Cindy Ivey and Cathy Roberts laughed and cried together like longtime friends, but they have only known each other a couple of days. Ivey is a disaster response volunteer with Asbury United Methodist Church of Petal, Mississippi. She was delivering meals to tornado survivors like Roberts who was clearing debris from her property. In getting acquainted, Roberts revealed she was also United Methodist and a member of nearby St. Paul UMC. Grateful for the generosity of fellow Methodists, Roberts told how the high winds lifted her family from their beds.
"We are so blessed. My husband was up and down the hall trying to find us. We are so grateful for our lives. We are not worried about where we go from here because I know God's got this all mapped out. I truly appreciate the volunteers that came through," she said.
Mississippi Conference Bishop James Swanson Sr. and members of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) toured tornado damaged areas this year and visited with church members who are providing relief to survivors.
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| From left to right, United Methodist volunteers Kristyn Edmonds, Cindy Ivey with tornado survivor Cathy Roberts, also a United Methodist. |
Your gifts on UMCOR Sunday lay the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God's love with communities everywhere.
Dennis Miller, another survivor, estimated his journey to recover from the tornado may have taken several months, but thanks to United Methodist heavy equipment workers, he got a jump start. Volunteers cut and removed several sizable trees from around his home.
"They are a bunch of angels. I think this is awesome what the church is doing because we needed it. God is good, and I am still alive," said Miller who recalled his house rumbling and shaking from the tornado, but never lost structure.
Bishop James Swanson Sr. of the Mississippi Conference United Methodist Church recently toured the destruction. Members of the United Methodist Committee on Relief joined the bishop. One of their stops was at the heap of debris that was once home for Daniel Short, his wife, and two kids. The family survived the tornado in the bathroom. Short said he had been turning away help because he had insurance. However being displaced for nearly a week and the mound in his yard untouched, his emotions were high. So, he graciously accepted the Methodist offer to assist him with clean up. Short added that encouraging words from the Bishop was valuable too.
"It's a blessing when people come out and are willing to help. It makes it a little easier. It was going to be hard moving this myself. God bless everyone who has come out to help us," Short stated.
Tamica Smith Jeuitt, Communications Specialist, Mississippi Conference
One of six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR Sunday calls United Methodists to share the goodness of life with those who hurt. Your gifts to UMCOR Sunday lay the foundation for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to share God's love with communities everywhere. The special offering underwrites UMCOR's "costs of doing business." This helps UMCOR to keep the promise that 100 percent of any gift to a specific UMCOR project will go toward that project, not administrative costs.
When you give generously on UMCOR Sunday, you make a difference in the lives of people who hurt. Give now.
