Disaster Updates Archives - United Church of Christ

Hawai’i Conference offers space for grief, prayer for wildfires

Kayla Berkey — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 12:56:18 +0000

Responding to the tragic wildfires in Hawaii, the Hawai’i Conference of the United Church of Christ hosted an online “Prayer for Maui” service Sunday, Aug. 20. “Our purpose here is to attend to the spiritual groaning of the residents of…

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Amid wildfires devastation, UCC makes appeal for Hawaii

Maic D'Agostino — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 14:13:51 +0000

The United Church of Christ, through Wider Church Ministries, is issuing a special appeal to provide essential items and long-term support to those impacted by wildfires across Hawaii, including the deadly wildfires on the island of Maui. “As we learn…

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UCC offers prayers, launches appeal to aid Turkey and Syria after earthquake

Kayla Berkey — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 15:32:39 +0000

The United Church of Christ is offering prayers for the region encompassing Turkey and Syria as the death toll continues to climb following one of the strongest earthquakes in 100 years. As of Feb. 13, the number of people killed…

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Deadly earthquake strikes Turkey/Syria border, UCC delegation in Europe connects with partners to respond

Connie Larkman — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 18:30:05 +0000

Thousands have been killed in Turkey and Syria by a massive earthquake that struck Monday morning before dawn on the border of the two countries. The magnitude 7.8 quake, centered in a heavily populated area of southeastern Turkey but felt…

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Disaster Ministries to assist victims of deadly California storms

Connie Larkman — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 20:05:13 +0000

United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries is tracking a series of deadly storms surging up the California coast, leaving behind a wake of destruction and displaced residents. Twenty-one million people from San Diego to San Francisco were under flood alerts…

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Corporate grants, church gifts, volunteers — all help people recover from floods

Hans Holznagel — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 21:31:00 +0000

The United Church of Christ is using grants from the home-improvement chain Lowe’s to help people recover from storm damage in Pennsylvania and Montana. UCC staff and volunteers are working with local church and community groups to put the funds…

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In the aftermath of Ian, community is key

Connie Larkman — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 21:01:30 +0000

Clergy and lay leaders in areas of Florida devastated by Hurricane Ian Wednesday, Sept. 28, are ministering to their congregants and community as best they can. On Oct. 2, World Communion Sunday, the Rev. Mike Ford broke bread with about…

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UCC launches emergency appeal for 2022 hurricanes – Ian, Fiona and those still to come

Connie Larkman — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 19:36:27 +0000

The 2022 hurricane season started slowly – until, in the space of 10 days, two catastrophic storms slammed Florida, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Bermuda and even Canada. The United Church of Christ has launched an emergency appeal to help with response…

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Pakistan’s ‘dire’ flood crisis is subject of UCC emergency appeal

Staff Reports — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 20:53:28 +0000

The United Church of Christ has issued an emergency appeal for relief-and-recovery gifts in response to what it called “massive flooding” across most of Pakistan. Wider Church Ministries launched the UCC Pakistan Response Fund Sept. 16. Torrential monsoons since June…

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Churches and partners welcome — and prepare for — migrants bused from border

Staff Reports — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:54:07 +0000

Buses of migrants from the U.S. border may be coming to a city near you. And the new arrivals will need help from local churches, say United Church of Christ leaders. The Rev. Irene Willis Hassan, UCC minister for refugee…

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Welcome Backpacks and Period Packs join CWS service kit lineup; matching grants available

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 02 Sep 2022 14:09:21 +0000

United Church of Christ congregations have long assembled school kits and cleanup buckets to help others through Church World Service. They now have two new opportunities. Church World Service Kits now include a Period (Menstrual Hygiene) Pack and a Welcome…

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Ukraine, Haiti, Afghanistan Anniversaries

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 16:48:14 +0000

All these anniversaries were marked during the last two weeks of August 2022. the six-month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. the one-year anniversary of devastating earthquakes in Haiti. The war…

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Self-Care #1:Turning Off the Brain

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 00:17:17 +0000

By the Rev. Fred Meade, UCC Partner in ServiceFirst in a series from the Emotional and Spiritual Care Team of Global H.O.P.E. I don’t mean literally turning off our brain. That, of course, would kill us. However, it is very important…

