Disaster Response
The Indiana Conference Disaster Response ministry is committed to helping prepare, respond, and recover from disasters in Indiana and beyond. In connection with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), we offer trainings and tools to equip you and your church to be a source of hope in the midst of disaster.
Disaster response starts with you – the people in the local community. The INUMC Disaster Ministry wants to help you be prepared to respond as well as know the resources available to your community through UMCOR. Contact your District or Conference Disaster Response Coordinator to learn more about the resources available or to schedule a training in your area.
The mission of an early response team is to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of a disaster. The team is neither a first response group of emergency workers nor a recovery, rebuild or repair team. Rather, it fills a specific need in the early days after a disaster to establish the presence of the church. It is important to understand that ERTs are trained primarily to respond within their own community. To travel to another district, conference or jurisdiction requires an invitation from that area’s ERT coordinator. All ERTs are trained by authorized UMCOR trainers and given badges by their own conference. We encourage all ERTs to wear bright green T-shirts as a means of recognition.
If there were a disaster in your community, do you know how your local church would respond? Connecting Neighbors training is offered to your local church, cluster or district to help you prepare for your response and reach out to your community.
MORE INFORMATION TO COME.
Give
If you would like to make monetary donations to help UMCOR in its work in the region, you may do so by clicking here. You may also give through your local church by designating your offering for Advance 901670.
Make relief kits
If your church would like to assemble cleaning kits or hygiene kits that will help replace those being used during Hurricane Florence cleanup, instructions on how you can get started are available below.
Pray
We encourage you to be in a spirit of prayer for all those impacted by the latest tornadoes and flooding. As United Methodists, we are inspired to pray for those who are lost, wounded, and in need of shelter and food. We are also committed to raising up in prayer the first responders who continually put themselves in harm’s way in order to ensure the rescue and welfare of those in need.