Updated:  4-19-12 at 12:45 PM

Hurricane Irene Recovery

Waves break over railings of a home's raised deck. Storm surges were up to 8 feet in some areas.

The NC Conference continues to have an on-going operation for disaster recovery.  Over 27,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Irene in August 2011.  We have thousands of people who remain unable to move back into heavily damaged or destroyed homes.  We have deep need for work teams to do both repair/reconstruction and new construction.  The NC Conference disaster recovery call center can place your team in an area where people continue to desperately need your help.   We have had over 250 teams respond and we need many, many more.  We are deeply grateful for the efforts and gifts of these wondrous servants.  We have been staggered by the generosity of those who have responded in such manner.   Please join us.  Your efforts will make a difference.

Anyone wanting to volunteer should email disasterresponse@nccumc.org or call 888-440-9167.

For our NC districts and local churches, if you are willing to have your facility be used for work teams for this, or any, disaster, please fill out the Disaster Response Facilities Survey and send it to disasterresponse@nccumc.org .

We continue to need additional funds for the recovery work.  Please also consider reaching out financially by giving to NC Storms Emergency Response – NC Advance #S-00176. 100% of every gift to this Advance will go to storm response.  You can give online at:  Hurricane Irene Giving

You can also send funds to:  NC Conference, P.O. Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260.  Please be sure to note Advance #S-00176.

— Steve Taylor/Outreach Team Coordinator

Note from Outreach Team Coordinator:

Mary and Herbert Zigbuo are long term missionaries who have served Jesus and God’s people with passion, love, sacrifice, and courage.  Mary is now working here in North Carolina.  Herbert is now retired and is battling cancer.   In this current struggle, Herbert lives with courage, grace, and humor, the way he has always served God and those whom Jesus calls “the least of these.”  These servants of God are blessings to us all.  - Steve

Dear Friends,

In March, I was humbled to be part of a celebration of courage, hope and love!   The Fellowship Hall was filled with family, invited guests, volunteers, and friends!  The hall appeared like a scene of what I perceived the kingdom of God to resemble!    A diverse group of people from all walks of life sat around tables making small talk.   Symbols of Christ-like acceptance and support were demonstrated by pats on backs, hugs, embraces, laughter! Walking around the hall greeting people, Miss Bertie* held fast to baby boy Ti ‘Reem* as he sought to play with her glasses!   Talking came easy!  “My bad”, a young man said to an elderly gentleman as they conversed.  Then the young man quickly added “Oh, I mean…” but was interrupted by the elderly gentleman.  “I know what you meant” he said with a quick smile and a wink.  He was actually proud of his new attitude of comprehension and acceptance of what he used to negatively refer to as “street talk”!

A love beyond what the world teaches us was present in that Fellowship Hall!  A love where judgment is suppressed and acceptance is encouraged….. a love Paul spoke of in Romans 12:10: “Love one another with brotherly affection, giving precedence and showing honor to one another”.   That’s the kind of love United Methodist Church supported Anson County Circles of Hope portrays.

During the celebration, eleven persons were honored for their completion of an 18-week ‘Getting Ahead’ class that includes a comprehensive curriculum in which participants investigate the causes of poverty in their communities and Read more »

Aly Stanley is serving as a short-term Mission Volunteer with Project AGAPE, Armenia.  Initially, she is teaching English with college aged students and later, will serve with the Agape Children’s Home in Nagorno Karabagh.  You can follow her blog at:  Aly in Armenia.   She would love to hear from you as she shares the love of Jesus in this, the oldest of Christian nations.

You too can be part of this incredible ministry through a Mission Work Team scheduled for  July 28 – August 12.

Children dance at the AGAPE Children's home. Some children at the home have living parents who bring their children to the home because the parents are so impoverished that they cannot feed their own children.

And as always, you can join with your gifts, where with every donation, 100% of your gift is used in the ministry.

Contributions may be made through your local church or mailed to:

NC Conference, PO Box 60053, Charlotte, NC 28260.

Make check payable to:

NC Conference designated as Project AGAPE

Project AGAPE can be found in Lane #4 – World Missions in the Rainbow Covenant/Advance Service Commitment Booklet.   Advance #S – 00004.

Impoverished Armenian children are loved and celebrated in the AGAPE ministry.

