Kentucky Floods

The State of Kentucky has been hit hard with flooding in many areas. At this time, the Kentucky Conference is asking for donations through the Advance [see below]. For the latest information, you can visit the Kentucky Conference website at kyumc.org

Please remember our sisters and brothers who have been in the affected areas and those working to offer help.

Link to Kentucky Conference website story about flooding.

Link for donation instructions on the Kentucky Conference website.

UMVIM Team Leader Shares Experience Travelling During COVID

Rev. Matt Lacey, Executive Director of UMVIM, SEJ, speaks with UMVIM Team Leader Jane Dunn [Florida Conference] about her experience leading a team during a COVID pandemic. Jane led a team to Panama to work with Rhett Thompson in May of 2022, and was eager to share her experience, as well as lessons learned, leading an UMVIM Team during COVID. We apologize for the rough quality of the video and audio and the abrupt ending [due to Zoom call issues].

Click here to view the interview on YouTube.

The UMVIM Journey, by Rev. Dr. Jack Martin

The following post is from Rev. Dr. Jack Martin, who is a catalyst for the UMVIM movement, and now retired clergy in the Virginia Conference.

My first experience with the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission movement took place in 1978 when my wife, Marianne, and I volunteered to become part of a team to Haiti, led by Arlington United Methodist Church members Doug and Doris True for the Northern Virginia Board of Missions.

The Trues made their first trip to Haiti in the mid-1970s at the invitation of the Rev. Harry Haines, head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. As a result of that invitation and its successful results, the Northern Virginia Board of Missions continued sending teams of non-professional volunteers annually, creating a seedbed for broader involvement in the UMVIM movement in Virginia yet to come.

Marianne and I were excited at the prospect of visiting an exotic foreign land and offering our labor to help build a school in a dusty little village near Port-au-Prince known as La Tremblay. As a child I had heard my grandfather describe a visit he and my grandmother had made as tourists to Haiti, arriving on an ocean liner in the main harbor of the capital city and being fascinated as young Haitians would dive for coins being thrown by the passengers into the water. My grandfather had never seen a place quite like Haiti, and after our visit many years later, we would have to say the same thing.

We were not fully prepared for the impact of this experience, although we had been warned that we would most likely go through culture shock twice – the first time upon entering the country and seeing firsthand the extreme poverty under which the majority of people lived, and the second upon returning to the United States, and stepping back into a world of affluence, with its sobering contrast.

It is a well-known fact that Haiti, despite its proud independence won from the French in 1804, has suffered the worst oppression and deprivation of any nation in the Western Hemisphere. Lying just 700 miles from our nation’s shores, it is hard to fathom how such a situation can exist in the modern world, and yet it goes on with little change in the day-to-day lives of the Haitian people. Democracy was finally put in place through free elections following American military intervention in 1994-95. But there is little to show for the change in government in viewing the lives of the common people, with the difficulties they must suffer from widespread unemployment, hunger, disease, inadequate housing and sanitation, and ongoing political unrest that too often turns to violence.

Haitian Vitality in the Midst of Adversity

Back in 1978, the Haitians were still under the Duvalier regime and times were bleak. Despite outward problems of poverty, everywhere to be seen, we were struck by the vitality of life in the streets. Everything seemed to be bustling.

Haitians were, and still are, a people on the move. The streets were full of people day and night. Sidewalks downtown were lined with vendors selling their wares from woven straw baskets, and streets were jammed with vehicles of every description. The smell of diesel fuel was heavy in the air along with a potpourri of other odors that emanated from open sewage ditches, charcoal cooking fires, and piles of garbage randomly scattered. The city was a noisy place, hot and dusty, and vastly interesting. Among the cars, trucks and vendors were animal drawn wagons, women walking with huge baskets on their heads and men pulling two-wheeled carts with pickup-sized loads of charcoal, sugarcane and rice. Men and women called out to one another in friendly greeting, school children could be seen in their uniforms moving in groups down the street to class, radios were blaring, horns were honking constantly as vehicles sought to make their way through the congestion – all of this against the scenic background of the Caribbean Sea on one side and endless mountains or dry plains on the other.

This land looked strange to me; beautiful, yet wounded. The trees were missing. Most had been cut down for the making of charcoal for cooking. Erosion was evident on the scarred hillsides. Great ravines of gravel could be seen where there was nothing to hold back the floods of heavy seasonal rainfall, sending mud and pollution into the sea. The waters of the harbor looked dead, though small fishing boats could be seen farther out, with fishermen casting their nets.

The homes of most Haitians were made of concrete block, or mud and thatch, and they were small, often just one room. Furnishings were almost non-existent, giving the clear impression that the poor lived mostly outside their homes with cooking and washing taking place under the hazy blue sky.

The days and nights were warm, but not unpleasantly so due to the soft sea breezes constantly blowing. At the higher elevations of this mountainous island the atmosphere was ideal. This must be at least one of the reasons the small wealthy class lives in the hills above Port-au-Prince; the air quality, temperature and view are all wonderful there.

One cannot help wondering why a better quality of life cannot be known by more of the population. When Christopher Columbus discovered Haiti, it was still in its pristine subtropical glory. He was so impressed by the beauty of this place that he said it matched his idea of the biblical Garden of Eden. Sorrowfully, Paradise is no more in Haiti, but there is still something wonderful about this nation of people that has spoken to so many, going to the heart of the UMVIM experience. It has to do with the love of God that is seen in the lives of Haitian believers who, despite their humble circumstances, display a wealth of spirituality.

Our first UMVIM experience in Haiti was disturbing from the standpoint of the stark inequities between their lives and our own. That two-week period of partnership in mission was a kind of awakening to a new way of seeing. As we were flying toward home at the close of our visit, I wondered if I would ever return to Haiti and questioned if I would want to go on another work team. I was exhausted, spiritually troubled, and unresolved in my mind as to what anyone could do to make a difference when the odds were so heavily against any real change. I kept asking myself, “What can I do?” I felt so inadequate with my training. What could a preacher do? Maybe if I were a physician or a teacher or an agronomist, maybe then I could make a difference. The questions in my mind were haunting, and I began the search for some answers.

UMVIM Grows Rapidly From Its Infancy

Little did I know at that time what a marvelous thing was stirring in God’s kingdom. Volunteers in Mission was in its fledgling stages. There were few visionaries and a lot of concern about what it might mean if untrained lay people and naïve, albeit well-intentioned clergy started going out into the mission field. They might be more trouble than they were worth. They could undo the good that dedicated missionaries had been trying to accomplish for decades. They were potentially dangerous to the mission of the church. The voices of warning were being sounded, but there was a Spirit moving and a fire burning that could not be stopped. The best that could be hoped would be that the stirring toward mission could somehow be harnessed.

The establishment of the UMVIM office in 1976 within the structure of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church is well-documented in the Rev. Thomas L. Curtis’ book, From the Grassroots: A History of United Methodist Volunteers in Mission. Surely this was one of the wisest decisions made in the mission movement in the last 50 years. God was raising up a grassroots movement to meet the needs of hurting people not only in Haiti, but in countless other places in the world, including the United States.

Somehow, by God’s grace and patience, I was given the opportunity to become chairperson of the Virginia Conference UMVIM Steering Committee in 1982, which provided a channel through which to respond to that initial experience in Haiti by inviting others to join in a process of discerning how best our conference could be part of this exciting new movement. It was not long before Tom Curtis was calling from the Southeastern Jurisdiction UMVIM office in Atlanta, inviting me to meet him at National Airport to discuss how Virginians might “get on board” with UMVIM.

Interestingly, Tom and his wife, Margaret, had served early in their careers with the Salvation Army, only later to be commissioned by the General Board of Global Ministries as missionaries to Rhodesia where they served for seventeen years in various capacities. Eventually, Tom became a district superintendent and administrative assistant to Bishop Abel Muzorewa, who later became prime minister of the nation.

Through the inspired and able leadership of the Curtises in establishing the UMVIM office in Atlanta, each of the Conferences in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church was asked to contribute to its support. The leadership of the Virginia Conference Board of Global Ministries consulted with the GBGM in New York and were told the office of coordination “was unnecessary.” However, our leadership thought otherwise and with the encouragement of the Rev. Hasbrouck Hughes, Conference Mission Secretary, an effort was made to find the funds. The Rev. Raymond Wrenn, who had led a significant two-churches-a-year church planting campaign for the Northern Virginia Board of Missions, was asked if he had residual funds that could help. He immediately stepped up and made the funds available, according to now Bishop Hughes, who said he was not sure whether those were spare missional funds or a personal gift. From that time, the Virginia Conference never wavered in its support of perhaps the most significant United Methodist mission movement in decades.

One thing led to another and before long we were part of the “movement,” setting up missions not only to Haiti, but to Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Puerto Rico. We were finding many people across our conference who wanted to get involved, and before long, we were hearing wonderful stories of how lives were being changed for the good, and how churches were coming alive in mission. Many of those stories were shared at annual mission rallies in Virginia and the much larger UMVIM, SEJ rallies at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, where hundreds came from across the jurisdiction to celebrate God’s work in many distant places.

Important Lessons Learned As Virginia UMVIM Teams Take On Bigger Projects

As the UMVIM movement expanded, Virginia mission leaders discovered that we could manage bigger projects by sending multiple teams, one after another. This approach made it possible to build a large church at San Lucas Atoyatenco, Mexico, a home for the aging in Mexico City, and a large church construction project near Les Cayes, Haiti, a two-year effort that would ultimately involve ten construction teams and two medical teams that provided services in nearby makeshift clinics.

It was during our work in both Haiti and Mexico that we came to understand the importance of working in coequal partnership with our hosts. As Mexican Bishop Alejandro Ruiz told our team at St. Lucas Atoyatenco, “It should not be a strong partner/weak partner relationship. Rather, each partner has something unique to give.” Virginia teams could provide labor and some of the material costs, but equally important, our hosts were essential for providing hospitality, expertise, cultural understanding, skilled labor, and most importantly, their vision of what was to be done.

We soon discovered that we did not have to worry about whether we would find Jesus Christ in the places we visited; as a matter of course, we found the presence of Christ had been well at work before our arrival, preparing the way in the hearts and minds of his people. Over and over again we have experienced the wonder of how God had “set things up” for miracles of love to occur. That love reaches across cultural and language barriers again and again to show that we are “one in the Spirit, one in the Lord,” when we meet in Jesus’ name, whether in some “holler” in eastern Kentucky or a South African homeland. Before long, the UMVIM movement adopted its official motto, “Christian Love in Action.”

UMVIMers (or “missioners,” as we often call ourselves) have learned that our work is but a vehicle to put us in touch with God’s people to bring about better understanding, to sow hope, and to build bridges of peace. While the work of our hands is important, in some ways it is secondary to a greater purpose of bringing people together to witness what God can do.

