When natural disasters, like Hurricane Helene, occur, it is great to be part of The United Methodist Church because we are a connectional church with a highly-respected outreach organization called UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).
One of UMCOR's strengths is the commitment to staying as long as needed - which is especially important in disaster response because it can take years for a community to move through the phases of rescue (where we are now), recovery, and rebuilding.
If you would like to support UMCOR's disaster response efforts, we encourage you to make your donations via FVUMC using the link below. All of our collective gifts designated for UMCOR will be consolidated and sent weekly.
Collecting UMCOR Cleaning Kit Items
We are no longer being asked to collect UMCOR Cleaning Kit supplies - thank you to everyone who contributed!
Volunteer at the MERCI Center in Goldsboro
MERCI (located at 674 Community Drive, Goldsboro, NC) is open periodically. Visit nccumc.org/outreach/merci for updates. If you are interested in serving, please contact the MERCI coordinator directly: Rev. Bill Haddock revbillh@nccumc.org.
More Opportunities to Help
Early Response Training is required for volunteers interested in serving in the aftermath of a disaster. ERT Teams are not a first-response group of emergency workers, nor are they recovery, rebuild, or repair teams. Under very specific guidelines, ERTs assist survivors without causing further harm or being a burden to the affected community. Teams help with specific needs in the early days after a disaster including cleaning out flood-damaged homes, removing debris, placing tarps on homes and other tasks as needed. Visit nccumc.org/disaster/training/#ert for more information.
More details about opportunities to serve will be shared when they are received from our NC Conference Disaster Response Team which is in direct contact with their counterparts in the Western NC Conference. While recovery workteams are generally required to have Early Response Training (ERT), there may be other opportunities to help. If you have questions or are interested in volunteering with cleanup, please email missions@fvumc.org.
What Is UMCOR?
Originally founded in 1940 in response to displaced and vulnerable populations in the wake of World War II, The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is a ministry of The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Global Ministries. UMCOR's goal is to assist the most vulnerable people affected by crisis or chronic need without regard to their race, religion or status. All people have God-given worth and dignity.
In 2023, UMCOR awarded 252 grants totaling $20,105,153 to partners around the world, and UMCOR responded to 111 disasters, including relief in the Middle East and long-term war recovery in Ukraine. Support for health services, infrastructure, medicines and personnel of United Methodist health facilities saved lives.
To optimize resources, UMCOR is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global network of Christian humanitarian organizations and Church World Service, a global ecumenical organization that resettles refugees and provides assistance to vulnerable persons. UMCOR is the founding sponsor of Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN), a U.S. network of local providers of free and low-cost legal assistance for poor migrants.
Learn more about how UMCOR handles Disaster Response at umcmission.org/united-states-disaster-response.
UM Global Ministries
Global Ministries, which includes the United Methodist Committee on Relief, is the mission and development organization of The United Methodist Church. Global Ministries works in more than 115 countries, partnering with local churches and organizations to amplify the impact of its projects and programs around the world.
Through its networks, programming and missionary personnel, Global Ministries reaches thousands of people every year. In keeping with its historical legacy and through contemporary ministries that meet international standards, Global Ministries focuses its efforts in four missional priorities: Missionaries, Evangelism and Church Revitalization, Humanitarian Relief & Recovery, Global Health.