Funds for One Great Hour of Sharing helps locally, globally

Submitted by the Rev. Gary Haddock
Mountain Sky Area Disaster Response Coordinator

One Great Hour of Sharing on March 6 is a tremendous opportunity to support the ministry of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in your community and the world around you.

On this day, all offerings go toward funding the administrative and missionary costs for the powerful work that UMCOR does nationally and internationally. The money goes to help cover any administrative costs – office expenses and salary packages for a literal handful of paid staff that is now located in Atlanta, Georgia. This allows every penny of every dollar offered to go where it needs to go when there is a disaster, a world hunger, or refugee issue in the world.

Locally in the Mountain Sky Episcopal Area, we are doing training for Early Response Teams (ERT) to go into areas with specific skills when needed. Teams will be set up to respond locally and nationally. We are building connections and reputations with other disaster agencies in what are called VOAD’s (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) that meet by states (in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and Montana) and regionally (Western Region VOAD covers 10 states, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, North and South Dakota).

We are doing trainings with the Western Jurisdiction, which is scheduled for March 10 to 13, 2017, in Ontario, California. We are connecting with ongoing disaster responses: Colorado floods, Lusk area floods, and the Casper fires, as well as several that are still being cleaned up in northern and central Colorado. UMCOR brings resources of case management, volunteers, funding, ERT teams, supplies, expert trainers and prayers to Disaster areas in need.

We are always looking for people who have a passion for people in times of disaster crisis to step forward to be ready for God’s response through the United Methodist Church. If you are interested in being one of those to help people feel the presence of God at those times, please email Gary Haddock or call 970-371-5129 to volunteer or just to ask questions. We need people throughout Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, so listen for God’s call on you!