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At six months of war, UCC ‘overwhelming response’ to Ukraine appeal supports most vulnerable

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 21:13:52 +0000

Any war’s story can be told in both numbers and names. That’s evident in the Russian Federation’s military offensive against Ukraine, a conflict that marked its six-month anniversary on August 24. This war’s numbers include 6.7 million refugees seeking safety…

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Meet the Rev. Karl Jones, the UCC PA Southeast Conference Disaster Coordinator

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 00:07:34 +0000

Q: How does your faith inform your commitment to disaster response and recovery? Karl Jones: I serve as the Conference Disaster Coordinator for the Pennsylvania Southeast Conference. It is my pleasure to serve with some remarkable people as we work…

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Record-breaking floods, tornadoes prompt UCC aid — and more help is needed

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 20:29:24 +0000

The United Church of Christ’s Disaster Ministries unit is extending a helping hand to survivors of record-breaking floods and tornadoes that devastated communities from Missouri to Kentucky and West Virginia within the past eight months. In late July, flash flooding…

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Called by faith to “answer the needs of my neighbors”

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 21 Jul 2022 15:48:49 +0000

The Rev. Brice HughesPastor, Zion UCCBurlington, Iowa UCC Iowa Conference Disaster CoordinatorWorks hand-in-hand with Nebraska and South Dakota CDCs in a tri-conference structure An experience in the seventh grade led me to understand Matthew 25:31-47 as a description of ministry.…

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UCC helps fund East Africa drought response

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 19:28:37 +0000

Kamila Sheikh Ibrahim, her husband and their six children had a good life in Diinsoor, Somalia, until prolonged drought took away their ability to grow crops, destroying their livelihood and leaving them hungry. “I used to sustain my family by…

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Unprecedented flooding swamps Montana, displaces communities, strands pastors

Connie Larkman — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 18:14:55 +0000

Heavy rains, melting snow pack and roaring rivers fueled a disaster that the people of Montana have never seen before. As retired United Church of Christ national staffer and Montana resident Ann Hanson said, “The Yellowstone River is a raging…

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Olivet collegians prove: There is work for all on a volunteer disaster recovery team

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:54:40 +0000

True or false? You can help restore a storm-damaged roof even if you are afraid of heights, or have a history of falling, or don’t know a thing about replacing a roof. Answer: True. Twenty-two students and their two advisors…

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Meet Priscilla Self, UCC Illinois Conference Disaster Coordinator

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 21:33:35 +0000

Priscilla SelfSt. Peter United Church of Christ, Okawville, IllinoisConference Disaster CoordinatorIllinois South ConferenceCDC since early 2017 Before I retired in May of 2014, I served 37 years as the Office Manager at the Illinois South Conference Camp and Retreat Center…

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UCC distributes more appeal donations to assist Ukrainians

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 19:45:15 +0000

Millions of people are displaced by the war in Ukraine. Additional millions are trapped by the fighting. Across Ukraine, in neighboring countries and beyond, churches are assisting them with food, shelter, safety, hygiene and psychosocial support. The generous gifts sent…

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World Refugee Day 2022 Resources

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 03 Jun 2022 20:43:24 +0000

June 20 is World Refugee Day. UCC Global H.O.P.E. Refugee and Migration Ministries calls to your attention resources for your observances, including: World Refugee Day Ecumenical Worship Service, recorded June 1. Local faith communities are welcome to use any part of this…

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Opportunities to Volunteer in Disaster Recovery

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Tue, 24 May 2022 14:17:08 +0000

Greater Dayton, Ohio. A tornado outbreak in May 2019 damaged thousands of homes. Volunteer teams of 4-10 people are needed to finish interiors of new/rehabbed homes. Contact Adam Blake, Vice President of Housing at County Corps, ablake@countycorp.com; 937.531.7048 Philadelphia’s Eastwick neighborhood. In…

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Six weeks in, churches continue to respond to New Mexico’s largest-ever wildfires

Hans Holznagel — Tue, 24 May 2022 11:22:27 +0000

As New Mexico’s worst wildfires on record continue to rage, area churches — some in close proximity to the fires — are pitching in on relief efforts. The United Church of Christ Disaster Ministries team is offering grants to families…

