Finding a Way: Food Security and Fellowship

Asti White, a Global Mission Fellow, discusses how his ministry in Michigan is addressing food injustice and how they’ve adapted their methods of fellowship amidst crisis.

UMCOR and Church of the Brethren partnership puts kids first

United Methodists are long-time supporters of Children Disaster Services, a critical coordinating agency of the Church of the Brethren. With UMCOR grants and prayers and many volunteer hours, United Methodists help to care for the youngest family members when disasters strike.

World Refugee Day: Every Action Counts

On World Refugee Day, UMCOR shares this story of a Syrian refugee family in Lebanon who finds hope in the caring presence of an UMCOR partner. This day, every action counts in the effort to create a more just, inclusive and welcoming world for everyone.

A little hope saves lives

Farmers in India have battled severe drought conditions for decades, leading some to lose hope. UMCOR partners with the Church Auxiliary for Social Action, a service agency of the National Council of Churches in India, to reach marginalized families in ways that help them survive the drought season and develop a different plan for the future.

Lamentation and Bitter Weeping

Bishop Hee-Soo Jung, president of the board of Global Ministries, grieves over the unjust deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and challenges disciples of Jesus Christ to step forth in action.

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