Some of these ideas became even more firmly ingrained after I was elected president of the UMVIM board in 1988, following 12 years of distinguished leadership by Dr. Michael Watson, a South Carolina medical doctor and true visionary of this movement who subsequently became president of the UMVIM, SEJ Medical Fellowship. I served as president for the next eight years (1988-1996).

People would sometimes ask why we did not just send money. We often asked our overseas hosts if a gift of money would be more useful than our presence. There were those among us who regularly raised the same basic stewardship question: “Wouldn’t it be better not to spend all that money on travel and just send the money?” Those were legitimate questions with which we struggled again and again, but the consistent answer our overseas hosts gave was, “We want you to come. We need for you to come so you can tell our story when you go home.”

It must be pointed out that there are ways people can just “send the money.” The Advance Special program of the United Methodist Church allows hundreds of possibilities to do just that, but the UMVIM program is unique in that it is a people-to-people program. What happens in the midst of the people is most important. Not only do teams work together with their host church, but equally important, they worship, pray, live, laugh and cry together. These relational encounters are mountaintop experiences wherein lives are changed. I often caution potential team members that they risk having their lives changed forever if they go on a mission team.

Missioners have also come to learn the importance of good preparation for mission. The warnings about cultural insensitivity and the “ugly American syndrome” are cautionary words we take seriously because we have seen the damage caused by lack of cultural awareness and inadequate understanding of how overseas church structures function. We have seen the toxic damage caused by creating false hopes or dependencies, and we have witnessed the way human dignity is diminished by often assuming our way is the best way. Frequently it is not, and it is here that we can learn to be more humble and open to new ways which might be surprisingly better in a particular setting.

One thing I learned well from my experience with the late Tom Curtis is to begin overseas work at the top of the church’s hierarchy, thus, to insure we are addressing the priority needs of a people and that we have the blessings of the church’s authorities in what we are doing. All too often, well-intentioned persons have set up arrangements with friends in overseas churches, without consulting church leaders. The results of this approach can lead to embarrassment and the possible withdrawal of future opportunities to serve. Jealousies can develop between competing local advocates of particular projects: “Why did you get help, when we didn’t?” The same principle applies when teams want to leave gifts behind for the people with whom they have served. It is good to give gifts, but the way they are given is everything. As a general rule, we seem to do better when the gifts are left in the hands of the church for distribution. That way everyone has fair access, and we don’t cause problems.

The Wonders of the Church Delivery System

More and more over the years I have come to realize what a wonderful delivery system the church provides. It allows us to reach people right where they are, and the host church looks after us while we are there working. The host churches in virtually all the places we have worked have taken seriously their responsibility to care for our teams, to expose them to the best that is in their world, as well as to some of the challenges they face. They have done it graciously, often denying themselves creature comforts to see to our comfort. The love we have known from those who have so little is truly humbling.

Over the years it has been exciting to break new ground through UMVIM in places we never thought possible, including India, Estonia, Russia, South Africa, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Cuba, the Philippines, Cambodia, Brazil, Israel (working with Palestinian Christians) and the nations of Central America.

It’s All About Relationships

Alongside international opportunities, there are many avenues of mission volunteer service domestically, including disaster response and outreach to communities living in poverty and/or suffering the effects of economic and social injustice. An example of this was putting together a disaster response team from Williamsburg UMC following Category 5 Hurricane Hugo’s devastation of the South Carolina coastland in September 1989, causing 67 casualties and $11 billion in damage. Marianne and I had seen a national television story about the storm, which focused on the United Methodist pastor in Awendaw, South Carolina, the Rev. Annette Edwards, who had lost both her church and the parsonage in which she and her husband were living. She first appeared in the story sitting alongside the highway, head in her hands, wondering what she could do. Her parsonage was in ruins along with the homes of many parishioners.

When the plea went out for volunteers, it felt like the thing to do was to start packing our bags. Upon arrival, we found things were even worse than anticipated. A Disaster Recovery Center had been set up and volunteers were being sent to muck out homes and pile up debris. This was my first encounter with the Rev. Nick Elliott, who had been named Disaster Coordinator of the South Carolina Conference. Years later Nick and I would become close colleagues, when he became the Director of UMVIM, SEJ. Nick was helpful in guiding us in our approach to the disaster.

Our team worked hard during the day and had lovely evenings when members of the church and community came together with us to share stories of their experiences of the hurricane. I had learned from various national disaster training events the importance of people sharing their stories as a means of coming to terms with the traumas they had known. These evenings provided great fascination as people told such experiences as hanging onto trees as the wind and water swirled around them throughout the night and how grateful they were for having simply survived. They also shared how the loss of homes and valuables left them feeling quite vulnerable about their future.

One loss made known to us was an important and irreplaceable WWII medal belonging to the husband of the pastor. It was swept away when waters rushed inland for over five miles, engulfing the parsonage. Several days into our work, one of the young people in our group found the medal in the sand near the foundation of the house. When we returned the medal, joy filled the room, even as tears came into the eyes of the veteran, who thought he would never see it again.

This UMVIM experience forged such a bond of friendship between the team and the victims of the storm that the folk from Williamsburg wanted them to come for a visit. Plans were made and over a dozen people traveled to Colonial Williamsburg for some rest and recuperation from the trauma they had been through. Again, they shared their stories, this time with the entire congregation. Colonial Williamsburg gave them passes to the historic area and friendships were deepened. Our guests were grateful for “Christian love in action” and our church members felt spiritually enriched that they could lend a helping hand during difficult circumstances.

A poignant example of a “helping hand” took place in 2000 during a project in the desert of the Coachella Valley of Southern California working with a small Christian congregation on the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla reservation to build the first Protestant church in the region, after meeting for twelve years under a brush arbor. One day, the 16-year-old daughter of the Native American pastor, a beautiful, vocally talented girl named Hannah Ward, came to me and asked, “Can (sic) I go on a mission?” “Sure,” I replied, “if your parents agree.” She then asked, “Where are you going next?” I told her, “Mozambique, Africa.” Her eyes widened as she exclaimed, “Africa! I could go to Africa!” and she went running for her parents.

It was not long before her parents gave their consent with the caveat that the tribal elders be consulted. The elders approved and decided to make Hannah an official princess of the tribe. Furthermore, they determined that she should carry a gift in case she met a tribal chief. She never met a chief, but in 2001 she did meet Bishop Joao Somane Muchado, which surely must have been tantamount to a chief, who joyfully received the gift of maracas the tribe had sent and enthusiastically said, “I know what to do with these” – and immediately led our team and the villagers in a lively dance around the courtyard of the rural church.

A wonderful sidebar to this story is that in preparation for the trip, Hannah’s parents and the tribe had raised about half the cost of the trip, but quite a bit was still needed. One wonders whether it was coincidence or providence that during this time, Lucy Gehress, a woman from Aldersgate UMC in Alexandria, called. Lucy had been a team member with us in Tallinn, Estonia in the 1990s, as we worked on the construction of the Baltic Mission Center. She shared that her husband had died recently and was wondering if there was something she could do in mission to honor his memory. I told her about Hannah, and she instantly replied, “That’s it – the perfect way to honor my husband’s memory. Thank you!” When Hannah arrived in Virginia to join the team, Lucy was there to meet her in a wonderful embrace. It was a dream coming true for Hannah and a living memorial to a loved one.

Another remarkable disaster experience came in response to Category 5 Hurricane Katrina, which had devastated the Gulf Coast in August 2005 and had caused 1,833 casualties and over $125 billion in damage. This event occurred at the beginning of what is called “boot camp” for new district superintendents of the Southeastern Jurisdiction at the Lake Junaluska Assembly Center in Western North Carolina. We were barely into our training when word came of the terrible hurricane that had torn apart much of the Gulf Coast, including Louisiana and Mississippi. It was hard for the new DSs from that area to concentrate on their training, as news kept coming of what was happening at home. We saw them on their phones constantly with worried looks on their faces. As our week of training was closing, those new superintendents stood before the larger group and asked us to go home and see what we could do in our own conferences to help them in response to the disaster, keeping in mind it would be weeks, if not months before enough of a recovery had taken place for regular UMVIM teams to engage.

After pondering ways my assigned area, the Petersburg District, could be involved, I decided to include this appeal as part of every charge conference that fall. It was my hope that each church or charge could send at least one volunteer to represent them on a district mission team. That would provide about 50 volunteers if each church or charge participated. When the deadline for application came, it was a wonderful surprise to find that 144 persons had signed up to travel to our assigned work destination in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. I thought, “Now that is a truly biblical number!” referencing the 144,000 of God’s elect in the Book of Revelation. By the time we made the journey, we had 140 team members, who congregated at a United Methodist church in the damaged area that had made its facilities available to work teams from all over the country, housing and feeding them.

It turned out to be a wonderful mission experience for the participants who returned to their churches in Virginia all fired up to do more mission. Truly, it opened the floodgates to mission on the Petersburg District with teams ultimately traveling to both domestic and international destinations. We felt God’s hand was upon the entire enterprise, giving new energy to the Petersburg District, while doing a lot of good in the places where our people served.

These are just three examples of domestic UMVIM work. Virginia Conference teams have done literally hundreds of domestic missions serving disaster victims, reaching out to Native American tribes, assisting churches – most notably through the NOMADS ministry (Nomads On a Mission Active in Divine Service - volunteers in motor homes and campers who serve year-round throughout the country), working with the disadvantaged through ministries such as Petersburg’s Pathways, and in gleaning and food packaging projects through such church-related organizations as the Society of St. Andrew and Stop Hunger Now. The last three of these mission efforts were begun with the leadership of Virginia Conference pastors (Pathways: the Rev. Dwala Ferrell and the Rev. Mike Watts; Society of St, Andrew: the Rev. Ken Horne and the Rev. Ray Buchanan; and Stop Hunger Now: the Rev. Ray Buchanan.

Two other Virginians of whom we can be proud in relation to UMVIM are Dr. Betty Whitehurst and her late husband, the Rev. Walter Whitehurst, former GBGM missionaries to Cuba and Chile, respectively. The Whitehursts were beloved in Virginia for Walt’s pastoral skills and Betty’s teaching ones. After the UMVIM Board of Directors approved them by unanimous consent, the Whitehursts graciously accepted the leadership of the UMVIM, SEJ office in Atlanta, as the culmination of long careers in ministry, serving from 1995 to 1999.

At the Heart of UMVIM, It’s Always God’s Love

At this point in this reflection. I want to share two experiences that bespeak the wonder of what God is doing through UMVIM. The first relates to an invitation the Bishop Peter Storey of South Africa extended to the Virginia Conference to come to his country in November 1991 to build a church in one of the homelands where so many Blacks had been displaced from ancestral lands. I led the team that traveled to Johannesburg. From there we took the four-hour drive to the village of Ganalaagte, located in the homeland of Bophuthatswana. It was a long dusty ride into the heart of the homeland, once we left the paved road at the border,

We were well-received by the women of the village who revealed a certain shyness. How they must have chuckled to themselves that it took some of our team members an entire day to figure out how to pitch a large tent to find relief from the desert wind and to protect our tools and supplies. They must have wondered how these strangers were ever going to build a church. Their initial shyness was soon overcome, and our days were filled with laughing, singing and even dancing.

