International Disaster Response

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John Wesley United Methodist Church, Houston, Texas

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John Wesley United Methodist Church is committed to sharing the love of Jesus Christ and making disciples in His name. We want to do everything possible to achieve this task as we grow in God's word, love, and grace. We believe that lives are transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit as revealed in Jesus Christ, and we share in the joy, hope, and power available as we live in God's love. We are a family rich in the relationships that matter most and we delight in the opportunities to grow together as we worship, serve, and reach out to our world.

At the heart of John Wesley United Methodist Church is mission. We believe that God calls us to reach out beyond ourselves to help others who are in need. One of our passions is to help with international disaster response. As a church, we try to provide multiple ways people can be involved in international missions, whether it is through prayer, hands-on projects such as health kits, or traveling to the location. When a disaster happens internationally we respond by collecting a special offering to be sent through The Advance. Then, through the United Methodist connectional system, we discern what other ways we can help. We understand that God loves and cares for people all around the world, and so it is our mission that when others around the world are hurting, we stand beside them.

Project Information

International Disaster Response

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own. UMCOR’s work on behalf of United Methodists is global and includes countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.

When disaster strikes outside of the United States—whether a natural or human-made disaster—UMCOR serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance. UMCOR moves in concrete ways to ease human suffering and do whatever possible to restore natural life.

The immediate goal of UMCOR’s disaster response programs is to provide relief and rehabilitation for the entire person—physical, social, and psychological—in a distress situation.

Whenever possible, UMCOR forms partnerships with other religious and secular organizations to pool resources and coordinate relief efforts. We collaborate with Central conferences of The United Methodist Church, other Methodist bodies, and international relief agencies to implement programs directly.

UMCOR programs seek to strengthen local leaders and to partner with local institutions. We seek to establish projects that are designed and implemented by the beneficiaries. To benefit the greatest possible number of people, UMCOR projects strive to maximize local and regional resources and systems.

UMCOR is able to respond to disasters in areas where there is no United Methodist presence, through partner organizations such as ACT International and Church World Service. Working with both international and local aid organizations, UMCOR is able to provide the assistance people need to recover from disaster.

UMCOR always works to enable those affected by disasters to take responsibility for relief and recovery work. It provides long-term recovery as well as immediate relief. Recognizing that disasters cause disruptions that can last for years and often create permanent changes in people’s lives, UMCOR works within a community to address the long-term effects of a disaster, and to assist people in rebuilding and adjusting to change.

International Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #982450

Learn more at www.UMCORemergencies.org

Quick Facts

• In the first six months of 2011, UMCOR provided $4,519,161 to 21 countries in response to international emergencies and ongoing relief and recovery efforts.

Haiti Earthquake
• In the first half of 2011, UMCOR provided $917,510 in grants for ongoing Haiti relief and recovery efforts.

• A $165,000 grant (which includes $82,500 from the Methodist Church of Britain) went to L’Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti (EMH) to support the EMH University Scholarship Fund. The grant will provide funding for 11 students to complete a three-year university program in Haiti.

• UMCOR provided a grant of $100,000 to EMH for the reconstruction of two schools—Bois Gency and Huacinthe—that were damaged by the Haiti earthquake in 2010. The schools, located near Petit-Goave, are being built in compliance with earthquake- and hurricane-resistance standards. The reconstructed schools will provide a proper and safe educational setting for 418 students and 15 teachers.

• UMCOR is supporting the Tennessee Conference Council for the HUEH Tuberculosis Program for Haiti. A grant of $99,980 will help serve 600 patients annually; support outpatient services; and provide tuberculosis training to medical students, interns, residents, and nurses in Haiti. The HUEH Tuberculosis Clinic is the only existing tuberculosis clinic in Haiti.

Japan Earthquake
• In the months after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, UMCOR worked with partner organizations to bring clean water and relief supplies to more than 4,000 displaced people. By June 2011, $220,000 went to support partners and emergency relief efforts in response to the disaster.

• In June 2011, UMCOR hailed the opening of NCC-JEDRO (National Christian Council—Japan Ecumenical Disaster Response Office), which will allow the churches of Japan to engage systematically in relief and recovery efforts following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake, tsunamis, and ongoing nuclear threat in the country.

• UMCOR is supporting the Asian Rural Institute (ARI) through the Wesley Foundation to provide immediate repairs and rebuilding of the ARI campus. Repairs were needed for the kitchen, dining hall, chapel, computer and conference room, women’s dormitory, water systems, and others following the devastating earthquake in March 2011.

• UMCOR is supporting Helping Hands for Japan to cover the emergency needs of families moved to temporary shelters in the affected towns of Rikuzentakata and Ofunato in Iwate.