Your Thoughts and Prayers have just Arrived
A recent Facebook post with a meme criticizing the "thoughts and prayers" response to disasters got under the skin of Scott Rosekrans, pastor of Port Hadlock Community UMC. He spent some time reflecting on what prayer should mean to Christians and how a sincere faith is inevitably coupled with action.
Shower trailers will help VIM teams in the Greater Northwest
By Jim Truitt | Photos by members of PNW UMVIM, Early Response Teams, et. al.
Finding lodging for Early Response Teams (ERT) and Volunteers in...
How can our local church help survivors of natural disasters?
By Jesse N. Love with Rosalee Mohney and Jim Truitt
Tacoma, Wash. - On a snowy Sunday morning, Mason United Methodist Church in Tacoma opened...
Registration deadline for ERT Training in Kennewick, EXTENDED!
By Kathy Bryson with Jesse N. Love
Friends, REGISTER NOW for ERT Training in Kennewick! The deadline to register has been extended to Monday, October...
Leaving Texas: Lessons learned and the work ahead
Editor’s Note: Jim Truitt was invited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist in the formation of a Long Term Recovery Taskforce for...
We are compassionate people with a passion for action!
By Rosalee Mohney | Photos by Jesse N. Love
“I’m doing volunteer work because I wasn’t able to say ‘no.’ I’m called to do certain things...
Can your church help? Rebuild projects enter fall, need assist for winter.
By Rosalee Mohney | Photos by Andy O’Donnell
The Rebuild: Up from the Ashes Project is moving forward with six houses under construction right now.
The...
On the ground in Texas: Challenges rise as recovery transitions from cleanup to rebuild
Jim Truitt provides a third update on his work supporting Long Term Recovery Groups in Texas. In this post, he shares how fear, distrust and encroaching apathy threaten response efforts that will take 8-10 years, even as disaster response leadership display commitment and creativity.
Early Response Team Training is coming, Oct. 14!
Be Ready.
Do Good.
Repeat.
When: October 14, 2017
Location: Bremerton UMC, 1150 Marine Drive, Bremerton, WA
ERT Basic Class: 8:30am – 4:00pm
ERT Refresher Course: (For previously certified ERT...
On the ground in Texas: “The response to this disaster is huge”
Jim Truitt, UMVIM Disaster Response Coordinator for the PNW Conference, is on the ground in Texas assisting FEMA in the formation of a Long Term Recovery Taskforce for Hurricane Harvey. Working 12 hour days among thousands of people has given him an appreciation for the immensity of the response and the importance of attending to the work in front of him in a focused way.
