Volunteers In Mission

Two years ago, volunteers from North Platte’s First United Methodist Church started a ministry to Slidell, Louisiana.  Homes, schools, businesses, and churches were damaged or destroyed when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.  There was a great need for people to clear out debris and visit with the people effected, and begin to rebuild.  More importantly, they needed the assurance that they could begin the process of recovering,  physically, mentally, and spiritually.

On January 17, 2008, a group of volunteers will leave North Platte for the third Volunteer In Mission trip to Slidell.  Reverend Charles Spence said, “It will be great to see what has happened and to renew friendships with those who are on the front lines of the recovery.” Persons interested in accompanying the team can call the First United Methodist Church at 532-1478 until January 10.

Rev. Darryl Allen Tate, Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Ministry said, “Since January 1, 2007 we have welcomed more than 16,600 volunteers (2,010 in the first two weeks of March alone) working across 300 miles of the Louisiana Gulf Coast (Slidell, New Orleans, Dulac, Abbeville, Lake Charles, and Cameron).  To date, we have served 32,544 clients with 28,166 volunteers totaling 1,567,886 volunteer hours and giving to our state a total in-kind donation of $29,598,848.”

The enormity of  the devastation is only slightly understandable when statistics like these are shared.  The United Methodist Church has made a commitment of at least five years to the recovery.  The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) moves quickly to help with disasters both nationally and internationally.  People of all ages and abilities work through a coordinated effort to deal with immediate needs and then long term recovery.

Chuck Scripter, a member of the team, says, “We get more out of the trip then what we give.”  Skills needed are varied.  Plumbers, electricians, and carpenters are always high priorities.  But general skills are always put to good use.  There is always a need to paint, haul debris, hammer nails, scrape tiles off of  floors, and file tons of paperwork.  Also, many teams bring their own cooks to prepare meals for the team.

The North Platte Volunteer In Mission Team will leave on January 17 and return on January 26, 2007.  The costs of the trip are shared by the team members.  In addition, donations are forwarded to the Louisiana Recovery Ministry.

Click here to read more about The United Methodist Church's Disaster Recovery Ministry of the Louisiana Conference.

Visit Free Rice and help feed the world by playing a vocabulary word game.  For every word you get right, 20 grains of rice are donated.  The rice is distributed by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).  

FreeRice has two goals:

   1. Provide English vocabulary to everyone for free.
   2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

This is made possible by the sponsors who advertise on the Free Rice site.

Youth in Mission!

Two youth recently returned from Jalingo, Nigeria, Africa, as a part of a Volunteer in Mission trip from the Nebraska Conference.  Cassandra Horn and Isaac Windham are members of the North Platte, First United Methodist Church and went with Bishop Ann Sherer to work at the Nigeria Orphanage which was founded with financial help from the conference.  More information will be available in the near future.

Cory Ochoa returned from Louisiana where she helped with a Vacation Bible School for children in a FEMA trailer park.  Youth from across the Nebraska Conference spent a week working with children and exploring the surrounding communities.  Soon Cory will have a slide show presentation about her experience.

A special 5th Sunday free will offering is taken quarterly to continue support for our missionary, Pastor Steve Eldred of Willow, Alaska.