The UMCOR Hotline

In Today's Hotline:

MOZAMBIQUE: Flood Recovery

SUDAN: Medicines for Mobile Clinics

INDONESIA: Hope After the Tsunami

US: Souper Bowl Success

UMCOR: One Great Hour of Sharing

MOZAMBIQUE: FLOOD RECOVERY

The rains continue to add to the already devastating flood situation in Mozambique and eastern parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. UMCOR is at work with Action by Churches Together and the Mozambique Annual Conference to address the immediate humanitarian concerns.

UMCOR is providing seeds and necessary mosquito nets as the threat of malaria outbreaks arises. More rain is expected to fall in February and March, months that are the peak of the rainy season. Thousands have been left homeless and many are struggling to build shelters, obtain food and clean water.

Please continue to keep Mozambique in your prayers. You can help by sending gifts to Mozambique Emergency, UMCOR Advance #156500.

SUDAN: MEDICINES FOR MOBILE CLINICS

UMCOR is providing Medicine Boxes to Fountain City United Methodist Church in Knoxville, Tenn., to provide medical care to thousands in Yei, Sudan. By invitation of the East Africa Annual Conference, Fountain City UMC will be setting up mobile clinics in March. One site will be a primary school where 1,000 students are enrolled. About 3,000 people are expected to receive care, including treatment for malaria and worms.

A Medicine Box contains 18 essential drugs and medical supplies. The supplies are usually sufficient to provide a community of about 1,000 people with basic medicines and supplies for three months. Help make programs like these successful by participating in The Medicine Box program. Read how you and your community can make a huge difference and give to The Medicine Box program, UMCOR Advance 982630.

INDONESIA: HOPE AFTER THE TSUNAMI

In the three years since the devastating tsunami swept across Indonesia, UMCOR has been busy reconstructing homes, schools, communities and other facilities in Aceh Province on the island of Sumatra.

One of these projects included the rebuilding of a school that serves 450 students in Sekolah Dasar Negeri 3—a project completed in June, 2007. UMCOR donated chairs, desks, office, educational and playground equipment to help fully equip and improve the educational environment for the children. With vividly painted schools and new visible houses springing up, hope lives on for those whose lives are still adversely affected by the tsunami.

Your gifts to programs like these are helping to erase a tragic memory. Continue to support these rebuilding efforts by giving to International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450.

US: SOUPER BOWL SUCCESS

As the Giants claimed victory over the New England Patriots on Super Bowl Sunday, food banks, soup kitchens and thousands of other charities were the big winners of the Souper Bowl of Caring.

Over 17,000 groups around the country agreed to use Souper Bowl of Caring as a resource to fight hunger and poverty. Among the total were more than 3,250 United Methodist congregations.

If your congregation collected cash or cans on or near Super Bowl Sunday, please report your contributions at www.souperbowl.org or by calling 800-358-SOUP(7687). Thanks for your participation and your generous support to those in need of a meal. Each participating church can give 100% of their donation to the charity of their choice. United Methodist Churches are encouraged to give a portion of the collected offerings to a local charity and to UMCOR’s World Hunger/Poverty Program through Advance #982920.

UMCOR: ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

In times of devastating wars, monster storms, life-altering earthquakes . . . your hearts and hands are there in the wake of these disasters and in others through UMCOR. Continue to be there by celebrating One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday on March 2.

One Great Hour of Sharing makes all of the other UMCOR programs possible by funding the agency’s costs of doing business. Any gifts that are over and above UMCOR’s administrative costs go to where they are most needed. Often they support under-funded programs.

It’s not too late to order your OGHS envelopes, posters, refrigerator magnets and offering boxes. Call 1-888-346-3862 to order and visit UMCOR’s OGHS website for more information and additional worship resources.

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. You can also give online by clicking on any of the "Give Now" links. 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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