News

Stranded Haiti Mission Team Heads Home

Ten members of a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Team (UMVIM) from Western Pennsylvania boarded a Delta flight from Haiti on Saturday, after they were forced to extend their stay a few days because of turmoil created by demonstrators protesting election results. The protestors took to the streets of Port-au-Prince on Wednesday, Dec. 8 setting up flaming barricades and causing havoc that resulted in closing the airport.    The volunteer team expected to move from a Methodist...

January UMVIM Mission Trips to Haiti Canceled

  NEW YORK – United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) announced today that twelve teams scheduled to travel to Haiti as part of the Haiti Response Plan in January 2011, have been cancelled. The decision was made in light of recent  experience in Haiti surrounding the response to the presidential election.   “Team safety and welfare is our first priority,” remarked Rev. Tom Vencuss,  Volunteer Management Coordinator, “and...

Feb. 5, 2010 The Journey Continues ...

Many of you probably have heard the story of the people in an African village who purchased a television set. For weeks all of the children and adults gathered around the set watching it morning, afternoon, and night. But after a couple of months, the set was turned off and never used again. A visitor to the village asked the chief why. “We have decided to listen to the storyteller,” the chief replied. The visitor asked, “Why? Doesn’t television know more...