Marianne and I were housed in a corrugated metal shed with newspapers lining the walls against the cold night air which sometimes came in strong gusts. Never have I seen a darker night than in that homeland. There were no streetlights, no paved roads, and very little, if any, light emanating from the tiny homes after sundown. But you were aware of movement around you at night. People were out on the pathways around the village; you just couldn’t see them. You could hear them, though, their feet lightly padding along the trails. It was quiet until the wind would come up, and it would seem like we were just getting to sleep when a soft voice outside our hut would say something like, “Good morning!” It was still pitch dark outside, but here were our hosts with buckets of warm water which they had heated on corncob fires so we could bathe. They woke us up at this unseemly hour so we could hurry up and get to work. We had a church to build!

It is easy to understand their desire to see us on the job when you realize that there were only three actual church buildings on a circuit of 45 preaching places, which the pastor and his assistant served. An architect from Johannesburg had developed a plan for building churches in these remote areas using telephone poles cut and bolted together in an “A-frame” that could be built easily in a relatively short amount of time.

We were amazed how quickly the work went with construction from slab to completion in just seven days! That involved laying thousands of bricks and putting the metal roof in place. It seemed that at each stage of completion a shrill African shout would go up and the whole village would break into celebration with dancing and singing. We would lay down our tools and get into the act. When the excitement settled down, we would get back to work until the next outburst.

We learned that our hostess was president of the local Methodist women’s group. She did not speak much English, but her face communicated great warmth. She got it across to us that her husband was sick and in much pain from a machete wound on his leg. She wondered if we could do anything to help. After work we visited her home, which was a little larger than most in the village, but still quite small by American standards. Her husband was in the front yard and appeared to be quite inebriated from trying to kill his pain with alcohol. We had no doctor or nurse in our group, but that did not keep Marianne from engaging in her version of the healing arts. She cleansed the rather nasty wound which looked infected and gave him something to kill the pain. He had been complaining of not being able to sleep for at least three days. Marianne decided to do something about that, too. Later on, she said, “I hope he wakes up in the morning. I gave him a pretty good dose.”

When we got to the work site the next day, it wasn’t long before our hostess appeared with a big smile on her face. “My husband slept last night. He is feeling much better. He wants you to move into our house tonight.” We found out that the shed in which we had been sleeping was really the home of one of their daughters which had been vacated for our comfort. But now we were being invited into better quarters as a sign of appreciation and friendship. We might have just as well been royalty because that is how we were treated from that moment in their home.

An interesting feature of our time in the homeland was the need to make trips about every other day to a town outside the homeland for supplies. This trip took us through the wild brushy countryside where it was not unusual to see an ostrich or a herd of zebras in an open field. When we arrived in the mostly white populated town, we headed for the hardware store and then to the small grocery store for things needed at the work site and in the outdoor kitchen, which was run by the ladies of the village, who cooked our meals in huge black pots over corncob fires. I was struck by a sign on the door of the hardware store that read, “This land is our land,” which could be taken as a political statement reflecting the sad policy of apartheid which had divided the races. There was a great deal of interest in what we were doing out there on the homeland, particularly by the proprietor of the store, a big barrel-chested man in lederhosen, suspenders, and cocked hat. He was deeply curious about who we were and why we were there.

In a world where black and white rarely if ever came together as equals, it seemed most amazing, no doubt, that we could be eating out of the black kettles and sleeping in their beds. The scene was somewhat the same at the grocery store where Marianne would be invited to sit on a chair and sip a Pepsi, while being asked endless questions about what she was doing. The ladies from the homeland who went along with her had a field day shopping in the store, often picking up things that were non-essential, yet items they liked, such as candy bars and cookies.

It was evident that there was considerable skepticism about our presence, but one day curiosity got the better of the hardware man. We were near the end of our time at the project when we saw billows of dust rising from the road coming into Ganalaagte. It was a car being driven by this man. On arrival he jumped out and greeted everyone warmly, then began to inspect our work. He was full of suggestions of how we could improve on what we were doing and soon had a trowel in hand showing us how to glaze the windows. He stayed a good while and seemed to have a wonderful time.

Weeks later, after we had returned to our homes, we received a letter from Aaron Hedrick, now deceased, who had been our team foreman. Aaron was so proud of the church he had supervised in construction and was particularly pleased to have presented a large wooden cross he had made for the church on the day of its dedication to God.

Aaron was forwarding calendars from the hardware store that our South African friend had sent to each team member. In his accompanying letter Aaron said, “You remember the man from the hardware store? We know how he felt about ‘things,’ but for one brief, shining moment he was part of an UMVIM work team in an African homeland doing the work of the Lord!”

And we now wonder about the impact of those days, not only in the homeland, but in the little white town beyond the border.

On our final day at the work site, we gathered inside the new church, packed with excited people, for the service of dedication with Bishop Storey presiding. At the close of the spiritually moving service, Bishop Storey asked the Americans to linger inside near the chancel, while the villagers exited the building. He said to the African congregants as they went out, “You will know what to do.” When we finally exited the door, we saw the entire congregation formed into a huge circle, waiting to greet us one by one with hugs, tears, and looks too deep for words. It was a tremendously emotional experience, so much so that I could not speak. A lump came to my throat and stayed there for the longest time as we shared the love of God.

It was late in the day when the last of our group finished moving down the line of greeters. Moments later, we got into the combis and drove off into the majestic South African sunset. One of our team members, Brian Casey, commented, “This looks like a Hollywood ending. Let the credits roll.” If any credits were rolling that day, surely they were all in testimony to the incredible way the Holy Spirit can move to empower human beings in the work of the Kingdom.

On the following Sunday we gathered at the Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, the church where Bishop Storey had served courageously for seventeen years, leading the church in a prophetic witness in the heart of the city. The church had successfully integrated, albeit at considerable cost in the loss of many white families. But those who remained worked together with all the constituents of that racially and culturally mixed city to create a congregation faithful in its witness to love and justice.

By an ironic chance of timing, we found ourselves in worship on the final Sunday of Bishop Storey’s leadership at Central Methodist Mission. He was giving up his two-pronged task serving as pastor of this church, while also serving as bishop to the larger church. Now he would be devoting all his time to the role of bishop. He would be succeeded by a gifted young Black pastor named Mvume Dandala.

Bishop Storey gathered the many children of the church around him at a special time in the service when the so-called “candle of peace and justice” was to be lit. This was a special white candle wrapped in barbed wire symbolizing “the light that shines in the darkness” that the darkness shall not overcome. Each week in the life of the church this candle burned as special concerns of justice were voiced and prayers offered. On this particular day, he spoke to the children of the sacrifices that their parents and grandparents had made to bring them to this day. It was a tremendously moving moment to fathom what that congregation had gone through to keep faith with their God.

That evening another service was held in the chapel during which I was given the opportunity to preach. Afterward, Bishop Storey stood and said to us, “What you have done, we should have done.” And he went on to tell of their hope of doing similar work in days to come with South Africans in the lead. Then Mr. Dandala rose to speak of how Blacks in South Africa had always thought of hard work as a form of servitude, but now they saw something special in the labor they had witnessed in our group, something he called “the sanctity of labor.” In essence, he said they could see how hard work could be viewed in a new way, and that when people work together in this way, great things can be done to improve the conditions of life.

In 1995, the annual UMVIM, SEJ rally was held at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina with over three hundred missioners in attendance. One of the keynote speakers was Bishop Mvume Dandala, pastor of Central Methodist Mission in Johannesburg, and now a bishop. I had no idea what he would say to us, but you can imagine how my heart leaped when he began talking about a VIM work team from Virginia that had built a church in a South African homeland. After he described what had been done, speaking again of the sanctity of labor, he said, “I have an announcement. We now have in South Africa ‘SAMVIM’ – South Africa Methodist Volunteers in Mission, and we are doing what you do!”

Things had come full circle on that day, and we rejoiced once again at how God was using this movement to empower godly people.

A second experience that I will describe briefly took place in 1993 in Ivanovo, Russia, where we had gone to do renovation work at a children’s orphanage/tuberculosis sanitorium. The day of our arrival was an unforgettable experience. We had walked through deep pine and birch woods until we came into a clearing with old wooden buildings serving as a campus for children, many of them orphans undergoing treatment for the sad effects, including birth defects, of the polluted environment in which many of them lived. It was a misty day with gray skies. It seemed a gray world in many ways except for the beauty of the woods. As we passed between the buildings, we noticed the faces of children in the windows watching us. We waved and they waved back. After being greeted by the officials of this rustic facility, we were invited to meet some of the children. We were led into one of the buildings where the children were neatly lined up in tight rows, wide-eyed and quiet as church mice.

When our group had finally squeezed into the small room, a beautiful girl of six or seven, clothed in a festive folk dress, stepped forward with a large loaf of bread and salt, and offered this food as the traditional Russian greeting of hospitality. As she moved among us, offering this food to us, one by one, I felt in spite of our cultural and religious differences that this was communion of a kind. It was deeply moving to look upon these recovering children and see the beauty in each of their faces.

After each of us had eaten, the children and their teachers entertained us with songs, dances, and skits. Several of the boys presented gifts they had made. One such gift was a detailed sailing ship carved from the bark of the trees of the forest. This was the beginning of one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. People I had been brought up to fear were now taking a group of Americans into their hearts.

Another way we grew close with our hosts was through an arrangement by which a leading language professor at Ivanovo University facilitated interpretation. Instead of bringing one or two interpreters along for the job, she brought her entire class to give them the experience of meeting “the Americans” and practicing their English language skills. In all, there were about ten students who were with us constantly. The natural reserve we felt at first melted away within hours, and before long we were one happy family. We worked together, ate together, visited local sights together and became quite involved with each other’s lives (On a subsequent team, one Russian interpreter and a team member fell in love and eventually married.).

Evenings were filled with conversation as the young people asked about our country and answered our many questions about theirs. They loved to entertain us with singing, playing instruments and puppetry. When we had devotions, they politely listened. Some were Christians, though several said the thousand-year-old Russian Orthodox Church did not appeal to them particularly. They said it was not making much effort to address the needs and ideas of the young people their age, and as a result, most of the young did not go often to church. But there was a lot of interest in matters of faith, if only from a philosophical point of view. Let it be remembered that, in spite of a long history of the Orthodox faith in Russia, there is another history which denied God altogether over the past 70 years – communism.

Young people were searching for where the truth could be found. There was a lot of interest in what we believed. One young woman asked me, “What is a Methodist?” This gave us an opening to share about our church and let them know that Methodism, while a small presence there, was established in their country well over 100 years ago. These were seekers and inquirers with honest questions, people living in a tumultuous world where the future was far from clear as ideologies struggled for preeminence.