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Bill and Ellen Matten, Pennsylvania Central Conference CDCs

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 23 May 2022 18:43:16 +0000

Home Congregation: St. John’s UCC, Boalsburg, Pa.Conference Disaster CoordinatorsPennsylvania Central ConferenceCDCs for more than 10 years Bill: In our working lives, Ellen and I both traveled the world – she serving in the U.S. government and I in the U.S. military. We…

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Kevin Gehres: Don’t let God’s voice go to voicemail

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 23 May 2022 18:31:41 +0000

UCC Heartland Conference Disaster Coordinator since November 2021Home congregation: St. Paul’s UCC, St. Marys, Ohio Question: How does your faith inform your commitment to disaster response and recovery? Kevin Gehres: My faith has been fostered and developed through the influence…

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Meet Florida Conference CDC Alan Coe

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 23 May 2022 17:59:13 +0000

The Rev. Alan CoePastor, Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, Naples, Fla. Florida Conference Disaster Coordinator since 2001 I have a desire to help others with the gifts that I have. One thing I’m good at is building, including figuring out the overall…

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Family’s journey just one example of how Ukraine relief gifts help

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Wed, 04 May 2022 20:45:00 +0000

Irina, 31, a nurse by profession, and her two children fled Ukraine’s embattled Donetsk region for safety in Transcarpathia. There, they have found refuge in a church-run shelter. That journey was not in a straight line. “Repeated displacement” better describes…

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Meet Sharon Sgriccia, New Eastwick Volunteer Coordinator

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 00:03:07 +0000

On March 23, 2022, Sharon Sgriccia became volunteer coordinator for the long-term recovery in the Eastwick neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pa.

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Meet Kevin Gehres, New Heartland Conference CDC

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 28 Apr 2022 19:09:22 +0000

In November 2021 Kevin Gehres became the Columbus, Ohio-based UCC Heartland Conference‘s new Conference Disaster Coordinator. He is a member of St. Paul’s UCC, St. Marys, Ohio. To get to know him better, we asked him these questions. Q: How…

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UCC appeal tops $1 million to help Ukrainians find safety, inside and away from their country

Connie Larkman — Thu, 07 Apr 2022 20:30:00 +0000

As Russia’s war on Ukraine rages on, so does the suffering of the country’s people. And they have been leaving their homes in record numbers. Donors in the United Church of Christ see them and have stepped up to send…

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UCC appeal helps provide safe spaces for Ukraine women and children

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 11:05:00 +0000

Most refugees from the war in Ukraine are women with children whose husbands and fathers were required to stay behind to fight. They arrive in Poland, Hungary and other neighboring countries exhausted and craving a safe place to rest. Tragically,…

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Disaster Recovery Volunteer Opportunity in Dayton, Ohio

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 22:55:42 +0000

There is an urgent need for volunteer workgroups in Dayton, Ohio, now through May 28 to finish interiors of new homes for families who lost their homes in an outbreak of tornados in May 2019. Week of Compassion of the Disciples of…

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Disaster survivor, disaster recovery coordinator: the Rev. Davena L. Jones

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 21:47:26 +0000

Home Church: Pilgrim Community Church UCC, San Francisco, Calif.Title: Associate Conference Minister-Conference Disaster CoordinatorNorthern California Nevada Conference UCC Conference Disaster Coordinator since 2017 I was drawn to disaster ministries when I had the opportunity to travel to New Orleans to help…

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“Help all” – Partner in Service Judy Moore

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 16:26:27 +0000

Editor’s Note: The Eastwick Rebuild Project took a break for COVID in January and February 2022. It will reopen for volunteers in March! Book your mission trip now! “Help all, no matter whom.” That short sentence captures the commitment of…

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Roger Dart’s “foot in the door” to disaster ministry

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 15:12:26 +0000

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, Roger Dart was self-employed full time as a licensed, certified pedorthist and a part-time third-year seminarian at Chicago Theological Seminary. His senior pastor at what was then the Congregational Church in…

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UCC Global H.O.P.E. grants approved in December plus link to all 2021 grants

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 17:00:00 +0000

The UCC Global H.O.P.E. team in December approved grants to: ACT Alliance South Sudan – $5,000 toward relief for 7.3 million people threatened with hunger due to increased violence, flooding, and desert locusts. IMA World Health in association with The Christian Health…

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How is Your Church “Willing to Respond” in a Disaster?

