Ebola in West Africa

This weekend Indiana Conference hosted a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission/ RxConnection event sponsored by North Central Jurisdiction.  Epworth Forest was buzzing with mission folks for 3 days.   Presenters included Denise Honeycutt, the new head of UMCOR; Una Jones, the person responsible for Mission Volunteers for our denomination; as well as Missionaries which included Ardell and Gordon Graner.   (Ardell is Valparaiso 1st UMC's covenant missionary in Dominican Republic.)     

 



Tee-shirts have been printed.

With Rx Connection (the medical volunteer arm of the Jurisdiction) being involved in the weekend's planning, current information about how the church is responding to Ebola in West Africa was a topic of conversation.  This is how the church is responding.UMCOR has given to various NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations) $87,000 to be used in the Ebola response.   Indiana Conference sent $10,000 for Bishop Yambuso (Bishop of Sierra Leone) for use in training pastors in Sierra Leone.  With just 40  people remaining at the event, the Sunday offering was about $650 and that will be sent to UMCOR for use immediately. 

How might Valparaiso 1st Church respond to this emergency?

1. Pray for those who live in fear of this deadly disease, those who are suffering from the disease, the health care workers who are doing everything possible to keep the disease from spreading, the NGO's (non-governmental organizations) who are providing support and education, and the governments of West Africa.
2. Learn more about how the church is responding by following this link.
3. Make an online gift to UMCOR to  project #982450 and indicate Ebola.
4. Write a check to Valparaiso 1st UMC and write #982450 Ebola on the memo line. 

  

Give Them Something to Eat

A special worship time with a powerful message by Pastor Jacob using the familiar scripture Matthew 14:13-21 has been the start of a wonderful week.   While bringing bags of groceries to the front at communion time made for a bit noisier time than usual, the visual of food bags for the Christian Food Pantry made a joyful noise in our hearts.  We had 183 bags of groceries (and more promised) as well as cash donations for the Food Pantry  given on Sunday.  

After re-reading the scripture, listen to this song and feel the words...  Until All are Fed  

What a blessing we have received with excitement about feeding those in our community.  We were stretched to consider that it was far more than food that Jesus was talking about.  Will we continue to continue "feeding" others, "until all are fed"?  

Statement on Refugee Crisis at Our Southern Border

The Indiana Conference UMC's Social Advocacy team has shared the following statement: 

The Welcome of Christ: Unaccompanied Minors at the Border

There have been many responses to the “border crisis” and the lack of comprehensive immigration reform in our nation. The United Methodist Church, in its Social Principles, teaches that “we recognize, embrace, and affirm all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of family of God.” Many within The United Methodist Church have worked for comprehensive immigration reform in the past. This work continues as many children, unaccompanied minors, have made their way to our border. There are United Methodist congregations on the border and here in Indiana who are working to help these unaccompanied minors.
Indiana Governor Mike Pence recently released a statement calling on President Obama to send the children back to their home countries. The Social Advocacy Team of The United Methodist Church in Indiana calls on Gov. Pence and the United States Government to respond in a humane and generous way to these children who have arrived with nothing. They are simply seeking a better a life, one that our United Methodist congregations hope to help them reach. They are refugees coming from terrible situations that we can only imagine here in the United States. It’s time to act on comprehensive immigration reform and it’s time to make the right decision for families and children who are at risk.
According to Matthew 25:35, Jesus defined a righteous person as one who welcomes strangers and does not turn them away. As followers of Christ, we feel compelled to welcome these children and youth who have come to the United States in hope of a better tomorrow. We believe to deny them is to deny Christ. Here are four ways you can be involved:
Pray: Pray for the children and their families, their countries and those responding to their needs.
Learn: Understand the underlying issues and the personal stories of the children. Information on the United Methodist response can be found on UMC.org/immigration.
Support the humanitarian response: The United Methodist Committee on Relief, Justice For Our Neighbors, United Methodist Women, Church World Service  and other organizations are responding. Individual congregations can seek to work with border churches and ministries.
Advocate: Urge lawmakers not to repeal provisions of human trafficking laws that protect minors or to expedite the deporting of children. The General Board of Church and Society information on advocacy, and a General Board of Discipleship resource offers action steps.
 The Mission Council's goal is to provide information for all of our church members to make informed decisions about the situation at our borders.   We will post information from time to time and in September we will use the Monthly mission offering to help is some way.   We encourage your input and would love to hear from you.   You may contact Tom Neff (wlfkei@aol.com) or Bonnie Albert (bonkay@hotmail.com) with questions or concerns.     