Our group was exposed to many facets of Russian society during our two weeks in Ivanovo. We saw the textile mills, the chief industry of the city, that had been closed due to the poor economy. We saw the many colleges and universities, which are the pride of the people, but we also saw professors of math and physics serving as tour guides because there was no work for them to do. We met physicians and teachers struggling to live on the pittance they received for their jobs, and we sensed that life in Russia was hard for everyone. It is no wonder that people seemed hard and abrupt at times. Their world was in turmoil. Despite these realities, our group was exposed to another side of Russian life that was beautiful. Our new friends were fiercely proud of their rich culture – art, music, dance – and they knew the promise of their vast land that will one day emerge from this time of trouble.

One young Russian artist expressed this to us by giving us a picture he had drawn. All around the borders were frightening things. It looked almost nightmarish, but at the center was a beautiful young girl in the nude with her eyes closed, looking like pure innocence.  Pointing to the girl, he said, “This is Russia. She is sleeping now, but one day her eyes will open.” The question in my mind was, “Open to what?” That future is now being written.

On the last evening of our visit before heading home via Moscow, a banquet was held at which many speeches were given, remembering highlights of our time together and giving thanks for one another. Near the end of the evening, one of the Russian leaders rose to speak. She offered her own words of gratitude for our time together, then said the most remarkable thing: “I believe you were sent by Someone I do not yet know.” I thought to myself, “Surely we were meant to be in this place at this time!”

In summary, God has been opening doors for the UMVIM movement on every continent and in many lands where doors had been previously closed. Only God knows where the future will take us, but we know who holds that future. Let it be enough for us to continue heeding God’s beckoning Spirit in the faith that God is working and so must we. Whether we be senders or receivers, the sent or the received, Christ is in our midst with the words of Life. May we find our lives as we put Christian love in action.

I began this story talking about Haiti. During the past couple of decades, Marianne and I have continued to remain active with UMVIM, leading teams mostly to Haiti, where we have made many friends and continue to find opportunities to serve. We have traveled to Haiti dozens of times and each time we find something new, challenging, and wonderful. As recently as four years ago, we began work on a school of music within the Methodist compound near Petionville. Through generous donations of funds and instruments and the hard work of both Haitians and Virginia Conference UMVIM, a beautiful building was constructed and dedicated, just prior to the trouble currently besieging Haiti. Since the assassination of Haiti’s President Moise, it has been impossible to send teams, but we continue to provide monetary and spiritual support. As of this date, we are engaged in the process of establishing a covenant relationship between Virginia Conference churches and the Methodist Church of Haiti (Eglise Methodiste d’Haiti, or EMH) to maintain our friendship and to find ways to strengthen the Methodist Church of Haiti in its ministry to a nation in great need.

Let me close with a Haitian proverb and two prayers which seems fitting. The proverb alludes to the ways our many small efforts multiply, stating simply,

Many small make a great.

The prayers come from a collection of prayers gathered at the Baptist Haiti Mission entitled, “God is No Stranger.” Father, they say that I am poor. Thank you, Father. May I also be poor in spirit, that I may inherit the Kingdom of God.

Lord, how glad we are that we don’t hold you, but that you hold us.

Further Acknowledgements

While in this article I have shared a variety of experiences that Marianne and I have had, I would be remiss not to mention the many clergy colleagues and lay missioners with whom we have been privileged to work.  We cannot name them all because there are many, but the following are outstanding Virginia UMVIM volunteers and supporters with whom we have worked closely:

Clergy:  Rev. Sam NeSmith (past Russia Initiative Chair and leader of many UMVIM teams), Rev. Jim Athearn (past Russia Initiative Chair), Rev. Frank Jennings (Disaster Coordinator), Rev. Nancy Robinson (Honduran mission and Conference mission interpreter), Rev. Denise Honeycutt and Rev. Glenn Rowley (Conference Mission Secretaries), Rev. Steve Rhodes, Rev. Gary Milstead, the late Rev. Roy Creech (Conference UMVIM Coordinators), Rev. C. Milton Rodgers, Rev. David Hindman

Laity:  the late Barbara Reed (President of Conference Board of Global Ministries), Dorothy Ivy (President of Conference Board of Global Ministries), Kip Robinson (Conference UMVIM Coordinator), Darlene Runaldue, Mark Bradley, Chris & Bill Lowe, Hannah & Allan Nixon, Erin McKenney, the late Julia Brooks and Sarah Bostick, Dr. Rick Taliaferro and Dr. William Olson, Frank & Dede Fishback, George Williams. the late Dr. Jim Wall, Irvin Baldwin, Nancy Forrest (Medical Coordinator for UMVIM, SEJ), David Roane, Pat Koontz, Dr. Jack Underhill, the late Lauren Bainbridge and wife, Connie

We are especially grateful for mission leadership from our Conference Office now being given by the Rev. R.J. Jun, Director of Serving Ministries.

West Ohio medical team to Manos Juntas Mission in Mexico

The April/May 2022 Medical Mission to Mexico was nothing short of amazing. The team was small but mighty with 11 people on the mission, several of them new. The team saw a total of 260 patients in the three days that we operated the mobile clinic. In that time, the team also passed out more than 7,000 children’s and 7,000 adult vitamins, prayed for and with hundreds of patients, and provided a dietician, legal advice, physical therapy, an optometrist, and haircuts to the community. But the impact this experience had on the team members was just as amazing as their impact on the patients…

“These short-term Missions trips have much more of an impact on us than we all realize. We form lifelong friendships, even with people we may never see again or people we may not see for a few years. Seeing the people who are in need and how accepting and loving and kind they are speaks volumes to my heart. Shows me how much more loving, grateful, patient, and kind I need to be to everyone around me.” -Meredith Meftah

“Each interaction I have with the individual patients is a blessing to myself and an eye-opening experience. I am always more blessed by the patients than I could ever bless them. Experiencing the culture difference and everyday living difference is a truly enlightening experience and each experience teaches me something new and an alternative to our culture and living in the States.” -Brittany Rice

“Towards the end of the day [I saw] an elderly woman. During her time with me in triage I found it more and more difficult to find my words after sitting in the heat all day. She placed her hand on my shoulder as we finished and said, ‘not too much longer.’ Tears filled my eyes as she thanked me. …From my questions during her assessment I had already known she had been at the clinic most of the day waiting patiently and hadn’t eaten since the day before. But she never complained. Only showed kindness and compassion to a complete stranger that can barely speak her language.” -Jen Hollis

“Although we have given so much of our time and talents to serve over these short few days, the team has come away being blessed more or at least equal to the blessings that we gave. …Over the past couple years those of us in the medical profession have been through a lot. We have cried, been to the brink of exhaustion, burned out, yelled at, abused, and even threatened. That is why a lot of us, including myself, always look forward to these trips. It refreshes us and reminds us why we chose the profession that we did. It becomes our reset button on our career and life.” -Chad Stoltz, team leader

If you are interested in participating in or leading a medical mission team to Mexico, contact Chad Stoltz at cstoltz1984@gmail.com or visit www.westohioumc.org/mexicovim.

Punta Colonet – Lighting for Literacy

Passing the Torch, and

Shining Our Lights

We actually did it!

The COVID pandemic has plunged many people around the world into insular, huddled, fearful, and metaphorically dark existences.  But, as COVID’s almost intolerable darkness might have begun to lighten just a little here, our team of ten Colonet – Lighting for Literacy (L4L) missioners found ways to deal with various COVID-related inconveniences so that LGUMC once again could send its Volunteers in Mission (VIM) team to actually build a new casita for a needy rural Mexican family as well as to personally install Lighting for Literacy solar lighting systems in several homes there. There is light (both metaphorical and actual) after COVID, indeed!

And, in the process, we witnessed some initial steps toward “passing of the torch” in some of the supportive groups that have made our “short-term” Punta Colonet mission trips possible each spring for over 20 years.

Our 2022 missioners included four folks from LGUMC (Pete, Ken, Christine, and Erik), two from Los Gatos Morning Rotary Club (Tom and Jim), one youth and two adults from a local family (MaryClare, Kevin, and Elizabeth), and a new missioner (Steve) who traveled from Reno, Nevada to be a part of this dynamic VIM team!  Our UMVIM team had six veterans and four brand new missioners.

Our mission’s story this year can be told with some images that you see here.  During our mission’s five days in Punta Colonet, our VIM team built a casita with its attached water tower and its own L4L solar lighting system, and we gave that safe, new home to Ana Ruiz and her husband, Amadeo Landeta. But the mission’s story isn’t just about building a casita.  It never is.

Now let’s get to the passing of the torch:

There are several pivotal pieces to our Punta Colonet-L4L mission work that make this enduring mission the powerful experience that it has been for LGUMC’s UMVIM missioners for over two decades. Two of these are central supporters who reside with their families in Colonet itself.  Our contractor, friend, and build liaison, Ivan Rubio Ortega, and our Lighting for Literacy liaison and needs-assessment leader, Pastor Antonio Dueñas.  Our work in Colonet certainly could not be nearly as effective at it has been without the very substantial contributions of these two great, community- minded, committed men and their families.  It’s impossible to overstate Ivan and Pastor Antonio’s importance to our “short-term” mission work.

This April, Ivan had to step aside while our UMVIM team was in Punta Colonet when he suddenly became ill during our visit. And, true to his enduring commitment to our mission work in his small community, he still found ways to make his incredible contributions to support us.  First, he sent his younger adult son, Gabriel, and a helper, José, to work on the build site in his place. Yep, it absolutely takes two men to do Ivan’s work! And when Gabriel was not available, Ivan then sent his older son, Jesus, and a friend to the building site to perform important construction tasks. And Ivan’s wife, Adriana, continued to prepare and to serve us a very warm welcome and incredibly delicious “cenas” (dinners) in their own home every evening despite the added strain of Ivan’s sudden illness. These were remarkable acts on the parts of all of the members of the large Rubio Ortega family in Punta Colonet.

This April, too, Pastor Antonio had a conflict that unexpectedly arose with the dates of our UMVIM team’s visit.  So he provided all of his wonderful foundational help to us in advance of our arrival in Colonet, and then he turned over the reins of the actual Lighting for Literacy solar lighting system deployments to his 16 year old son, Isaiah. This is a great realization of one of the many potentially powerful benefits of L4L in the sense that youths can be taught to do almost every aspect of this work independently … from creation of the individual systems (STEAM education) to deployments in the mission field.  It’s a fabulous development!

And there’s more. We’re seeing an important transition at the helm of Lighting for Literacy, too. Many people are aware of Doug McNeil and Jesse Salem’s creation of the L4L program a decade ago. They’ve been recognized at the White House in 2013 as “Champions of Change”.  But with Jesse’s passing a few years ago and Doug’s very serious illness and devastating disability with ALS, Lighting for Literacy has sought new leadership.  So, shortly before our Colonet mission team’s April departure southbound this year, Lighting for Literacy chose new co-presidents to gradually take over the reins from Doug.  Doug’s daughter, Jessica McNeil Eastland, and her L4L co-president, Christina Enneking, will now begin to direct L4L’s efforts going forward. And L4L will continue to look toward the future as it now searches for a CEO, as well, to take that vital responsibility from Doug.