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 16:10:43 +0000

Editor’s Note: Click here for the list of UCC churches and conferences who have shared how they are “Willing to Respond!” Does your congregation desire to be more prepared for disasters, both to protect yourselves and to extend love to…

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Volcanic ash, tsunami hit Tonga; news awaited, prayers sought

Hans Holznagel — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 13:17:44 +0000

Church leaders were standing by the week of Jan. 17 to find out how best to help the people of Tonga after a massive Jan. 15 eruption of an underwater volcano and a resulting tsunami. Details of damage have been…

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Tainted drinking water on Oahu draws UCC response

Hans Holznagel — Tue, 18 Jan 2022 15:41:44 +0000

United Church of Christ members in Hawaii are responding to a water contamination crisis. They’ve brought clean water to an affected neighborhood and are calling for a shutdown of military fuel tanks that are the source of the trouble. It’s…

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Profile: UCC Hawaii Conference Disaster Coordinator Danny Tengan

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Sun, 19 Dec 2021 23:04:46 +0000

Danny Tengan, of Honolulu, Hawaii, has been United Church of Christ Hawaii Conference Disaster Coordinator for about three and one-half years. But he’s been involved in disaster response and recovery for decades. While with Hawaii State Civil Defense and Army…

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UCC Severe Storms 2021 appeal to aid December tornado victims

Connie Larkman — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 02:00:00 +0000

In the days since a series of deadly tornadoes swept across six states on Dec. 10, people of the United Church of Christ have reached out to respond. Donations are being directed to the church’s Severe Storms 2021 appeal, as…

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October grants from UCC Global H.O.P.E.

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 02:54:36 +0000

Southwest Association of the UCC’s Michigan Conference – $3,500 – to help residents of Benton Harbor, Mich., get through a water crisis that has gone on for more than three years. St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Pottstown, Pa. – $3,000 – to help…

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Global H.O.P.E. Hurricane Harvey recovery grant helping restore 14 Victoria, Texas, homes

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 02:42:28 +0000

Repair of 14 homes damaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017 is proceeding with the support of a $7,000 UCC Global H.O.P.E. grant to the Victoria (Texas) County Long-Term Recovery Group. Funds contributed to the Hurricane Harvey Appeal are helping meet…

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Dec. 1 Blue Christmas worship service will focus on disaster, forced migration

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 02:08:55 +0000

Join United Church of Christ Global H.O.P.E. on Wednesday, Dec 1, 2 p.m. (ET) for a virtual Blue Christmas worship service. Blue Christmas services traditionally provide space for those who don’t feel so “merry and bright” during the holiday season.…

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Global H.O.P.E. extends disaster help in Detroit, Benton Harbor

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:47:47 +0000

UCC Global H.O.P.E. has granted $3,500 to the UCC Michigan Conference’s Southwest Association to help residents of Benton Harbor, Mich., get through a water crisis that has gone on for more than three years. With elevated lead levels complicated by…

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“Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser” Nets $9,000+ for Global H.O.P.E. Haiti, Afghan refugee response

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 16:25:32 +0000

A Massachusetts congregation’s October “Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser” and bakeathon netted more than $9,000 for UCC Global H.O.P.E. – $8,744.57 for earthquake recovery in Haiti and $500 for the needs of Afghan refugees and SIVs (those with Special Immigrant Visas). Wellesley…

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Groundbreaking first step toward fair housing for Immokalee farmworkers

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 19:38:28 +0000

A little more than four years after Hurricane Irma devastated much of what was already substandard housing in Immokalee, Fla., ground was broken on Wednesday, Nov. 10, on what will become a 128-apartment community for farmworkers and other low-income residents.…

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UCC Volunteer of the Month: Jaye Herrick

Carol Fouke-Mpoyo — Wed, 10 Nov 2021 20:03:41 +0000

You might say Jaye Herrick has volunteering in her blood. When Herrick’s parents, the Rev. John and Ann Herrick, retired, they “converted a school bus into an RV and hit the road to do volunteer work,” Herrick said. Now she’s…

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