News & Stories / North America

News & Stories

North America

U.S. churches nationwide are using Direct Pay funding for solar conversion, but the program is about to drastically change.

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Global Ministries welcomes the decision of a U.S. federal judge to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline, pending a thorough study of the environmental impact of the 1,172-mile ribbon of oil opposed by Native Americans, notably among the Sioux.
Decades of support and funding from Global Ministries’ Community Developers Program has helped Buena Vista UMC increase outreach within its community.
Originally from Minneapolis but now serving in Tampa as a Global Mission Fellow, Abigail Reeth envisioned a way for her community - especially the kids - to process and respond to racial injustice: painting a mural together.
For communities devastated by May flooding, the road to resilience is paved with support coming from federal, state and local sources – and from United Methodists.
For five years, the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta has been working to win the release of Black men and women serving decades-long prison sentences for minor offences. This year, an UMCOR grant provided the means for SCHR to establish a reentry program to help released clients navigate the barriers they need to cross in order to thrive.
UMCOR has awarded $1.56 million to help vulnerable communities cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. These grants enable churches to respond to issues of food insecurity, sanitation and hygiene, and other financial needs.
Churches use UMCOR Sheltering in Love grants to supply food to immigrant communities across the United States.
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.

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Have questions? Send us an inquiry and we’ll get back to you promptly. Please direct all media inquiries to Susan Clark, chief communications officer for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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Susan Clark, Chief Communications Officer
media@umcmission.org
800-862-4246

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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