So we’ve just witnessed a re-starting (after COVID-forced VIM team absences in 2020 and 2021) and rejuvenation of our charitable efforts in rural Punta Colonet, Mexico!

In summary, we’ve been generously blessed.  Our UMVIM work in Colonet this year came about with greater effort than had been necessary in prior years due to the ongoing COVID pandemic as well as to pivotal changes that became necessary due to some foreseen and to some unforeseen challenges. And that’s the very nature of mission work.  Successfully meeting the various challenges of doing mission work is part of what makes mission work itself so rewarding.

Respectfully, Pete Taylor

LGUMC VIM

UMVIM International Team Leader

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy! (Rabindrinath Tagore)

Special recognition:

Our 2022 Punta Colonet UMVIM team needed and received a tremendous amount of support!

We recognize and thank those who provided the great help that our VIM travelers had from people / organizations who donated building materials, funds, and / or their expertise as well as prayerful support of this mission team. The Los Gatos Morning Rotary Charitable Foundation provided substantial financial support again this year. And more than 34 individuals who didn’t personally travel to Colonet still walked every step with this VIM team by providing their own vital forms of support. This includes administrative assistance from personnel from the North Central, the Southeastern, and the Western Jurisdictions and the Cal-Nev Annual Conference UMVIM offices.

Iván Rubio Ortega (see the article) is seen referring to the casita’s construction plans (flanked by our construction leader, Christine Finlayson, to his right … and by me to his left).

The new homeowners are seen as I hand them the keys to their new home in our Thursday evening “Keys Ceremony”. It’s always a very moving occasion!

Playing “Ring around the Rosie”. Ana Ruiz, the new homeowner, is a “niñera” for many Colonet families. She watches many children while their parents labor in the fruit & vegetable fields that are in this agricultural area. Kids on the construction site readily participated in painting tasks, but there was also always time for fun!

Ukraine Update

Many volunteers are wondering how they can help with the war in Ukraine. UMCOR and Global Ministries have developed a helpful FAQ concerning the best ways to help.

Learn more by clicking here.

If you would like to hear an “on the ground” perspective, Ray Wilck, retired missionary living in Prague, shares his thoughts on the Ukraine/Russia conflict. Click here to learn more.

Surrounding countries are accepting Ukrainian refugees, and Methodists are there to help. Click here to learn more about what’s going on in the Czech Republic.

East Ohio Team Helps to Change Lives in Rio Bravo, Mexico; Serves Children, Builds a Casita Working with Manos Juntas Mission

Read about this team here.

Ghana Mission Journey, Wisonsin Conference

NOTE: This mission story is shared by Mike Ayensu-Mensah, recipient of the Nolte Mission Scholarship.

One of the greatest parts of going back to Ghana during the winter break on a Mission trip was seeing how excited the people were to interact with new ideas.  The mission group was greeted with an assembly at the Akumfi Ameyaw Senior High School in Aworowa one afternoon, and I was given the opportunity to speak to the students (with their Staff and Head of the School present) about my experience with continued education in the United States. I took the time to relay a basic lesson about individual strength that helps me remain motivated when my problems seem to be growing uncontrollably. The lesson comes up in many disciplines, but the main point is that success and growth can be achieved by approaching problems instead of avoiding them. I told them about how they could start trying to tackle the small problems that they saw and begin making their lives better in small ways. Even though the students in that assembly had never met me and didn’t know who I was, they seemed eager to engage with what I had to say. Their openness to new ideas and experiences showed me that those students took their potentials seriously. I have been in several similar assemblies at my schools in the United States where none of the students even cared to listen to what the presenter had to say, so I was incredibly impressed by how serious the highschoolers in Ghana were about their development. I am not certain if I told them anything that was immediately useful, but the students always paid careful attention and I noticed that they were hungry for information that they could use to improve their lives in any way.

Besides the high school students on that day, we interacted with the youth in the area on a regular basis. We hosted a vacation bible school on two different days where hundreds of children from the surrounding villages gathered to play games and win candy. I led a group of the older children through some games with the jump-ropes and balloons we brought and captured some pictures while they played. For some reason, balloons were particularly popular; so much so that the entire group I was supposed to be leading got distracted when a balloon floated into our area from another group. On top of that, the mission team spent the second morning preparing over 800 meal-bags of rice, eggs and fish to distribute to the kids that day. It may not sound like much when discussed in the context of the average American life, but even a small meal of rice was met with overwhelming appreciation and gratitude by those children.

Spending six weeks in Ghana, the last two and half being the period for mission activities, reminded me how much I tend to take for granted in the states. A simple piece of wisdom or small meal was often overlooked as a given, at least in my experience, but it is not easy to maintain that perspective when you interact with people for whom such niceties are the highlight of their day. I think the trip helped me to grow in my ability to empathize with other people. Since coming back to the United States, I have tried my best to help others in any way I can because I learned that even a small gesture on my part can make the life of someone else better than it would be without me.

Mike Ayensu-Mensah

UW – Stevens Point

Stevens Point, WI 54481

Iowa team served in Lake Charles, LA

Bringing Hope To Those in the Ruins

Hurricane Laura slammed the Lake Charles/Sulphur, LA area making landfall 8/27/2020. Marching in was Hurricane Delta on Oct. 9, 2020 followed by a deep freeze of 16 degrees, the coldest in Louisiana in 119 years on February 15th that burst pipes followed by a deluge of 18 inches of water in two days on May 17-18, 2021. A tornado struck 10/2021 which left around 12 homes uninhabitable and exacerbated the already hundreds of persons feeling hopeless.

From Manning to Wilton, Waukee to Knoxville, 13 Iowans who had normally traveled abroad for a two-week work experience were stymied by COVID travel mandates. Bill and Katherine Howell, formerly of Coon Rapids, who are team members, moved to Florida. Bill was interviewed for a position with the Louisiana United Methodist Conference with part of his portfolio being Disaster Response.

The “A” team organized, held an orientation, discussed travel plans and headed to the work destination on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2022. We felt called to offer our time and skills in the Southwest Louisiana, Lake Charles and Sulphur area. Our team was divided into two groups working with Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders while being housed at the Olivet Baptist Church. The churches in Southwest Louisiana that are able to help are sharing the volunteers’ housing needs. Mennonite Disaster Service and with the MDS Disaster Aid Amish group and Mt. Olive Baptist Church have formed a coalition that allows each organization to bring their gifts to the people. Building supplies, funding, networking with the people, hard labor and lots of love bring hope to Louisiana’s devastated children of God. Our team goal was to heal hearts and rebuild homes.

Ms. Diesi is a grandmother raising two grandchildren in a 100-year-old home that had been destroyed by trees falling onto her roof, followed by heavy rains which destroyed her furniture and caused mold. When we arrived, Ms. Diesi’s 17 windows were boarded up but, by the time we left 10 days later, new windows, trimmed (inside and out) painted and adorned with blinds which were hung on our last day of work. In her kitchen, new countertops, sink, base cabinets, backsplash tile laid, a microwave hung over her stove and refrigerator waiting to be connected. If it didn’t move, we painted it, inside and out!

The second team worked with Edward, a single man with a large home. Drywall was hung, mudded, sanded and then painted. A fresh new floor was installed with a myriad of other projects completed. This required working on high ladders, with several workers needed for installing.

A ramp for an elderly woman was built with the help of two team members. Ray, a wheelchair bound young man with diabetes and a wheelchair needed a new bathroom and a closet rebuilt while remodeling for handicap accessibility. With the completion of this work a House Dedication was held with staff and workers in attendance as he was gifted with a Bible, a wooden cross embellished with “BLESSED” a knit Afghan and a knotted prayer lap blanket to cover his legs. Each knot in the blanket represented a prayer as someone had blessed the blanket during the making.

The group worshiped at University UMC which had been severely destroyed but is now housing Amish workers in an upstairs “Dorm.” The invitation to a Gumbo dinner and hospitality by the Amish group was enjoyed. On a very cold, blustery day we went to the Gulf of Mexico to walk the beach and do some shelling. Many homes with blue tarps were seen along our outing with destroyed homes, boarded up as uninhabitable.

The opportunity to serve and give back is the reward we experienced! We pray our presence provided hope for those affected by the disasters!

Tornado Response and Recovery Update: Tennessee and Kentucky

Members of the Kentucky and Tennessee Annual Conferences have stated that the greatest need at this time is monetary donations. For those interested in volunteering, please see below.

GIVING

Give through UMCOR

Give to the Kentucky Annual Conference

Give to the Tennessee-West Kentucky Annual Conference [Memphis and Tennessee Conferences]

VOLUNTEERS

FUTURE LONG TERM RECOVERY VOLUNTEERS: There is an interest form which can be filled out for those interested in volunteering during the long-term recovery process, including those without an ERT badge.

NEWS & UPDATES

News updates from the Kentucky Conference can be found at this link.

News updates from the Tennessee-West Kentucky Annual Conference can be found here.

Storms of December 11th

UPDATED 30 JAN 2022

Multiple tornadoes have ravaged areas of the Southeast and South Central, and North Central Jurisdictions, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Arkansas, and more. Authorities and first responders are still accessing and the initial phase of response may take a while due to the damage. More information will be added to this page as it comes to UMVIM. As always, please do not go into affected areas without an invitation from authorities.

Please visit the Kentucky Annual Conference website for latest information about volunteering and giving.

Kentucky Conference:

The following is a message from the Kentucky Annual Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Jim Morse:

Please note: cash donations are best. Cash contributions allow professional relief organizations to purchase what is most urgently needed. Cash donations require no transportation costs and involve no workers for sorting or distribution. Cash donations allow relief supplies to be bought near the disaster site, thus stimulating the local economy and ensuring a quicker supply delivery.

1. Donate Through an Organization: It is essential to locate a reliable relief organization willing to receive the shipment of donated goods. When unsolicited truckloads arrive at a disaster site, there is often no place to unload. Often items become part of the debris that must be removed during the cleanup phase of the disaster response.
   

2. Local volunteers should affiliate before showing up: Instead of arriving unexpectedly in a disaster area, volunteers should register with a recognized volunteer agency.
   

3. Prepare for Self-Sufficiency: In most disasters, there are inadequate facilities for feeding, housing, personal hygiene, and medical needs for volunteers. It is best to affiliate with a recognized agency that will provide for these needs.
   

4. Be Patient and Flexible: Volunteers should be prepared to step into a variety of roles, depending on current or sudden needs. Volunteers expecting to enter a response or relief operation in a certain capacity will often be disappointed. Sometimes a volunteer’s unique talents are not immediately needed.
   

5. Know the Liability Situation: Volunteers should be certain that the volunteer agency with which they are affiliated has adequate liability insurance coverage. Volunteers not registered with a volunteer agency should assume that all liability is their own responsibility.
   

