Like most of the rest of the world our United Methodist denomination appears to embrace the use of acronyms. One most of us will probably recognize is UMC representing the United Methodist Church. Some others with which you may or may not be familiar are UMCOR, UMVIM, and ERT. These last three acronyms all refer to some aspect of the missional work of our denomination.
You may have seen UMCOR previously as a special giving Sunday and this year we will celebrate UMCOR Sunday on March 19th. UMCOR is the acronym of the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Our denominational connection through UMCOR allows workers and volunteers to be among the earliest to arrive and the last to leave when people are in need. Our connection strengthens communities through both disaster preparedness and long-term recovery. Through our support of UMCOR, we participate in a ministry of presence that stills the waters of chaos and crisis, restoring hope and offering healing around the world.
When we offer our financial gifts in support of this ministry on UMCOR Sunday we are supporting the administrative costs of all the work done by UMCOR here and around the world. This allows 100% of any gift designated for a specific cause such as the response to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria or U.S. Response efforts to go to those efforts, with no overhead costs coming out.
UMVIM, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission is the short-term mission agency of the United Methodist Church. This is a grassroots movement of United Methodists who seek to put their “Christian Love in Action.” UMVIM offers a framework through which disciples can engage in short- term missions locally, nationally, and/or globally. Our volunteers are lay and clergy, young and old, with differing abilities and vocations, from all walks of life. The Mission project invitation sent out earlier this week for this Saturday, March 4 is a short term UMVIM project.
ERT’s, Early Response Teams as a part of UMVIM, fill a specific need in the early days after a disaster to clean out flood-damaged homes, remove debris, place tarps on homes, and otherwise help to prevent further damage while providing a caring Christian presence.
Jesus tells us to take the Gospel into all the world. Our connection together in our church offers us so many ways to do that. Whether hands-on short term mission activities or through our collective support of UMCOR, our ability to share the love of Christ and the Gospel spans the globe. Praise God!
Blessings,
Pastor Peggy