Haiti Disaster Response
Health Kits for Haiti Night @ GUM Church... click here for more details!
A note from the GUM Church Missions Committee concerning Haiti Relief
Read the letter from conference connectional directors Jerry DeVine and Ben Heisler
Health Kits for Haiti Night @ GUM Church
Thursday, February 25 from 6:30pm - 8pm
in room E-27/E-29
Join GUM Church to pack health kits. Make it a family service project. Use the list below to purchase items and bring them with you! We will fellowship and pack the kits together. This is a church-wide mission opportunity... get involved!
HEALTH KITS FOR HAITI
Due to the crisis in Haiti, the Mission Committee has decided that Health Kits are one of the best ways to help these unfortunate people. We feel the fastest way to accomplish this will be if everyone puts together their own kits. The following are the items needed for each Health Kit. When you have finished making the kit(s), place them in the designated container that will be in the narthex during the month of February.
Needed ALL NEW items:
1 - hand towel
1 - washcloth
1 - large, sturdy comb
1 - nail file or fingernail clipper
1 - bath-size bar of soap
1 - adult-size toothbrush
6 - adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages
1 - $1.00 for toothpaste (UMCOR buys the toothpaste in bulk.)
PLACE THESE ITEMS IN A SEALED ONE-GALLON ZIP-TOP BAG
PLEASE PUT ONLY THE REQUESTED ITEMS.
ANYTHING ELSE WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED.
Haiti—First steps and beyond
If you are United Methodist and living in Michigan you likely have heard about the tragedy in Haiti. The Michigan Area has a long and deep relationship with the people of the Methodist Church of Haiti and their communities. The Detroit and West Michigan Conferences have multiple Volunteer in Mission teams that routinely travel to various parts of the Haitian urban and country landscape. The Area Haiti Task Force has helped focus water projects, the Haiti Hot Lunch Program, Grace Children’s Hospital, helping build multiple schools and church buildings, all centered around relationships and shared hope through Jesus Christ.
The deeper a relationship goes the more urgent the desire to respond when someone in that relationship is in dire trouble. The flood of images coming out of the devastating earthquake in Haiti evokes such a deep emotional response from us that words are inadequate at this time. We desire to incarnate our covenant commitment. However, we want to respond in the manner that is most helpful by those requesting it. Disaster response evolves in phases. The magnitude of the devastation has altered the landscape of how we can respond for the immediate moment and near future.
Here are some things we should not do even though we yearn to:
1. We cannot travel directly to Haiti to help yet at this point. The most important responders are the teams coming in for search and rescue. The military is coming in to establish order for the imminent need for food, water, medical care and shelter. All interested Volunteer in Mission Teams or individuals are asked to register with our North Central Jurisdictional VIM Coordinator who will then make connections when needed and appropriate. Please send an email to umvim-ncj@brookings.net
2. We cannot immediately ship anything to the site. There are no clear distribution systems in place yet. Inequitable distribution creates the potential for chaos. As items are needed we will call for them so please wait for specific instructions. Non-Governmental Organizations and various countries are bringing in the initial supplies. We as annual conferences will be a part of the second wave, and multiple more following that.
Here are some things we can do as our first phase of response:
1. Pray, and pray more. Pray for those you know are in the affected area. Pray for the neighbors helping each other. Pray for quick and capable response by on-site agencies. Pray for first response teams. Pray for those who live in a place of unknowing about loved ones. Pray for the church to be the body of Christ to the wider community in crisis. Pray for those here that have built deep relationships with Haitian Methodist church leaders.
2. Give, and give sacrificially. UMCOR is suited well to partner for us and with us, even in the midst of not hearing from their own team that was on site. This initial cash flow is vital and will be needed for months to come. Please contribute through your local church using UMCOR advance # 418325.
3. Prepare Health Kits, and invite others to do so. In order to meet what will be an immense demand in the mass of displaced persons, UMCOR has requested that one of our first responses be to prepare Health Kits for quick distribution as our response door opens. Challenge your neighboring United Methodist Churches to reach a shared goal. (see the PDF near the bottom of this website)
Next Steps:
1. Identify a person in your church to check www.westmichiganconference.org daily for updates.
2. Identify a prayer team to focus the congregation on specific issues coming out of the updates.
3. Take an offering soon at your church and send it on to your Conference Treasurer for distribution.
4. Set a goal for the number of Health Kits from your church or district.
5. Be watching for a next phase coming out of our Michigan Area Haiti Task Force which will be communicated through our offices as well. It will allow us to begin stockpiling some very specific items for distribution in the near future.
6. Review the volunteer guidelines and specific needs at umvimncj.org. If you can meet those demands then register. Please respect the request for coordinating in this manner for now. You will be notified as specific teams are needed.
In Christ’s circle of hope,
Rev. Dr. Jerome R. DeVine Rev. Benton H. Heisler
Director of Connectional Ministries Director of Connectional Ministries
Detroit Conference UMC West Michigan Conference UMC