The UMCOR Hotline

• NEWS: “I CAN SEE THE RIVER RISING”
• PRAYER: SPRING STORMS AND SAGER BROWN
• MEDIA: FAIR TRADE PARTNER ZIMELE
• RESOURCE: WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY

   

NEWS: “I CAN SEE THE RIVER RISING”

“From here, I can see the river rising,” Diane Graham said, “and I watch out this window whenever it rains.”

The night Hurricane Irene struck Berlin, Vermont, where Graham lives, she was watching in just the same way. She saw the water rise rapidly towards her door and she grabbed a few personal items and escaped her home just minutes before a seven-foot wall of water swept into her home and dozens of others.

Graham, who is semi-retired with a small housecleaning business, has always been self-sustaining. She needed help after the flood, but Graham wasn’t ready to admit it for many weeks—until she met JoEllen Calderara, chair of the Central Vermont Long-Term Recovery Committee.

The committee is one of 10 across the state identifying unmet needs in communities affected by flooding. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provided training and support that helped these committees bring hope to thousands of people.

“We were able to help Diane with financing for a new mobile home,” said Calderara, The committee was also able to provide her with funds to replace items that were lost and a United Methodist volunteer team is scheduled to build a new porch for her home in June.

She said she’s glad she found the courage to ask for help, and she’s trying to help others who are walking down the same long road to recovery. Read more.

You can help people recovering from this and other disasters in the US. Give to US Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670.

PRAYER: SPRING STORMS AND SAGER BROWN

Pray for communities that are recovering from the storms that have swept across the US in recent weeks and those who are helping them rebuild.

Give thanks for the work of UMCOR Sager Brown, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Pray for the continued work of this depot that ships out relief supplies all over the world and the staff and volunteers that keep this ministry going.

MEDIA: FAIR TRADE PARTNER ZIMELE

Zimele, an UMCOR partner in fair trade, is a nonprofit organization in South Africa that helps vulnerable women develop their own businesses, such as the sale of fair trade crafts. Learn more about Zimele through this new UMCOR video.

RESOURCE: WORLD FAIR TRADE DAY

World Fair Trade Day is May 12. Take time to learn how you can ensure that others are receiving a fair wage for their products. This bulletin insert tells the story of one woman who was helped through UMCOR’s fair trade partner, Prosperity Candle.

UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. You can also give online by clicking any of the "Give Now" links. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.

And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.

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United Methodist Committee on Relief
General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
Room 1520, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115
Voice Phone: 1-212-870-3816; FAX: 1-212-870-3624
Email: umcor@gbgm-umc.org
Web: http://www.umcor.org