6. Volunteers a Coordinated Process: The use of volunteers is an organized process by which people with abilities, skills, and training are assigned to special tasks. Volunteers are most useful when they are able to do the right thing at the right time.
   

7. Commit to the Response Effort: Disaster work is often dirty, monotonous, mundane, and not glamorous. There is little individual recognition. Volunteers should be committed to work under such conditions and fit within plans that are coordinated by the volunteer agencies.
   

8. Confirm the Need: Make sure by communicating with your destination what exactly is needed.
   

9. Plan Transportation in Advance: Never assume that unsolicited relief supplies will be transported at no charge. Local trucking firms may be willing to help in times of disaster, if funds are available to cover part of the expense. Some volunteer agencies may have trucks going to the disaster area which can take donations, or they can identify another group in the area.
   

10. Ensure That Donated Items are Packed Well and Clearly Labeled: Specific content lists should be taped to the side of each box sent. This allows officials to determine quickly determine the contents without having to open the box. Clothing, if requested, should be sorted in separate boxes by gender, size, and season.
    

11. Do Not Send Small Items and Unsorted Clothing to Meet Local Needs: Miscellaneous, unrequested items and unsorted bags of clothing require a great deal of processing. Do not send such items to a disaster site. This type of donation may be more appropriate for a local charity, homeless shelter, or food bank.
     

Arkansas Annual Conference

At this time, Arkansas is not going to request outside ERT teams. The AR VOAD partners have pledged to work together and believe they will have that work finished up by the end of this week. However, they will need lots of long term recovery work in due time. More information to come.

Illinois Great River Conference

From Rebecca Klemm, Illinois Great Rivers CDRC: “the only major damage is the Amazon warehouse. Most homes just had minor storm damage.” Additional information will be added here as it comes available.

Northeast Jurisdiction UMVIM Coordinator Job Opening

The Northeast Jurisdiction UMVIM Board is seeking candidates for Jurisdictional Coordinator.

You can view the online listing here, or click here to download the listing in a Word document.

Hurricane Ida Information

We will continue to post up-to-date information here concerning Hurricane Ida.

While Hurricane Ida has been downgraded to Tropical Storm Ida, it brought heavy winds and rain to parts of the Gulf Coast. Right now, damage is still being accessed and any news regarding the need for donations, goods, and volunteers will go through your Annual Conference Disaster Response Coordinator (click here for a list).

You can also follow the latest developments from the Louisiana Conference Facebook page.

As a reminder, never self-deploy as a volunteer and respect those who are affected by waiting for an invitation. Below is a chart which summarizes the way United Methodists are informed about Disaster Response efforts. To donate to the recovery efforts, click here.

Donations can be directly given to the Louisiana Conference by texting RELIEF to 800-500-5858

COVID Guidelines [updated march 2022]

Guidelines for UMVIM Project Sites and Leaders during COVID

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission

March 16 2022

Because of the rapidly changing nature of the COVID pandemic, we encourage all volunteers to check the Centers for Disease Control guidelines, as well as the State Department recommendations before serving and traveling.

The below are general guidelines for UMVIM teams and projects, however, we encourage you to visit the CDC for the latest information.

The first General Rule as United Methodists is to “do no harm.” United Methodist Volunteers in Mission leadership understands that many project sites rely on teams to assist in serving the community. These teams come from nearby, from another state, sometimes from another country.  One of the worst unintended effects of mission work throughout the ages has been the spread of infectious disease.  All want to serve.  All sites should adhere to public health and safety protocols to protect employees, homeowners, and missioners.  

Because of COVID variants, many communities have re-activated COVID protocols and protections, even for those fully vaccinated.

Fully Vaccinated Volunteers

Even for team members that have been fully vaccinated, it is recommended that you continue to follow CDC guidelines by wearing masks indoors, in closed spaces with others [those outside your family], and maintain social distancing. The Delta Variant has put many communities at risk, and even though COVID restrictions were relaxed earlier in the summer, it is advised that even those vaccinated maintain COVID protections.

●      In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

o   2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or

o   2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

o   If you do not meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

●      State and local governments, and site hosts, will have the final say on COVID protections, including masks and social distancing.

You should continue to do the following even if you have been fully vaccinated:

●      If you travel, you will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other

forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S.

transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 

●      All travelers entering the United States, regardless of vaccination status, still need to provide either a negative COVID test result taken within three days of departure to the US or have written proof of recovery from Covid to the airline or other immigration official before boarding the airplane.

●      If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.

●      You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you have been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.

●      People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should talk to their healthcare provider to discuss their activities. They may need to keep taking all precautions to prevent COVID-19.

Unvaccinated or NOT Fully Vaccinated

If you are not fully vaccinated continue to follow the safety guidelines as described by the CDC. 

●      Important Ways to Slow the Spread

o   Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.

o   Stay 6 feet apart from others who don’t live with you.

o   Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

o   Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

o   The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended to serve on an UMVIM team.

Domestic Travel Recommendations for Unvaccinated People:

●      Before you travel:

o   Get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.

●      While you are traveling:

o   Wear a mask over your nose and mouth. Masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling within the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.

o   Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who is not traveling with you.

o   Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).

●      After you travel:

o   Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.

o   Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.

o   If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.

o   If you do not get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.

o   Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.

o   Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

International Travel for Both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated:

●      You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.

●      The State Department issues travel advisories based on health and safety concerns. Travel to countries at a Level 4 travel advisory is prohibited. Team insurance is not available for mission service in these countries.

●      You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.

●      If you travel, you will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other

forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S.

transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 

●           All travelers entering the United States, regardless of vaccination status, still need to provide either a negative COVID test result within three days of arrival or proof of recovery from Covid.

●      If you do travel, follow all CDC recommendations before, during, and after travel.

●      You should get tested again 3-5 days after international travel.

●      You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.

o   If you have been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.

●      Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including:

o   Wear a mask over your nose and mouth

o   Stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds

o   Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer

●      Go to CDC website for a listing of countries and their travel restrictions and requirements at  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html

General Guidance for all Team Leaders

●      All team leaders complete Team Leader training and register the team with your Annual Conference Coordinator or with the Jurisdiction Coordinator.    

●      Check with your local health department and the site host for the current rules and restrictions for the area you are traveling from and to. 

o   Here is a website to help you identify your risk CovidActNow

o   Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements.

o   Where guidance from different authorities conflicts, follow the more restrictive protocols.

●      Know if all the team members are fully vaccinated if they are not then they must follow the CDC testing guidelines.

o   Vaccines strongly recommended for everyone on the team.

●      Follow the guidelines of the CDC for travel both inside and outside the U.S.

●      Do NOT travel if you were exposed to COVID-19, you are sick, you test positive for COVID-19, or you are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test. Learn when it is safe for you to travel. Do not travel with someone who is sick.

o   Consider whether you, someone in your household, or someone you will be serving are at an increased risk for getting very sick from COVID.

●      Work with your site host to:

o   Find out if you need to bring your own PPE supplies

o    Learn what protocols the site is using if someone either a team member or client has tested positive to Covid and exposed others.

●      Make sure each team member has proper medical insurance.  For teams serving in the U.S., UMVIM offers additional coverage for both domestic and international missions.  Policies and terms of coverage vary by jurisdiction.   Check with your jurisdictional coordinator for specific information.

●      Each team member will sign the ‘Medical and Emergency Contact’ and ‘Liability’ Forms.

●      Know the health infrastructure in the area where the team intends to serve and the location of the nearest hospital.

●      Have a plan for canceling the journey or sending team members home if any team members are uncomfortable with the enforcement of safety protocols.

●      Consider donations to the partner organization and organizing a virtual mission if it is not appropriate to physically travel to the project site.

Hosting teams

●      If you are planning to allow unvaccinated volunteers to serve at your site, we suggest that you adhere to the following guidelines:

o   Know the quarantine rules.  Some states require travelers to quarantine or provide proof of a negative COVID test, or proof of vaccination before or after arrival. Have a plan to ensure compliance. 

o   Follow CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting your facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

o   Post reminders for hand washing, awareness of symptoms, etc.

o   Improve air circulation in all common areas.  See CDC guidelines for best practices on interior ventilation.

o   Provide prevention supplies:

▪        hand sanitizer

▪        disposable facemasks

▪        eye protection

▪       cleaners and disinfectants

▪       gloves for food preparation and cleaning

o   Unvaccinated volunteers should work on exterior projects only. Make accommodations for port-a-potties so unvaccinated volunteers do not have to enter a home.

o   Other considerations

▪       Avoid buffet-style meal service. Have kitchen crews prepare dishes. This includes sack lunch preparation.

▪       If the dishwasher does not meet standards for sanitation, consider asking teams to bring paper products (not Styrofoam) to be discarded after each meal. Provide adequate trash receptacles.

▪       All touch surfaces should be thoroughly wiped down when the team arrives and as they prepare to leave with approved cleaners.

▪       Consider ways to assure safe distancing on the work site, in the dorm, dining area, and meeting space.

▪       If possible, provide washer and dryer facilities for laundering expectations.

o   Daily screening protocol

▪       Full symptom check for each missioner

▪       Ask about general health

▪       Ask if missioner has been in contact with anyone who had COVID-19

o   Wipe down all surfaces prior to welcoming teams.

o   Arrange for outdoor projects to assure minimal contact between homeowner and team members (painting, deck or ramp building, landscaping, roofing). Make accommodations for rest room facilities so team members do not have to enter the home. (i.e.: port-a-potties)

o   Indoor projects should only be undertaken with extreme caution.  Adhere closely to indoor gathering limits and ventilate the space using outside air.  Gloves and masks should be always used when indoors on a project site.  KN-95 masks are preferred.

o   Have a plan in place to safely transport a team member who develops symptoms of COVID-19.

▪       Provide space for isolation if someone reports symptoms.

▪       The team member exhibiting symptoms should contact his/her health care provider as soon as possible.

Questions or concerns?  Contact your annual conference UMVIM Coordinator or your Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator.

Wildfire Rebuilding Missions to Northern California

The California Nevada Conference has two active wildfire recovery efforts underway.  Both missions will continue for several years.  

Slater Fire, Happy Camp - The first is in far Northern California, near the Oregon border.  Located in Happy Camp (home of "Bigfoot") we will be assisting with rebuilding homes lost in the 2020 Slater Fire.  Home rebuilding starts Fall, 2021.  The rebuilding is in/near Happy Camp and the adjacent tribal lands. 

This project is to assist Hope Crisis Response Network (HCRN) with about 80 homes over a three to four years.  This is a low-income area where there are many residents who need assistance.
  
Accommodations are at an Assembly of God church where there is a place to sleep, a kitchen and showers.  HCRN is providing the construction supervision, materials and tools.  Teams are limited to 6 to 8 people. The onsite cost for a team is about $125 to $150 per person, per week, plus travel to get there.  Medford, Oregon is the nearest flight destination, but there are other options – Portland and Sacramento being two major ones.

