UMCOR News & Stories

As grant requests continue to pour in from the U.S. and around the world, UMCOR has awarded $966,069 in grants in four weeks. Global Ministries has supplemented those funds, bringing the total amount of COVID-19 assistance to $1.3 million.

The General Secretaries write to express anger, pain and determination to make change in their spheres of influence and to support the church in the urgent and ongoing work to eliminate racism.

In response to the current pandemic, UMCOR has launched virtual self-care trainings for U.S. disaster case managers.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

UMCOR’s work with Syrian and other refugees who have fled to Lebanon and Jordan engages with four partners to provide counseling, rent assistance, clearing of landmines, medical assistance and other necessities.

UMCOR assisted several Methodist-related partners in the relief phase of the Dorian Hurricane response in the Bahamas. This year, UMCOR continues to support those partners working on shelter and case management, and a new partner moves forward to help the islands provide fresh water for 70,000 people.

To control the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, the General Board of Global Ministries, recommends observing simple everyday preventive actions, WHO and the CDC infection prevention and control measures, that help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses.