Witnesses for peace in Ukraine

Even while following strict COVID-19 quarantine orders in Ukraine, United Methodists pray for peace and resolution to the ongoing armed conflict in eastern Ukraine. Missionary John Calhoun has the story.

New Opportunities in UMCOR Response

Mellie Thomas, Disaster Recovery Project Manager of the Mississippi Annual Conference, talks about changes in disaster response due to the coronavirus.

Dear UMCOR: Letter from partner in Haiti

To help stop the spread of COVID-19, an UMCOR-supported organization in Haiti writes to share how they have been able to pivot from sewing sanitary pads to sewing reusable, washable masks to distribute within their community.

Peace in the midst of pandemic

Vicki McCuistion reflects on the work of UMCOR in the Rio Texas Conference and how her training as a disaster recovery asset manager prepared her to navigate a different kind of disaster: the coronavirus.

Building bridges between people and land

Daoud Nassar highlights the four principles of the Tent of Nations, a family farm operating on the Palestinian West Bank, which strives to bring different cultures together to develop understanding and respect for one another and their shared land.

Wings of the Morning

Early in March the North Katanga Wings of the Morning pilot, Gaston Ntambo Nkulu, was asked to fly a peace mission to the Tanganyika province to facilitate peace negotiations in Nyunzu. George Howard shares the story.

From Darkness to Light: Transformation

The Rev. Dr. Richard Boone, Church and Community Worker missionary with the West Ohio Conference, tells the story of how an inmate experiences transformation through the Horizon Prison Initiative.

UMCOR Campaigns

Six Years, No Solution: A 500-Gallon Tank Carries Hope to West Virginia’s Forgotten

McDowell County is one of the poorest in the U.S., and the communities of Anawalt, Leckie and Gary are some of the hardest hit by the current six-year water crisis. All have Methodist churches that are part of the Welch Charge.

To ease the burden of residents who have to purchase many gallons of drinking water weekly, the Welch Charge contacted the West Virginia Conference Disaster Response Coordinator, Jim McCune, for help. McCune’s United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) connection put him in touch with Global Ministries’ Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program. 

A WASH grant allowed them to obtain a 500-gallon “water buffalo.” The conference disaster response team arranged to fill the portable water buffalo from the Welch water system, the county seat of McDowell, and transport it to Gary, where residents have been supplied with refillable containers. Residents of all three towns can come to get water, and volunteers will also continue deliveries for those who need it. Meanwhile, residents, including church members, continue to advocate state and local officials for a permanent solution to their aging, compromised water infrastructure. Full Story