The Servant's Journey 

February 2017 Issue

Haiti Team Leader Opportunity

Several months after Hurricane Matthew, many of the affected areas still have not had a site assessment and much work remains to be done.  According to the guidelines set by the Methodist Church of Haiti and Global Ministries, teams wishing to engage in disaster response following Hurricane Matthew should meet the following criteria:

• Team Leader should have experience leading teams IN HAITI
• Teams should be no larger than 8 people
• At least half of the team should have prior experience IN HAITI
• In addition to transportation and room & board costs, teams are asked to raise $5000 for Project Funds, half of which will be subject to the EMH's Administrative Fee of 5%. 
  
• All teams should be coordinated through the VIM Coordinator and Guest House Manager in Port-au-Prince, Brulan Jean-Michel, brulanj@yahoo.com
  

To help ease the flow of teams into Haiti, UMVIM-NEJ is sponsoring a Team Leader Journey from April 18-24, 2017.  The intent is two-fold: to give experienced team leaders the requisite Haiti experience AND to train volunteers with Haiti experience to be UMVIM Team Leaders.  Any interested parties should contact the UMVIM-NEJ Coordinator, Tom Lank, as soon as possible at coordinator@umvimnej.org.

Due to complications with the Affordable Care Act, UMVIM-NEJ is currently unable to offer insurance coverage to U.S. team members who are serving in the 50 U.S. states.  (U.S. territories like Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, or Guam are still covered under our policy.)  We are working to correct this even as the future of the ACA is in question.

In the meantime we are recommending two options for U.S. teams serving in the U.S. Our colleagues in the North Central Jurisdiction offer an Accident-Only Insurance Policy (no medical coverage) through Mutual of Omaha at $0.75/person/day.  This coverage can be obtained with short notice and is a good option for ERT teams.  You can find the details at umvimncj.org/insurance.  For fuller coverage, similar to our own, you can go directly through Brotherhood Mutual for their Faith Ventures policy, which is slightly more expensive than ours ($31/person flat fee). For all other teams, our coverage is still the best around and our prices are coordinated with the other Jurisdictions.

Please make sure that when you apply for international coverage you are using the most updated application forms and procedures, which can always be found at our website: www.umvimnej.org/mission-insurance.  

The long-term recovery effort is well underway.  UMCOR recently released a $500,000 grant for WV to assist in disaster case management, construction coordination, supplies and materials.  The goal is to help at least 120 families in the next two years.  Go to 
http://wvumc.org/About/Ministries/Disaster-Response for all the information you need to donate or volunteer.

A Future With Hope is still working with a $750,000 grant from UMCOR to continue recovery from the 2012 Hurricane Sandy.  There are many homes in Atlantic County that are still in need of volunteer teams.  In many cases these are people who were swindled by contractors in the immediate aftermath of the storm and have now recovered their funds.  The more teams, the further the grant money stretches and the more families we can help!  Register here or join one of our existing teams.

The Connellsville Flood Recovery Center still has 109 active cases that they are working with in the aftermath of flooding in late August last year. Many of those homes will need volunteer assistance to do repair and rebuild work as spring approaches. UM volunteers from around the conference, including Erie, Butler, Connellsville, Pittsburgh, Greensburg, and Johnstown districts have helped thus far. Housing and hospitality for teams wishing to serve for multiple days up to one week is available though one day teams have been the most common practice. Some teams, such one from Latrobe UMC, serve once a month! Volunteers can register online at https://connellsvillevolunteers.org/2016/09/08/how-to-volunteer/ or email volunteer@wpaumc.org. We expect to be scheduling volunteers throughout spring and summer 2017. 

Susquehanna Conference Disaster Response Coordinator Ron Salsman is asking for assistance from surrounding conferences to help with the flash flooding they experienced just before Halloween.  He has arranged for housing, showers, and kitchen facilities.  Teams should be trained and should contact Ron directly at rsalsman@susumc.org.  In particular, folks with HVAC installation experience are needed as well as skid steers and backhoes. 

Outside the Jurisdiction

North Carolina:  Still in the muck-out phase following Hurricane Matthew, believe it or not.  They are scheduling teams to finish that work and begin the rebuild phase.  Details and contact information can be found at https://nccumc.org/news/tag/hurricane-matthew/

South Carolina: Early Response Teams are being requested from all Jurisdictions.  ERT's must have a trained ERT leader.  The South Carolina Conference can help coordinate housing and food, but self-sufficient teams are also needed and welcome.  To volunteer, please call 1-800-390-4911.

Louisiana is recovering from two recent flooding events in different parts of the state.  To send a team, visit www.la-umc.org.

Central Texas: We are looking for groups from High School age (with adult supervision) to adults.  We have 36 homes in total in are in need of work in Hood County(Granbury, TX).  The work varies from putting in sheetrock and insulation, laying flooring, painting and more.   If you don’t know how you can have on the job training.  Please, we are looking for groups of 3 or more to work.  If you are interested in helping please contact our Volunteer Coordinator/Case Manager Katheryn Meroney through the email and give her your contact information and choice of dates to work.  From there she will send you forms to fill out for skill sets, and medical and liability release.  The construction person will be in contact with you about types of work.  If you know of groups who wish to stay overnight to work accommodations will be made for this also.  The contact information is kathrynmeroney@gmail.com Corsicana has 76 homes to be worked on with the same type of work and they will be ready for teams starting March 1st.    Please contact Agustin Soto at floodrelief.navrroco@gmail.com  Both locations have the local Methodist church to stay in with showers and a kitchen for your accommodations.  All of that will be arranged through your volunteer coordinator.

      Virginia:  The Virginia Conference is requesting trained Early Response Teams         to respond to flooding in the Hampton Roads area. Team members must have           completed ERT training and have a current badge.  To schedule your team,               please contact Michele Michaelian, Conference ERT Coordinator, via email at         mlskcs@aol.com.

Southeast Arkansas:  is seeking teams to help with repairs needed as a result of the March 2016 floods.  The damage incurred is a result of the same storms that devastated areas of Texas and Louisiana.  Organization of Long Term Recovery was delayed for various reasons but is now in place and operational.  Projects are identified and funding secured but volunteer help is little to none.  When considering mission opportunities, please consider our neighbors in Southeast Arkansas.  Several priority cases are waiting.  To volunteer contact Ron Jones, Site Volunteer Coordinator, at woodrat3@live.com or Janice Mann, Disaster Response Coordinator, at disaster@arumc.org.

Mississippi: Hattiesburg, MS and Petal, MS were severely impacted by tornadoes the weekend of January 21, 2017. They have requested trained Early Response Teams (ERT), trained chain saw teams, and heavy equipment teams. ERTs need to be self-sustainable. Please click here for additional information and contact information.

The Methodist community in the Bahamas has suffered damage to several of their churches, and a major setback to the completion of the renovation work at St. Paul's Methodist College. The Bishop of the Bahamas/Turks and Caicos Islands Conference has requested assistance from UMVIM teams across the UMC connection. For more information, please contact the NEJ UMVIM office first at (919) 428-0461.

Did You Know?

The Red Cross has issued a new Shelter Field Guide.  Check it out here.

Children's Disaster Services and its trained and certified volunteers provide care for children and families following disasters. The 27-hour overnight workshops provide required training for volunteers who wish to serve in the program.  Find out how to register for one of their trainings here.

Each issue of The Servant's Journey will be archived at http://umvimnej.org/news_events/newsletters.html.  Go back and see what you missed!