David Lillie, pastor, First UMC, Laramie, and Denver
Episcopal Area Disaster Preparedness Chair, has produced a short
presentation on the One Great Hour of Sharing special Sunday and
offering coming up March 6. The presentation
is in Microsoft
Powerpoint
format and is available for download and
use on the RMCUMC.org
web site (Mission, Connectional and Compassionate Ministries).
Here is his cover letter.
The recent tragic loss of life and property caused by the Indian
Ocean
tsunami has resulted in an unprecedented outpouring of compassionate
giving
from Americans in general, and United Methodists in particular.
We are blessed
to have UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) to offer a
way for caring
and concerned Methodists to direct funds to victims of tragedies
such as this.
100% of the funds given to UMCOR for disaster relief are used to
help victims -- nothing is used for administration
or marketing!
The only way this is possible is through the One Great Hour of
Sharing
offering which is taken in United Methodist churches each year.
The proceeds
of OGHS go to pay the administrative and operating costs for UMCOR.
Without
OGHS the mechanism for utilizing disaster relief offerings might
cease!
Last year (2004) the Rocky Mountain Conference received $61,897
from OGHS
offerings in our churches. That amount was down from $71,530 in
2003. During
2004, UMCOR responded to more requests for assistance from locations
all over
the world than in 2003 ... yet we supported them with fewer dollars.
As a
result, their ability to respond to disasters on our behalf was
reduced.
On a recent trip to the UMCOR depot in Baldwin, LA, I was being
shown through
the large warehouse which contains health kits, flood buckets,
and other
disaster response items. In the back of the warehouse is a large
area full of
dental chairs, medical examination tables, hospital gurneys
(wheeled
tables for transporting patients), and a variety of other medical
and dental
equipment. All of the items are wrapped in heavy plastic "shrink
wrap" and are labeled with the names of destinations in South
America
and Africa. I asked the depot manager about the items and she said,
"These have all been donated by medical and dental companies for
use in
developing areas. Some of them have been sitting here for quite a while
because we don't have the funds to ship them to their
destinations." As I looked, I saw that there were dates written on
the
shrink wrap in black marker ; some of the dates were several years
in
the past.
As Denver Episcopal Area disaster preparedness chairperson, I
want to ask
each person who receives this to consider what your church will
be doing on
March 6, 2005. That is the day for the One Great Hour of Sharing
offering. Our
giving, regardless of how small each church's gifts are, makes a
difference somewhere in our disaster afflicted world. Those dollars are,
literally, what makes our compassionate giving in response to disaster such
a
powerful witness to our faith in Christ, and our willingness to reach out in
care and concern. Let's not allow 2005 to be another year
where our
giving to this vital cause shrinks!
Last year I put together a brief slide show of pictures taken
at the UMCOR
depot. On the day of the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, we
showed them in
church, and I described what UMCOR is and how it responds using our gifts.
The
church's OGHS offering was almost six times larger than the previous
year! I have created another show for use in my church this year and am
sending a copy to the Conference who will make it available for you to
download. The slide presentation shows images from places around the world
where UMCOR is in service on our behalf. You are welcome to use the show in
worship, meetings, or any venue which might be helpful in getting
UMCOR's story out. (Note: all images and text are available on
UMCOR's website, and therefore are not restricted by copyright for use
within UM churches and UM endorsed organizations.)
We are blessed to be in a Conference which is rarely visited
by disaster. As
a result, we don't often see UMCOR's work close-up. However,
as our United Methodist brothers and sisters in the Gulf Coast
and
up the
Atlantic seaboard can attest, UMCOR is willing to give assistance
to hurricane
clean-up; United Methodists in the Midwest and the far West can
attest to
UMCOR's presence during recovery from devastating floods.
UMCOR is "ready and willing." Will they be *able* to
respond? You and I will determine that on March 6.
Your fellow servant in Christ,
Rev. Dave Lillie
First UMC, Laramie
Denver Episcopal Area Disaster Preparedness Chairperson