Camp Fire, Paradise - A second long-term mission is in the Town of Paradise, Butte County.  This is the rebuilding from the Camp Fire in 2018.  As you well know, this was one of the worst wildfire disasters ever.  After an extended, extensive public safety phase, debris removal and tree removal, non-profits have started rebuilding homes.  

We will be providing construction teams for those people who cannot afford to rebuild on their own.  Weeklong missions are immediately available for teams of 6 to 12 people.  The accommodations include twin beds, shared bathrooms and a kitchen for making meals. 

Our teaming partner is also HCRN.  Tools and supplies are provided by HCRN.  They have their own registration forms.  The cost for accommodations, food, a donation towards construction and other expenses is $150 to $175 per person per week, plus the cost of travel to get to Paradise.  Chico is the nearest city.  Sacramento is the nearest major flight destination.
 

For more information about either project, contact Steve Elliott, UMVIM Coordinator for the California Nevada Conference at UMVIMCoordinator@calnevumc.org or 925-640-9797.  To book a team, contact Travis Cox, Volunteer Coordinator for HCRN at travis@hcrn.info or 574-333-7728.

June 2021 COVID Guidelines

Guidelines for UMVIM Project Sites and Leaders during Covid

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission

June 1, 2021

The first General Rule as United Methodists is to “do no harm.” United Methodist Volunteers in Mission leadership understands that many project sites rely on teams to assist in serving the community. These teams come from nearby, from another state, sometimes from another country.  One of the worst unintended effects of mission work throughout the ages has been the spread of infectious disease.  All want to serve.  All sites should adhere to public health and safety protocols to protect employees, homeowners, and missioners.  

Fully Vaccinated Volunteers

If you have been fully vaccinated, you can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.

●      In general, people are considered fully vaccinated:

o   2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or

o   2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine

o   If you do not meet these requirements, regardless of your age, you are NOT fully vaccinated. Keep taking all precautions until you are fully vaccinated.

●      Fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, but you will still need to follow all state and local recommendations or requirements.  Check with your site host for this information.

You should continue to do the following even if you have been fully vaccinated:

●      If you travel, you will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other

forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S.

transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 

●      All travelers entering the United States, regardless of vaccination status, still need to provide either a negative COVID test result taken within three days of departure to the US or have written proof of recovery from Covid to the airline or other immigration official before boarding the airplane.

●      If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel.

●      You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you have been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.

●      People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should talk to their healthcare provider to discuss their activities. They may need to keep taking all precautions to prevent COVID-19.

Unvaccinated or NOT Fully Vaccinated

If you are not fully vaccinated continue to follow the safety guidelines as described by the CDC. 

●      Important Ways to Slow the Spread

o   Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect yourself and others.

o   Stay 6 feet apart from others who don’t live with you.

o   Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces.

o   Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

o   The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended to serve on an UMVIM team.

Domestic Travel Recommendations for Unvaccinated People:

●      Before you travel:

o   Get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before your trip.

●      While you are traveling:

o   Wear a mask over your nose and mouth. Masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling within the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.

o   Avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who is not traveling with you.

o   Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).

●      After you travel:

o   Get tested with a viral test 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel.

o   Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.

o   If your test is positive, isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.

o   If you do not get tested, stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.

o   Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.

o   Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms; isolate and get tested if you develop symptoms.

International Travel for Both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated:

●      You need to pay close attention to the situation at your international destination before traveling outside the United States.

●      The State Department issues travel advisories based on health and safety concerns. Travel to countries at a Level 4 travel advisory is prohibited. Team insurance is not available for mission service in these countries.

●      You do NOT need to get tested before leaving the United States unless your destination requires it.

●      If you travel, you will still be required to wear a mask on planes, buses, trains, and other

forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S.

transportation hubs such as airports and stations. 

●           All travelers entering the United States, regardless of vaccination status, still need to provide either a negative COVID test result within three days of arrival or proof of recovery from Covid.

●      If you do travel, follow all CDC recommendations before, during, and after travel.

●      You should get tested again 3-5 days after international travel.

●      You do NOT need to self-quarantine after arriving in the United States.

o   If you have been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.

●      Fully vaccinated travelers should still follow CDC’s recommendations for traveling safely including:

o   Wear a mask over your nose and mouth

o   Stay 6 feet from others and avoid crowds

o   Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer

●      Go to CDC website for a listing of countries and their travel restrictions and requirements at  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/map-and-travel-notices.html

General Guidance for all Team Leaders

●      All team leaders complete Team Leader training and register the team with your Annual Conference Coordinator or with the Jurisdiction Coordinator.    

●      Check with your local health department and the site host for the current rules and restrictions for the area you are traveling from and to. 

o   Here is a website to help you identify your risk CovidActNow

o   Follow all state and local recommendations or requirements.

o   Where guidance from different authorities conflicts, follow the more restrictive protocols.

●      Know if all the team members are fully vaccinated if they are not then they must follow the CDC testing guidelines.

o   Vaccines strongly recommended for everyone on the team.

●      Follow the guidelines of the CDC for travel both inside and outside the U.S.

●      Do NOT travel if you were exposed to COVID-19, you are sick, you test positive for COVID-19, or you are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test. Learn when it is safe for you to travel. Do not travel with someone who is sick.

o   Consider whether you, someone in your household, or someone you will be serving are at an increased risk for getting very sick from COVID.

●      Work with your site host to:

o   Find out if you need to bring your own PPE supplies

o    Learn what protocols the site is using if someone either a team member or client has tested positive to Covid and exposed others.

●      Make sure each team member has proper medical insurance.  For teams serving in the U.S., UMVIM offers additional coverage for both domestic and international missions.  Policies and terms of coverage vary by jurisdiction.   Check with your jurisdictional coordinator for specific information.

●      Each team member will sign the ‘Medical and Emergency Contact’ and ‘Liability’ Forms.

●      Know the health infrastructure in the area where the team intends to serve and the location of the nearest hospital.

●      Have a plan for canceling the journey or sending team members home if any team members are uncomfortable with the enforcement of safety protocols.

●      Consider donations to the partner organization and organizing a virtual mission if it is not appropriate to physically travel to the project site.

Hosting teams

●      If you are planning to allow unvaccinated volunteers to serve at your site, we suggest that you adhere to the following guidelines:

o   Know the quarantine rules.  Some states require travelers to quarantine or provide proof of a negative COVID test, or proof of vaccination before or after arrival. Have a plan to ensure compliance. 

o   Follow CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting your facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

o   Post reminders for hand washing, awareness of symptoms, etc.

o   Improve air circulation in all common areas.  See CDC guidelines for best practices on interior ventilation.

o   Provide prevention supplies:

▪        hand sanitizer

▪        disposable facemasks

▪        eye protection

▪       cleaners and disinfectants

▪       gloves for food preparation and cleaning

o   Unvaccinated volunteers should work on exterior projects only. Make accommodations for port-a-potties so unvaccinated volunteers do not have to enter a home.

o   Other considerations

▪       Avoid buffet-style meal service. Have kitchen crews prepare dishes. This includes sack lunch preparation.

▪       If the dishwasher does not meet standards for sanitation, consider asking teams to bring paper products (not Styrofoam) to be discarded after each meal. Provide adequate trash receptacles.

▪       All touch surfaces should be thoroughly wiped down when the team arrives and as they prepare to leave with approved cleaners.

▪       Consider ways to assure safe distancing on the work site, in the dorm, dining area, and meeting space.

▪       If possible, provide washer and dryer facilities for laundering expectations.

o   Daily screening protocol

▪       Full symptom check for each missioner

▪       Ask about general health

▪       Ask if missioner has been in contact with anyone who had COVID-19

o   Wipe down all surfaces prior to welcoming teams.

o   Arrange for outdoor projects to assure minimal contact between homeowner and team members (painting, deck or ramp building, landscaping, roofing). Make accommodations for rest room facilities so team members do not have to enter the home. (i.e.: port-a-potties)

o   Indoor projects should only be undertaken with extreme caution.  Adhere closely to indoor gathering limits and ventilate the space using outside air.  Gloves and masks should be always used when indoors on a project site.  KN-95 masks are preferred.

o   Have a plan in place to safely transport a team member who develops symptoms of COVID-19.

▪       Provide space for isolation if someone reports symptoms.

▪       The team member exhibiting symptoms should contact his/her health care provider as soon as possible.

Questions or concerns?  Contact your annual conference UMVIM Coordinator or your Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator.

March 2021 COVID Policy Update

Guidelines for US Project Sites and Team Leaders during COVID-19

 (rev. March 2021)

Our first General Rule as United Methodists is to “do no harm.”  This extends to our mission relationships. We want to “do no harm” to our volunteers or the ones they serve.  Our goal as United Methodist Volunteers In Mission is to minimize COVID-19 infections spread by United Methodist activity.  

The United Methodist Volunteers in Mission leadership understands that many project sites rely on teams to assist in serving the community. These teams may come from nearby, from another state, sometimes from another country. Each individual situation will be different.  Some  local mission partners  or missioners may have contracted and already recovered from COVID-19. Some may have been vaccinated already.  Some may be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. Some are not infected. Some live with family members who are immuno-compromised.  All want to serve.  Yet one of the worst unintended effects of mission work throughout the ages has been the spread of infectious disease.  Remember that we bring other things with us when we bring the Gospel.  We must be careful.

The federal disaster declaration includes every state and territory with most states restricting large gatherings and promoting social distancing guidelines. These guidelines are designed to assist teams and hosts in determining when and how to prepare the site for future teams. All sites should adhere to public health and safety protocols in order to protect employees, homeowners, and missioners.   

All missioners are strongly advised to get a COVID vaccine when it is available. Project sites or annual conferences may require each missioner to get a vaccine.  Bring a copy of your vaccine record with you if possible.

For the latest updates in regard to COVID-19, please visit - Centers for Disease Control.   Pay    particular attention to the CDC’s travel guidelines.

Responsibility for adhering to these guidelines is shared by the Team Leader and the Project Site.  This requires frequent communication and cooperation between both parties. 

General Guidance for International Service

The State Department issues travel advisories based on health and safety concerns. Travel to countries at a Level 4 travel advisory is prohibited. Team insurance is not available for mission service in these countries. 

Travelers may be required to quarantine before or after travel to countries with advisories at Level 3 and below.  All travelers entering the United States are required to produce a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of arrival.

General Guidance for US Project Service

Based on CDC guidelines

• Suspending teams 

  • Make this decision based on the guidance of your governor, bishop, and state, municipal, county, and tribal health authorities. Pay attention to directions about school closure, stay-at-home orders, and the size of gatherings that are allowed.

  • Make this decision with the guidance of your board of directors or other governing body.

• Hosting teams

  • Know the quarantine rules.  Some states require travelers to quarantine or provide proof of a negative COVID test before or after arrival. Have a plan to ensure compliance.  

  • Follow CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting your facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

  • Post reminders for hand washing, awareness of symptoms, etc.

  • Improve air circulation in all common areas.  See CDC guidelines for best practices on interior ventilation.

