Haitian Relief Updates
The following is information coming my way about Haiti response in Western PA:
(updated Friday, Jan. 29, 2010)
Mission Barn
Within 48 hours of the Jan. 12 earthquake, volunteers from the Rescue Mission in New Castle loaded a 26 ft truck with more than 4300 health kits and more than 1100 school kits for Haiti earthquake relief. Rev. Nelson Thayer drove the kits to Mission Central in Mechanicsburg. From there, they headed to the UMCOR depot (Sager Brown) in Baldwin, Louisiana. Sager Brown loads kits and other needed items onto a shipping container heading for Haiti.
Health Kits and School Kits
The shipment depleted the store at the Mission Barn, but our churches are coming through with replacements, which will send out as soon as they are verified and Nelson gets a call for them. If you want to gather kits for the effort in Haiti, most needed are the Health Kits. School kits will be needed too. Confirmation classes will become VIM teams for one of their sessions at the Conference Center this year. They will put together health kits. If you want to provide some of the components for those kits, check the ingredients list (Health Kits for Haiti, School Kits Instructions) and get them to Diane Miller at the Conference Center. Completed kits can also go directly to the Mission Barn. (Directions to the Mission Barn)
One church, Charter Oak UMC delivered 2100 kits to the Mission Barn the Monday after the earthquake and other congregations have been dropping off items there and at the Conference Center. This week, as of Friday, Jan. 29, 1900 kits had been processed and a team of volunteers was working on 3,000 more. Volunteers are needed to process kits! E-mail Volunteer Coordinator Barb Moore at mission.barn@wpaumc.org to schedule a time to help. Bring a team from your church.
Mission Barn Drop-Offs
Kits may be dropped off at the Mission Barn at any time. If no one is there, place them inside or outside the Green Doors with the sign. Flood buckets must be placed inside because the contents may freeze. Flood buckets are needed to replenish the supply kept on hand for use in the region.
Volunteering
While volunteers are needed at the Mission Barn here, it's not possible or advisable for volunteer teams to go to Haiti yet. An UMCOR Team is in Haiti, coordinating with relief partners on appropriate courses of action. The United Nations (representing government) and the Red Cross go into massive disaster areas first. This is long-established international protocol. Church-related and other relief organizations follow. Objectives of our initial UMCOR team include the assessment and organization for the reception of volunteers. “There will be great need for short-term and long-term volunteer mission groups in due course—for medical care, rebuilding, and responses to many other needs. However, the current state of Haiti is not conducive to the safety and welfare of the volunteers; security is a major concern; infrastructures are shattered. There is little access to water, power, and fuel.
(Posted Jan. 14, 2010)
Future Teams to Haiti
Greg Forrester, our NE Jurisdiction VIM Coordinator will let us know when Haiti is ready to accept teams. With the magnitude of this disaster, it will take years to rebuild. Greg’s counsel today is that they may be ready by the end of February. Teams will be required to have a leader with Haiti experience and VIM Leader training. I’ll get information out to you as soon as the word comes to me. If you have Haiti experience and want to lead a Conference team, please consider taking advantage of one of the VIM Training opportunities (January, March, and April - http://www.wpaumc.org/forms/category/58).
Prayer Services
Word is coming from around the annual conference of individuals, churches, and districts praying and organizing prayer services. For example, in the Connellsville District there will be a prayer vigil Friday (Jan 15) at 7 pm at Somerset First UMC. Rev. Mark Zimmerman, a recent short-term mission worker and Gail Cook, former missionary to Haiti will share thoughts and pictures. A free-will offering will be received and sent to the relief effort through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) – Advance # #418325. Contact Dale Shunk (814-445-5736) or Calvin Cook (814-442-5899).
Folks from WPA in Haiti Now
Word has been received from Joetta Lehman, a member of East Grove UMC in Franklin District. Joetta is currently serving as a missionary in Haiti and is safe, but pretty much “out of contact.” If you know of other Western Pennsylvanians in Haiti, please let me know what you know.
Keep me posted about your VIM activities ...
Diane Miller
Mission/VIM Coordinator
Western Pennsylvania Conference
United Methodist Church
Volunteering in Haiti at this time is not possible. I’ve just spoken with Greg Forrester, our Jurisdictional VIM Coordinator. UMCOR representatives are currently in Haiti setting up a process for volunteering. The first teams will include people with specific skill sets, medical training, for example. An UMCOR Team is in Haiti, coordinating with relief partners on appropriate courses of action. The United Nations (representing government) and the Red Cross go into massive disaster areas first. This is long-established international protocol. Church-related and other relief organizations follow. Objectives of our initial UMCOR team include the assessment and organization for the reception of volunteers. There will be great need for short-term and long-term volunteer mission groups in due course—for medical care, rebuilding, and responses to many other needs. However, the current state of Haiti is not conducive to the safety and welfare of the volunteers; security is a major concern; infrastructures are shattered. There is little access to water, power, fuel, and the infrastructure is broken.
By: Diane Miller On 1/29/2010
Topics:
Haiti Response, Mission
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