Volunteer Sumant Joshi clears tornado debris in front of East End United Methodist Church in Nashville, TN, in March 2020. (Photo: Mike DuBose, UM News)

ATLANTA – For more than 80 years, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has alleviated the suffering of individuals, families and communities affected by both natural and humanmade disaster.

UMCOR journeys with communities throughout a disaster’s cycle, including disaster preparedness, relief, response, recovery and mitigation. It focuses on disasters that overwhelm a local community’s ability to respond, such as storms and flooding, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, war and civil unrest.

Through a strong network of worldwide partners, UMCOR quickly assesses needs in the wake of disaster. UMCOR comes alongside communities at their invitation and encourages their involvement in and ownership of their recovery. UMCOR works collaboratively with local partners to connect survivors to the help they need to rebuild their lives.

In the U.S., UMCOR works with disaster response ministries and coordinators in annual conferences. Internationally, UMCOR resources Disaster Management Offices in Africa and the Philippines and accompanies and equips other Methodist and faith-based partners. UMCOR’s primary channels of assistance are training, technical support, and both short and long-term grantmaking and programming.

From initial relief efforts such as distributing food, water, clothing and hygiene items, to long-term recovery projects like home repair, case management, psychosocial support and restoring livelihoods, UMCOR’s partners select beneficiaries based on need and vulnerability as opposed to other categories such as gender, race or religion.

UMCOR’s ministry would not be possible without the support of others who give generously of their time and resources. There are several ways you can join UMCOR in disaster response efforts:

Pray
Our work is undergirded by the power of prayer. Pray for disaster survivors, first-responders and those coordinating local responses. Pray that basic needs would be met and that communities would experience resilience. Follow UMCOR on social media to learn how you can pray for the latest disasters.  

Serve
UMCOR welcomes volunteers to both prepare for and respond to disaster.

Volunteer at a supply depot within the United Methodist Relief Supply Network like Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA.  

Make cleaning, hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits to be sent to disaster-affected communities in the U.S. (UMCOR does not ship kits internationally.)

Give toward the purchasing of kit items to keep supply depots well-stocked.

Consider Early Response Team (ERT) training within your annual conference. And please do not self-deploy. Visit the disaster response ministry section of your conference’s website to learn more.

Share
Tell others about the work of UMCOR! Visit our News Center for stories on UMC relief and recovery efforts around the world.

Give
Donations to U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery, International Disaster Response and Recovery or UMCOR Where Most Needed enable UMCOR to respond quickly and effectively to disasters as they arise. 100% of gifts made to UMCOR go directly to help those in need rather than funding administrative and operating costs.

Together, we can alleviate the suffering of those affected by disaster, bringing hope and healing to communities worldwide.

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