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Amid a historic surge in global displacement and migration, Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) respond with compassion and courage. Partnering with faith-rooted legal advocates, grassroots networks, UMC connections and international humanitarian agencies, this work supports migrants and refugees through legal assistance, emergency relief, food security, housing, psychosocial care and much more. From local congregations welcoming newcomers in U.S. towns to food programs for displaced families in Gaza, many facets of Global Ministries’ work accompany migrants through every stage of their journey – affirming their humanity, upholding their dignity and advocating for justice.
Amid a historic surge in global displacement and migration, Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) respond with compassion and courage. Partnering with faith-rooted legal advocates, grassroots networks, UMC connections and international humanitarian agencies, this work supports migrants and refugees through legal assistance, emergency relief, food security, housing, psychosocial care and much more. From local congregations welcoming newcomers in U.S. towns to food programs for displaced families in Gaza, many facets of Global Ministries’ work accompany migrants through every stage of their journey – affirming their humanity, upholding their dignity and advocating for justice.
Photo: Mike DuBose, UM News
Each morning, the co-executive director of the Immigration Law and Justice Network (ILJN) opens her inbox to stories of fear and heartbreak – families torn apart, children unsure if school is safe, parents terrified of workplace raids. But this year, she’s not just listening. She’s leading a movement. With support from UMCOR, ILJN is responding with compassion, legal strength, and a deep commitment to justice—offering hope where there was only despair.
Photo: IOCC
In war-torn Gaza, where malnutrition is spreading faster than aid can arrive, a warm meal can mean survival – and hope. UMCOR and partners are feeding thousands here, a joint effort between UMCOR and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). Hot, nutritious meals, trauma counseling and psychosocial care are offered to children and adults in camps of displaced residents.
Photo: MIphoto/James Deaton
UMCOR migration grants around the world and in the U.S. help those displaced by violence and fear find hope and welcome. Fulfilling the biblical mandate to welcome the stranger, UMCOR’s support has helped launch a new initiative in the Michigan Annual Conference: the Courageous Communities Project. This program builds on the success of many Mustard Seed Migration Grants that are empowering local congregations to become bold centers of welcome., offering housing, transportation, ESL classes and much more to asylum seekers and immigrant families.
God of the journey, you were both a refugee and a refuge for your people. Be near to all who are forced from home and those exploited and abused. Bless those who offer welcome and protection and guide us toward greater justice and belonging. Amen.
In response to the increasing threat of deportation and the unjust separation of families, Global Ministries and UMCOR are committed to supporting refugees and migrants, grounded in the biblical call to welcome the stranger. Consider a gift to support ministries that restore hope to those fleeing danger.
(Mike DuBose, UM News)
When Alba Jaramillo opens her inbox each morning, the messages are heartbreaking. Stories of families torn apart, undocumented parents fearing workplace raids and children asking if their schools are safe. But this year, she’s answering those cries with new resolve and crucial new resources.
Jaramillo is the co-executive director of the Immigration Law & Justice Network (ILJN), a faith-rooted legal system responding to the looming threat of a national deportation campaign. Backed by a generous UMCOR grant, ILJN has launched a Removal Defense Unit to help families facing legal uncertainty, detention and displacement.
With mass deportations and expedited removals under the new administration, ILJN’s network – spanning 17 states – is uniquely positioned to help. The grant funds will go toward hiring legal experts, creating multilingual “Know Your Rights” materials and even offering wellness retreats for attorneys and staff facing emotional burnout. Currently, ILJN is focusing its efforts on unaccompanied children who have been denied or coerced to give up their rights to legal representation and due process.
“Being on the frontlines of this work is exhausting,” says Melissa Bowe, ILJN’s co-executive director with Jaramillo. “But with UMCOR’s support, we’re stronger. We can equip our teams to respond with wisdom and care—and to keep showing up, no matter how hard the fight gets.”
(Photo: IOCC)
To meet the overwhelming hunger of people living in a region devastated by war, a partnership between UMCOR and International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) uses local kitchens to prepare and deliver hot, fresh meals directly to those in need.
For Hana*, a 34-year-old mother of five whose home was destroyed and whose husband was injured, the program meant relief and dignity. “My children would go to sleep hungry,” she recalls. “The war took away our home and our ability to survive. When I saw them eat that first hot meal, I was so relieved.”
Building on a successful pilot project that fed thousands daily, UMCOR and IOCC have expanded to a new Central Gaza site, partnering with a Palestinian women’s organization to reach 3,700 people. Plans include not only food aid, but also psychosocial support, trauma counseling and activities for 2,000 children to help them experience moments of joy amid crisis.
For UMCOR, this work is more than relief. It is an act of faith, ensuring that in Gaza’s darkest hours, dignity, kindness and hope can thrive.
*names have been changed
(Photo: Courtesy of Carol Driscoll)
Many refugees and asylum seekers enter the United States with nothing. Forced to flee their homes and communities for a variety of reasons, often under the threat of violence, people on the move need support – but are increasingly met with harassment and inhumane forms of deportation. Families are being separated – without due process of the law.
A number of churches in the Michigan Annual Conference have responded to the growing need for support through UMCOR’s Mustard Seed Migration program, enabling congregations to discern their unique role in welcoming newcomers. From housing to furnishings to language education, UMC congregations across the U.S. are creating brighter futures for those who may otherwise have lost hope.
Building on this success, the Michigan Conferenced launched a new initiative: the Courageous Communities Project. Supported by UMCOR, this project aims to resource church leaders who desire to support their immigrant neighbors with an online toolbox, consultations and trainings. The powerful impact of these programs reveals that each one of us can make a difference in welcoming the stranger in our communities.
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
