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Click for Hurricane Katrina response

Urgent Need - Mississippi Gulf Coast

Until a home has a roof, nothing else can be done. Any repairs to the inside remain on hold until the blue tarps are gone and a solid roof is in place.

Mississippi needs experienced roofing volunteers now. While there are many volunteers in the pipeline that can do interior work of all kinds, without the roof, everything else waits.

One experienced roofer that can lay out a roof can supervise a team of volunteers to complete the work. If you can do this, contact Robert Sharp at umcoreast@bellsouth.net now.

TEAMS Needed:

For information on team projects, contact the person listed or sejinfo@umvim.org.

from the VIM Coordinator with Methodist Habitat:

"My name is Abraham McIntyre and I am the Director of Bahamas Methodist Habitat located on the island of Eleuthera. I am writing to ask that you let interested volunteers know that we still have space available for mission trips this Summer and Fall. We have facilities on Eleuthera, Abaco, Andros, and New Providence (Nassau) and are able to host groups ranging in size from 1 to 40. Our main focus is Disaster Relief after hurricane damage but since we were blessed with a mild hurricane season last year we have been doing small projects on the islands along with one new home. We also have opportunities for VBS and other community involvement. The experience of a mission trip with us can be a great spring board for other international mission trips for groups because the Bahamas are very US friendly. Bahamians speak English, there are no medical requirements, and there is a 1:1 currency rate. Groups are able to take their experience that they gain with us and build on it to go to other foreign countries to serve. We have a very good relationship with the Southeast UMVIM office if you would like a reference ( Nick_Elliott@umvim.org or Landon_Taylor@umvim.org ).

BULGARIA:

Veliko Turnovo - Rev. Bedros Altunian, Superintendent of the UMC in Bulgaria has requested teams to continue the work started at Veliko Turnovo in 2005 by teams from Wichita, KS. The church needs a roof and other repair. Additional opportunities exist with other local Methodist churches, as well as with the local orphanage.

Chile:

The Mapuche Indians of Chile need a medical team to conduct a clinic in the underdeveloped area of Temuco Province. it would be best for a team leader to go visit for a few days to line everything up before a team goes. The conditions will be ruggedly challenging but well worth the effort.

For more information or contact information for these two opportunities call Rev. Nick Elliot at UMVIM, SEJ at 404-377-7424.

COSTA RICA

Nueva Canaan Methodist Church - Puntarenas: a new church sanctuary is being built and teams are needed now. Bishop Palomo of the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista de Costa Rica affirms this as a priority need and teams are needed now.

The projects that we are considering needs our particular attention in this moment are the following:

FINLAND:

This church camp is located in the center of Finland and is used for youth camps and adult camps. It is situated in a beautiful forest by a small lake. An old farm, purchased in 1962, it is care for by the UM Youth Organization.

The kitchen/dining hall, dormitory, and bath house/sauna are 30-40 years old all in various stages of disrepair. Painting, replacement of weatherboard , painting window trim is needed. Tools are available on site. Materials are provided by the church in Finland. Teams can be housed on site. Translation is provided and a local supervisor will guide the work.

FRANCE:

The secularization of French society has resulted in a profound need for Christian volunteers. The active Christian community in France is small and the presence of UMVIM volunteers is a powerful affirmation to French Christians that they are not alone.

Entrepierres - http://www.pierresvivantes.org/
Entrepierres is a center in southeastern France that provides rest, counseling, debriefing and spiritual retreats for pastors and missionaries.
Small, four person skilled teams are sought to assist in increasing the accommodation space for missionary families for rest and counseling. Also needed is creation of space for a small library, a prayer/counseling room and storage space.

GEORGIA (USA)

Americus, GA: Sumter Disaster Recovery, Inc. has been the recipient of outstanding assistance from volunteers from all over the United States and even Australia. We greatly appreciate what has been done to make our recovery so fast. However, we do have twenty-eight major jobs remaining to be completed at this time. I anticipate that this recovery effort will extend into October or longer. The following jobs are on schedule for completion for July and August. More will be scheduled for August and September as they are approved. We use volunteers wherever possible. The skills needed include demolition, installation of trusses/rafters, roofing, sheetrock ceilings and walls, carpentry, electrical and some plumbing. Final finish skills required include tape and texture of drywall, sanding, installation of insulation, painting, and cabinet installation, flooring either laminates or carpet. We will need on the lighter side cleaning, yard repair to fill holes left by stumps, some sod lying.

Jobs on schedule at this time:

Oak Street, install drip edge, flashing and shingles, some exterior paint

Ashby Street, remove old shingles, repair decking, install new felt, drip edge, flashing, some exterior paint, rebuild 5’x6’ porch roof pitch 5/12

Apple Drive, installs and or repair window (older home built in 1920’s)

Felder Street, Exterior painting (after roof is completed)

Sunset Drive, remove old shingles, repair decking, install new felt, drip edge, flashing, some exterior paint drywall ceilings and walls three rooms 4/12 roof pitch

Watermelon Rd, remove old shingles, repair decking, install new felt, drip edge, flashing mobile home

Hudson St, demolition of remaining roof, ceilings, sheetrock on walls, kill mildew or mold, remove damaged flooring (hardwood), install trusses, decking, felt shingles, flashing, rebuild porch roof 5x6 area, Post for porch, repair brick around porch, replace 11 windows, 2 exterior doors, 6 interior doors, insulate, add new sheetrock for ceilings entire house, most interior walls, replace floors with Sub floor in some area, underlayment, tile or other type of laminate to replace hardwood.

Hudson Street, some demolition of interior ceiling and walls, remove old roof, re-deck, shingle, etc. some floor damage.

Jones Drive, installs flooring underlayment and stick on square linoleum tiles

Hudson Street, installs flooring stick on square linoleum tiles

GRENADA

Rev. Cato of Grenada has asked us to share that disaster recovery teams continue to be needed on the island of Grenada after the devastation of Hurricane Ivan.

Rebuilding and/or major repairing of churches, Manses, church schools, and church halls needed following over 90% major damage or destruction of island properties due to Hurricane Ivan. Most members of the seven local churches experienced damage to their homes and churches and schools owned by the Methodist church incurred major damage or complete devastation.

KATRINA

Teams will be needed for Katrina response for many months. Schedule teams through the following:

KENYA

The Nairobi Synod of Kenya Methodist Church is in need of a work team to help finish the Kikuyu Church. The construction is finished but they need the doors and windows installed. The project would require a small team to work for 5 or 6 days and the cost of material would be about $5,000 USD.

LOUISIANA:

Baldwin - UMCOR at Sager-Brown - Community Outreach and Disaster Relief. Work in UMCOR Depot processing kits for emergency shipment. Work on campus to facilitate buildings, grounds or facilities.
Housing rehabilitation in surrounding community.

MEXICO:

Filipinas, Veracruz

URGENT NEED to repair hurricane damage to church. Parsonage construction, multi-purpose room needs roof. (50 members).

Guanajuato - Colegio “Juarez”

Founded in 1886, shortly after the first Methodist church in the city, assistance is needed both with renovation and reconstruction, as well as funding for property taxes to return the facility to the Methodist Church of Mexico. The school has not been used as a Christian school for some time, and the church would like to restore title and renovate the school for outreach.

OHIO (USA)

Under What We Need Right Now is the call for UMVIM teams and the process for serving. There are specific needs for skilled, licensed volunteers in the following areas:

Contact: Sue Alley or Dee Stickley-Miner at the West Ohio Conference Office to indicate your interest in forming a team.

NORTH DAKOTA (USA)

Residents of Northwood, N.D., were devastated by an F4 tornado that moved through the community on Aug. 26. The churches, hospital, nursing home, businesses and homes of this small community were impacted; it is estimated nearly 95% of the town’s structures sustained damage. On Oct. 20, the North Dakota Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), of which the Dakotas Conference is a member, is organizing a Rebuild Blitz to help prepare homes for winter. UMVIM teams are needed to assist in the repair efforts; it is requested each team have one member with some experience in shingling and/or window installation. When your team is organized, please notify Three Rivers District Superintendent Debra Ball-Kilbourne (neumc@daktel.com) or Conference Disaster Relief Coordinator Paul Baker (eumc@702com.net) to receive additional details.

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Are there any UMVIM antique specialists who have always looked for a project to suit their skills? Read on…

New and urgent request from the President of the Leeward Islands District Conference, MCCA, Rev. Selwyn L. Vanterpool.

Christchurch Methodist Rehabilitation

Help is sought for interior and exterior renovations and upgrades to a historic Gothic inspired sanctuary, built in 1910. The sanctuary is listed on the Virgin Islands Registry of Historic Buildings, and can become eligible for listing on the US Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places if the proper guidelines are followed in the restoration process.

Teams are sought for refinishing work on (1) the interior roof system (an ornate wood truss system), along with the lectern, pulpit, altar and wainscoting and (2) remove paint and resurface interior masonry walls.

The Yssis (pronounced Isis) Architectural Group, a Virgin Islands firm, has agreed to donate its services for project management in order to see this restoration completed.

USA (Wyoming)

The Thrift Store in Lander,WY serves 12 native American reservations as well as the impoverished people of Lander itself. Lander UMC is rebuilding their thrift store after a fire last fall. Teams will be needed all summer through fall. Professionals are planned for the foundation, exterior walls, roofing. Volunteers can assist with all the interior work. Contact Dan Ratigan at 307-332-6442 or blankmtnranch@tcinc.net

For further information on the Team opportunities listed above - Contact the person listed, or: UMVIM, SEJ, sejinfo@umvim.org.

priority needs

Click for Hurricane Katrina response

Urgent Need - Mississippi Gulf Coast

TEAMS Needed:

Bahamas

BULGARIA:

Chile:

COSTA RICA

FINLAND:

FRANCE:

GEORGIA (USA)

GRENADA

KATRINA

KENYA

LOUISIANA:

MEXICO:

Filipinas, Veracruz

Guanajuato - Colegio “Juarez”

OHIO (USA)

NORTH DAKOTA (USA)

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

Christchurch Methodist Rehabilitation

USA (Wyoming)