  • Provide prevention supplies:

    •  hand sanitizer

    •  disposable facemasks

    •  eye protection

    • cleaners and disinfectants

    • Gloves for food preparation and cleaning

  • Other considerations

    • Avoid buffet-style meal service. Have kitchen crews prepare dishes. This includes sack lunch preparation.

    • If the dishwasher does not meet standards for sanitation, consider asking teams to bring paper products (not Styrofoam) to be discarded after each meal. Provide adequate trash receptacles.

    • All touch surfaces should be thoroughly wiped down when the team arrives and as they prepare to leave with approved cleaners. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19

    • Work should be done on exterior projects only. Make accommodations for port-a-potties so teams do not have to enter a home.

    • Consider ways to assure safe distancing on the work site, in the dorm, dining area, and meeting space.

    • If possible, provide washer and dryer facilities for laundering expectations.

• Daily screening protocol

• Full symptom check for each missioner

• Ask about general health

• Ask if missioner has been in contact with anyone who had COVID-19

• Wipe down all surfaces prior to welcoming teams.

• Arrange for outdoor projects to assure minimal contact between homeowner and team members (painting, deck or ramp building, landscaping, roofing). Make accommodations for rest room facilities so team members do not have to enter the home. (i.e.: port-a-potties)

• Indoor projects should only be undertaken with extreme caution.  Adhere closely to indoor gathering limits and ventilate the space using outside air.  Gloves and masks should be used at all times when indoors on a project site.  KN-95 masks are preferred.

• Childrens’ ministry (VBS) should be suspended until more guidance from CDC and the local officials is available.

• Have a plan in place to safely transport a team member who develops symptoms of COVID-19.

  • Provide space for isolation if someone reports symptoms.

  • The  team member exhibiting symptoms should contact his/her health care provider as soon as possible.

• Leading Teams

  • Follow the guidelines of the CDC for travel both inside and outside the U.S.

  • Follow your local guidelines from your governor, bishop, and state, municipal, county, and tribal health authorities.  Also make sure you know the local guidelines in the place where you intend to serve.  Where guidance from different authorities conflict, follow the more restrictive protocols.

  • If it is determined that it is safe and lawful to serve, continue to make arrangements for proper social distancing and PPE for team members, and sanitize surfaces and equipment wherever you go.  

  • Make sure each team member has proper medical insurance.  For teams serving in the U.S., UMVIM offers temporary coverage for missioners. (Policies and terms of coverage vary by jurisdiction).  For teams serving internationally, UMVIM offers travel medical and accident insurance coverage for the duration of your service.  COVID-19 treatment is covered if contracted during your period of service. Check with your jurisdictional coordinator for specific information.

  • Each team member will sign the Medical and Emergency Form. 

  • Know the health infrastructure in the area where the team intends to serve and the location of the nearest hospital. 

  • Have a plan for canceling the journey or sending team members home if any team members are uncomfortable with the enforcement of safety protocols.

  • Consider donations to the partner organization and organizing a virtual mission if it is not appropriate to physically travel to the project site.

Even though vaccines are now available to the public, full distribution will be months away.  We expect to continue taking measures to interrupt transmission of the virus for the protection of our volunteers and those we serve, even if (1) antibodies are proven to protect against re-infection, (2) tests are widely available to the general public and all team members have recently tested negative, or (3) vaccines are widely available and all team members have been vaccinated.

Questions or concerns?  Contact your annual conference UMVIM Coordinator or your Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator.

COVID Insurance Coverage Available

2020 was a tough year for many mission projects and teams due to the uncertainty of health and restrictions on travel.

The UMVIM jurisdictional coordinators have been working with insurance providers to offer insurance policies which offer some coverage for COVID, which we are now offering to teams.

These policies are far from perfect, and do have various restrictions, so those interested are encouraged to contact your UMVIM Jurisdictional coordinator.

February 2021 - COVID Guidelines for US Projects and Team Leaders

Guidelines for US Project Sites and Team Leaders during COVID-19

 (rev. February 2021)

Our first General Rule as United Methodists is to “do no harm.”  This extends to our mission relationships. We want to “do no harm” to our volunteers or the ones they serve.  Our goal as United Methodist Volunteers In Mission is to minimize COVID-19 infections spread by United Methodist activity.  

The United Methodist Volunteers in Mission leadership understands that many project sites rely on teams to assist in serving the community. These teams may come from nearby, from another state, sometimes from another country. Each individual situation will be different.  Some  local mission partners  or missioners may have contracted and already recovered from COVID-19. Some may be carriers. Some are not infected. Some live with family members who are immuno-compromised.  All want to serve.  Yet one of the worst unintended effects of mission work throughout the ages has been the spread of infectious disease.  Remember that we bring other things with us when we bring the Gospel.  We must be careful. 

The federal disaster declaration includes every state and territory with most states restricting large gatherings and promoting social distancing guidelines. These guidelines are designed to assist teams and hosts in determining when and how to prepare the site for future teams. All sites should adhere to public health and safety protocols in order to protect employees, homeowners, and missioners.   

All missioners are strongly advised to get a COVID vaccine when it is available. Project sites or annual conferences may require each missioner to get a vaccine.

For the latest updates in regard to COVID-19, please visit - Centers for Disease Control.   Pay    particular attention to the CDC’s travel guidelines.

Responsibility for adhering to these guidelines is shared by the Team Leader and the Project Site.  This requires frequent communication and cooperation between both parties. 

General Guidance for International Service

The State Department issues travel advisories based on health and safety concerns. Travel to countries at a Level 4 travel advisory is prohibited. Team insurance is not available for mission service in these countries. 

Travelers may be required to quarantine before or after travel to countries with advisories at Level 3 and below.  All travelers entering the United States are required to produce a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of arrival.

General Guidance for US Project Service

Based on CDC guidelines

• Suspending teams 

  • Make this decision based on the guidance of your governor, bishop, and state, municipal, county, and tribal health authorities. Pay attention to directions about school closure, stay-at-home orders, and the size of gatherings that are allowed.

  • Make this decision with the guidance of your board of directors or other governing body.

• Hosting teams

  • Know the quarantine rules.  Some states require travelers to quarantine before or after arrival. Have a plan to ensure compliance.  

  • Follow CDC guidance on cleaning and disinfecting your facilities. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html

  • Post reminders for hand washing, awareness of symptoms, etc.

  • Improve air circulation in all common areas.  See CDC guidelines for best practices on interior ventilation.

  • Provide prevention supplies:

    •  hand sanitizer

    •  disposable facemasks

    •  eye protection

    • cleaners and disinfectants

    • Gloves for food preparation and cleaning

  • Other considerations

    • Avoid buffet-style meal service. Have kitchen crews prepare dishes. This includes sack lunch preparation.

    • If the dishwasher does not meet standards for sanitation, consider asking teams to bring paper products (not Styrofoam) to be discarded after each meal. Provide adequate trash receptacles.

    • All touch surfaces should be thoroughly wiped down when the team arrives and as they prepare to leave with approved cleaners. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2-covid-19

    • Work should be done on exterior projects only. Make accommodations for port-a-potties so teams do not have to enter a home.

    • Consider ways to assure safe distancing on the work sight, in the dorm, dining area, and meeting space.

    • If possible, provide washer and dryer facilities for laundering expectations.

• Daily screening protocol

• Full symptom check for each missioner

• Ask about general health

• Ask if missioner has been in contact with anyone who had COVID-19

• Wipe down all surfaces prior to welcoming teams.

• Arrange for outdoor projects to assure minimal contact between homeowner and team members (painting, deck or ramp building, landscaping, roofing). Make accommodations for rest room facilities so team members do not have to enter the home. (i.e.: port-a-potties)

• Childrens’ ministry (VBS) should be suspended until more guidance from CDC and the local officials is available.

• Have a plan in place to safely transport a team member who develops symptoms of COVID-19.

  • Provide space for isolation if someone reports symptoms.

  • The  team member exhibiting symptoms should contact his/her health care provider as soon as possible.

• Leading Teams

  • Follow the guidelines of the CDC for travel both inside and outside the U.S.

  • Follow your local guidelines from your governor, bishop, and state, municipal, county, and tribal health authorities.  Also make sure you know the local guidelines in the place where you intend to serve.  Where guidance from different authorities conflict, follow the more restrictive protocols.

  • If it is determined that it is safe and lawful to serve, continue to make arrangements for proper social distancing and PPE for team members, and sanitize surfaces and equipment wherever you go.  

  • Each team member will sign the Medical and Emergency Form. 

  • Know the health infrastructure in the area where the team intends to serve and the location of the nearest hospital. 

  • Have a plan for canceling the journey or sending team members home if any team members are uncomfortable with the enforcement of safety protocols.

  • Consider donations to the partner organization and organizing a virtual mission if it is not appropriate to physically travel to the project site.

Even though vaccines are now available to the public, full distribution will be many months away.  We expect to continue taking measures to interrupt transmission of the virus for the protection of our volunteers and those we serve, even if (1) antibodies are proven to protect against re-infection, (2) tests are widely available to the general public and all team members have recently tested negative, or (3) vaccines are widely available and all team members have been vaccinated.

Questions or concerns?  Contact your annual conference UMVIM Coordinator or your Jurisdictional UMVIM Coordinator.

Appeal From Argentina

The following was sent to those who have served with various UMVIM projects in Argentina from Doug Williams:

Know we are praying for you in the US with the rise of Covid infections. We are seeing a rise here as well and with quarantine fatigue a lowering of restrictions in many provinces. The schools in Mendoza are required by the governor to have face to face meetings, many people are in the streets without masks, and hospitals are full. Argentina ranks 8th highest in the world for deaths per number infected.

I have some sad news. Some of the feeding programs have been put on hold for economic reasons. We had received funding from the Methodist Church in England to help and their funds ran out. In mendoza we received U$S 300 per month to which the church has been contributing about U$S 100. We are focusing on keeping schools open and pastors in ministry. The Mendoza methodists are putting together a special Christmas package with a little food to let families know we are with them. Pastors across Argentina are doing what they can.

I'm doing what I can in asking you to consider a special Christmas offering. Below is a Link to a video about a Christmas offering for Argentina ( 3 minutes). You are welcome to share the video with your friends or pastor and maybe they will want to do a church wide special offering. I trust your discernment in that.

Paz
Douglas

Christmas special offering invite video 3 minutes.
https://vimeo.com/481278286

I would recommend dividing the giving between two special advance numbers. The first pays missionaries salaries around the world but is done so in my name. BGM has let 65 staff go this year and need support. The second funds the five poorest Methodist schools in Argentina. I can only speak to the school in Mendoza when I say we are only scrapping by with local donations.

My special advance number: 3022122. http://www.umcmission.org/Explore-Our-Work/Missionaries-in-Service/Missionary-Profiles/williams-douglas

Argentina schools special advance: 3022416 http://proto-gbgmmissions.gbgm-umc.org/p-1823-children-and-adolescent-education-argentina.aspx