietta Emmanuel who heads up Kissy United Methodist Hospital's malaria program. The need in Sierra Leone is so great, she goes on to explain, that as soon as they receive nets or medicines they are used.
UMC Clinic Gets New Outlook on HIV/AIDS
When Schaunta James-Boyd of Saint Mark United Methodist Church, Wichita, Kan., saw the impact of HIV/AIDS in her community.
Hope for Graduates of Magambe
Dressed in formal caps and gowns and with their heads held up high, all 14 graduates of the Magambe Vocational School in Zimbabwe.
A Donor’s Dream Comes True
“I dreamed that I was a marrow donor. In my dream the walls of my recipient’s hospital room were covered with a rainbow of paper butterflies.”
World AIDS Day 2007. Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.
The worldwide statistics surrounding the HIV/AIDS epidemic has not changed for the better since last year.
A Silent Shout About HIV/AIDS
Over the past 26 years much has been reported about the rising cases of HIV/AIDS in the US and abroad.
Fair wages for small-scale farmers was among the concerns addressed by The United Methodist Church's quadrennial legislative meeting.
Food for the Hungry
The nutrition unit at Kissy United Methodist Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is an integral part of the care families receive at this institution.
UMCOR's 100-Ton Challenge
UMCOR is challenging United Methodists to help farmers earn fair prices for their crops by participating in UMCOR’s 100-Ton Challenge.
United Methodist Youth Raise $830,000 for the Hungry
About 2,200 United Methodist congregations and 25,000 United Methodist youth participated in this year's Souper Bowl campaign-raising $830,000 so far this year.
Soup’s On—at the Souper Bowl of Caring
As the football line-up begins, United Methodist youth and young adults will be lining up their soup cans for another special event—the Souper Bowl of Caring.
Give Fair Trade Chocolate this Halloween
This Halloween many trick-or-treaters will receive a new kind of treat, fair trade mini-chocolates. Candy buyers can have a clear conscience when buying and giving chocolates that are not derived from child labor.
World Food Day 2007— “The Right to Food”
World Food Day is celebrated every year on Oct. 16 to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945.
Women Work Together in Colombia
Some 248 poor rural families-more than half of them headed by women-are improving their basic survival conditions by working together.They are among the many families in parts of southwest Colombia who live in extreme poverty despite their region's resources.
Across Lands
Moe Aung, his wife Naw and their three children fled their home in Myanmar (Burma) and sought shelter in a Thailand refugee camp where they remained for five years.
Centro Latino: “Doing Jesus’ Job” in the Immigrant Community
A church within a church is thriving in Council Bluffs, Iowa. A pastor helps members of his Spanish-speaking flock overcome their sorrow of separation from their families.
South African Methodists Offer Hope to Refugees
South African Methodists are offering a "ray of hope" to homeless asylum seekers, refugees and displaced people crowding into the capital city of Johannesburg.
United Methodist Agencies and Organizations Promote "Genuine" Immigration Reform
Arguing for "genuine reform," seven United Methodist agencies and organizations are opposing the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 before the US Senate unless significant changes are made in the draft law.
Welcoming the Stranger
Cosponsoring a refugee family to be resettled "afforded our congregation another "window to the world" that was new to many of them," writes Hank Woolard, chairperson of the Refugee Family Support Group for Oak Grove UMC.
Flood Buckets Supply Cleaning Items and Encouragement
When Dee Montgomery went into her Watseka, Illinois home after flooding in January and February, 2008, she didn’t know where to begin. That is, until fellow United Methodist Diann Peabody came by with a flood bucket.
Help Sager Brown Deliver Kits of Hope
In Georgia, happy faces, smiles and hundreds of cheerful voices filled a room when children saw the arrival of school kits, health kits and sewing kits donated by UMCOR last September.
UMCOR Sager Brown Changes Kit Contents
Changes to two United Methodist Committee on Relief kits have been made to improve the quality of the items received by people in need around the world.
UMCOR Sager Brown Needs More Flood Buckets
UMCOR Sager Brown Depot has nearly depleted its supply of flood buckets. The response effort to the recent Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma storm emergencies have severely taxed flood bucket stores.
UMCOR Sager Brown Mission Experience to Be Enhanced
An UMCOR Sager Brown mission experience is about to be enhanced for the better.
"We've Seen a Lot of Ministry": Volunteers Reflect on UMCOR Sager Brown
Dave and Joan Elton joined a mission trip to southern Louisiana in January 1993, just after Hurricane Andrew had devastated the Gulf Coast.
UMCOR Sager Brown Celebrates 140 Years of Ministry
A beautiful Louisiana spring day welcomed visitors and guests to the UMCOR Sager Brown Campus in Baldwin, La., to celebrate 140 years of ministry on April 21.
UMCOR’s Response to the Attempted Abduction of Children in Chad
Alleged attempts of a French humanitarian organization to abduct children living along the Chad-Sudan border for adoption in Europe are deeply troubling to UMCOR
World Food Day 2007—A Sweet Life
Anush, is a little Armenian girl whose name means “sweet.” She is part of the 31% of Armenian children below average weight and height. Her family, part of the urban poor in Armenia, earns an average of $1.50 a day.
Improving Conditions for Children in Azerbaijan
Deaf and speech-impaired children in Azerbaijan now have a better place to live and learn thanks to the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Securing a Future
In the Wardak province of Afghanistan, temporary shelters for returning refugees usually means freezing in the winter months, bearing high temperatures in the summer heat and living among the flood waters when it rains.
UMCOR, Muslim Aid Staff Meet in Cambodia
United Methodist Committee on Relief staff and members of Muslim Aid's Cambodia and home offices met Sept. 6 in Phnom Penh to discuss the possibility of working jointly in the region.
Two New Disaster Response Executives Join UMCOR
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) introduced new staff at their semi-annual board meeting last month.
Katrina Aid Today Transfers Activity To Local Organizations
The national case management consortium, Katrina Aid Today, led by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), completed its grant-funded activity on March 31.
UMCOR to Establish Three Additional Offices in 2008
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is expanding its physical presence in the US and around the world.
$18 Million for Long-Term Recovery and Program Expansion Approved by UMCOR Board
United Methodist Committee on Relief Directors approved over $18 million to help disaster survivors over the long term and to expand UMCOR’s ministry of presence at their semi-annual meeting.
A Ministry of Presence and Hope
Fernley, Nevada., had a rough start to the New Year. Floodwaters breached the local irrigation canal and this desert town was inundated with water in the first week of January.
Palms Equal Fair Trade
Every year, Christian congregations across the nation purchase palmfronds to celebrate Palm Sunday which commemorates Jesus' triumphantentry into Jerusalem.
Delivering Hope to Congo
A diverse coalition of organizations have come together to provide medicines worth up to $14 million to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Barbara Stone Named UMCOR Volunteer Consultant
The United Methodist Committee on Relief welcomes Barbara Stone as the new volunteer consultant for UMCOR.
UMCOR’s New Gift Catalog
The new UMCOR Gift Catalog is now available. The Catalog highlights some of UMCOR's core programs around the world.
The Rev. Sam Dixon to Lead United Methodist Relief Agency
Recent major disasters - 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Asian tsunami—have led The United Methodist Church's relief organization "to rethink how we do everything," according to its new chief executive.
FEMA Extends Funding for Katrina Aid Today
A grant supporting case management for Hurricane Katrina survivors will continue into 2008.
Action by Churches Together Releases Annual Report
The 2006-2007 Annual Report of Action by Churches Together, the international aid alliance and UMCOR partner, details "an increasingly changing landscape of humanitarian response," according to John Nduna, the ACT director whose message introduces the report.