Refugee Crisis on our Border

Photo from the United Methodist web page/blog

Our Mission Council is addressing the issue of the refugee crisis on our border with many of the refugees being children.  In the next few months we will be directing the readers of the blog and of the church newsletter to information about how the United Methodist Church is responding so that we have a clearer answer when asked "What can we do?"  Being far removed from the day to day scene of tired children and families arriving at our border, we are seeking ways to support the churches in the area who have outreach programs to help with the situation there.  

 

For sure we can pray for the hundreds of volunteers who have worked along the border for years addressing the issues of injustice, especially related to children coming from Mexico and other Central American countries.  In addition to the volunteers, we can also pray for the children.   Many of the children in miraculously surviving the arduous trip then qualify as legal refugees because of the dangers they face in returning their own country.  The realities of life in their home countries cause the US to recognize them refugees.  The US has a  legal process in place to determine their future status. 

 

Members of the Mission Council have found that the United Methodist Church is responding to the needs of the children in the border area.   UMCOR has sent 18,000 personal hygiene kits (like the ones we pack when we go to Sager Brown and/or Midwest Mission Distribution) and $10,000 to the Southwest Texas Conference.   Brownsville UMC, Laredo Holding Institute (supported by United Methodist Women), and McAllen UMC are churches who have long standing programs in working with immigration on the southern border.  The difference this year (as we have all read) is the increase in the number of people asking for asylum.
 

El Valle District has a great Facebook presence which will begin to help us understand the issues the church is facing everyday.   Our September mission offering will be going to one of the programs of the UM connection in Laredo, Brownsville, or McAllen.

For just $10 - 20 each we can make a difference.

The young are cared for by the older orphans in small family groups.

As you know... ZOE is the July Mission Focus for our mission offering.  What's great about this mission project is the "empowerment part".   Giving the young the tools it takes to be able to fend for themselves...tools such as education on growing crops that will do more than feed the family but providing a small income in selling the excess to others or barter for other services.   Giving children confidence to set up a home with others for they know working together will help everyone.

ZOE works with orphaned children to:

 

learn essential life skills

live in their own communities

start small businesses

grow their own food

return to school

grow in their faith

have access to the resources they need to make their dreams possible

Getting their start in 2004, ZOE has helped many children become productive young adults and village leaders..   If you have not donated to the mission offering this month, please think about doing so now.  Just think what a difference Valparaiso 1st UMC will make in the lives of these young people if everyone pitches in $10-20.   Use the envelope in the pew and mark it ZOE.   Your contribution is much needed and very much appreciated.  Thanks for your support and most of all thanks for your prayers for all children in our world who are suffering because of the decisions and actions of others.   

Sunday Lunch with ASP Team

Sunday is a perfect opportunity to join the ASP team...come for lunch and a photo show and sharing by the teen participants.   The luncheon begins at 12:15 and following lunch we'll hear from those who were in Jeff, KY.    If you haven't let the cooks know that you are coming, please email Deb Wuebbling   debbwueb@aol.com   We want to let this group know that we were with them all week long.  We are also expecting a guest from Kentucky who is one of the fulltime staff persons for Appalachian Service Project.  

Just hangin' out ...

While this is not the whole group... here are the volunteers for a couple of the teams just hangin' out at the end of a wonderful experience.   When you see them in church on the 13th, they are going to be ready to tell you something about the families that have become new friends.  

Thanks for being ambassadors... you were the hands and feet for Christ.   Be blessed through service.