EMERGENCY RELIEF FOR LOCAL AREA
FLOOD VICTIMS NEEDED!
We are now
sending teams down on a regular basis on the 2nd
and 4th Saturdays of each month. We
meet at 7:30 a.m. at LUMC and then carpool or caravan down to the work
area in the Southern Tier, where we work until mid-afternoon.
Please join us!
If you would like to
come and help our Southern Tier neighbors get back
in their homes, just show up on one of our work days! Questions? Please
contact LUMC
Flood
Relief Coordinator Marcia Lynch ASAP at 227-2152.
Thanks for your support of our flood relief efforts!
The following letter was sent by
Bishop Matthews at the beginning of the clean-up effort:
August 30, 2011
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The rains came down and the floods came up but the house of our Lord
stands firm. As the waters recede, our neighbors need our help. Many
homes have been destroyed and will need to be rebuilt; others will need
repair.
I am appealing to the many generous members and congregations across
the Upper New York Annual Conference to support the rebuilding that
lies ahead. In the days and weeks ahead, you and your congregation can
help in two significant ways:
#1
The greatest need is for funds for
immediate relief and long-term recovery. Cash is the most flexible and
most easily transportable donation. It can be stored easily and does
not spoil.
Send your donations to our UNYA
Conference office, designating your gift to fund #4200 (Upper New York
Annual Conference Hurricane Recovery). Our focus will be helping our
churches, communities and individuals after other resources are
exhausted.
You can also send cash donations to UMCOR for wider area needs.
Designate US Disaster Response #901670 on your check and send them
through our Conference office. UMCOR contributions can also be made
online at http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/?i=41307
Please remember: 100 percent of all gifts made through our United
Methodist Church are available for recovery work.
Local churches may consider hosting flood-relief fundraisers, accepting
special offerings or tithing a portion of an existing event. Some
congregations have joined with other churches or businesses in their
communities to work on creative ways to raise funds for flood relief.
#2
The second great need is for Cleaning
Buckets and Health Kits. Rev. Carl Chamberlain, our Conference Disaster
Response Coordinator, has requested a tractor-trailer load of Health
Kits for immediate distribution through our partnership with The
Salvation Army. We have assurance that the need is far beyond our
supplies on hand.
We are asking churches to begin collecting the supplies and assembling
Cleaning Buckets and Health Kits. Collection locations for these kits
across our Conference will be announced next week. Directions for
assembling the kits can be found at:
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/getconnected/supplies/
Volunteers for rebuilding are not yet
needed.
While many people want to respond immediately, there are few
communities ready to receive teams at this early stage. Contact Greg
Forrester, NEJ UMVIM coordinator, if you have a team ready to deploy.
He will know those areas ready for volunteers or can help schedule work
teams in the months ahead. Current UM-VIM Early Response Teams (ERTs)
should contact Forrester for assignments. His office number is (607)
756-7799. You can also reach him by e-mail at umvimnej@twcny.rr.com.
Rev. Chamberlain is in regular contact with UMCOR and our
denominational partners in the Lutheran and Presbyterian churches. He
is planning a coordinated effort for long-term recovery.
Our District Superintendents are assessing the damage to church
properties across our Conference. If your church or parsonage has
sustained damage, notify your DS and contact our insurance carrier,
Walsh-Duffield, immediately. Contact information for our insurance
carrier is on our Conference web page (www.unyumc.org). You may also
contact our Walsh-Duffield agent Charmaine Derenda, directly at (716)
362-7336 or via e-mail at cdrenda@walshins.com.
Keep in prayer our neighbors whose lives are disrupted by Hurricane
Irene and the associated flooding. Also remember the men and women who
are serving others in need. Join us in prayer and service that we may
all be safe in the hands of our Lord.
In Christ’s Service,
Bishop Marcus Matthews
Upper New York Area Resident Bishop
Rev. Carl Chamberlain
Disaster Response Coordinator