Project AGAPE Armenia, a joint ministry of churches in the NC and WNC Conferences, continues to serve in ministry with some of the most vulnerable people in the world – refugees and displaced persons in eastern Armenia.  Though the ministry remains critical, funding and congregational support for the ministry grows smaller.  Continued ministry beyond June 2012 is in real jeopardy.  You are invited to an AGAPE ministry meeting at the Methodist Building in Garner, on Tuesday, December 6, 7:00 PM – 8:00.  We will have an overview of the ministry’s history, look an current actions, and strategize about possible future responses.  Please RSVP to Kathy Reavis at kreavis@nccumc.org or 800-849-4433 ext 256.

For more AGAPE information, please see:  Project AGAPE Armenia

What is 10-Fold? What’s The Advance? 10-Fold is a movement to raise awareness of projects of the General Board of Global Ministries around the world, supported through The Advance—the designated-giving arm of The United Methodist Church. This message of doing something (advocating, raising awareness, or giving) and watching it expand “10-Fold,” comes with the guarantee that 100 percent of all money raised through The Advance goes directly to the project you support or donate to. Join us daily, October 10-19.

By clicking on the site each day, you register your interest in a program, triggering $1 of support on your behalf, given by one of our sponsors: http://www.10-fold.org/ the project you support or donate to.  If you miss a day, don’t worry, you can go back to that day and still partner with the ministry by learning about and supporting the ministry with your donation.  Remember, you are the key partner in mission.  Only by your participation will these vital ministries occur.  Jesus calls us to journey with him in the transformation of the world.  10 Fold is a facet of that journey.  Please join us in touching the lives of the least, in bringing hope into despair, in proclaiming the saving grace and life of Jesus Christ!   10 Fold – Advancing the realm of God.    

Mission Seed Funds are now available.  There is a small amount of funding for 2011.  Funds must be expended within the 2011 calendar year.  Applications are due November 1, 2011.  Funds will be disbursed by November 15.

Seed Fund Applications for the 2012 funding cycle are due November 1, 2011.  Funds will be disbursed by March 31, 2012.

Applications and budget reports can be found at Mission Seed Funds.

Final Reports and Budget Reports are due for recipients of 2011 Mission Seed Funds no later than January 31, 2012.  (Any recipient not submitting a required report will not be eligible for future funding until required reports are received.)

The Office of Outreach Ministries is offering these two highly interactive journeys of transformation and formational outreach.   We are delighted to facilitate these with your congregation or small group.  Times are flexible.  You can download more information by clicking on the highlighted links.  For more information, please contact Steve Taylor at 919-780-4141 or Kathy Reavis at 800-849-4433 ext 256.

Walking with Jesus

A 10 week journey through the Gospels with Jesus.  Moving from Baptism to Resurrection, we interact with the Jesus and those with whom he dwells.  This highly interactive biblical experience allows the participant to walk with Jesus, experiencing and participating in the interactions of his life.  We continue to ask the question:  ”Where do we see this story unfolding in our world, right next door, and down the street?  What then is our response?”  This is a transformative journey where we become disciples who will see the world from the eyes of Jesus.

Sabbath Economics

Sabbath Economic Household Practices – Growing as a disciple through spiritual exercise of our household economy.  We are in an age of “death by affluenza,” a culture of putting spiritual value on physical things.  Our economic systems are in deep decline as are the moral fibers that hold together our culture.  This eight part series, steeped in scripture and using the highly interactive process of Biblical Animation, leads small Christian communities to a more sustainable household economy that cares for the poor, holds gently to creation, and seeks to worship the God who says he is found in the “least of these.”  This series is focused on growing disciples to transform the world.

For more of the Connectional Staff’s Transformational work resourcing, coaching, and partnering in local congregations, please see: Transforming Congregations – Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

Items to be collected at Annual Conference 2011 – follow this link!

The people of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church have a long history with the people of Liberia.  It was in 1833 that Rev. Melville Cox, a NC Conference clergy member, landed in Africa as the first United Methodist missionary to Africa and began to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.    At Annual Conference 2011, you will have the opportunity to join with our many United Methodists family of North Carolina who have gone before us as we collect and ship desperately needed health, education, and empowering items to Liberia.   Bring your items and look for the Love for Liberia signs.    Here is a listing of items being collected.

Key Taylor Award Nominations due by May 27

Rural church nominations for consideration of the Key Taylor Award are needed by May 27.  Congregations can nominate themselves. For 2011, $1395 will be awarded.  The award, sponsored through the United Methodist Foundation, is to call attention to the mission work of all rural churches by honoring the specific achievements of one rural church.  To nominate a church, respond via email in narrative form on one page to the criteria below by May 27 to Kathy Reavis (kreavis@nccumc.org)  at the Office of Outreach Ministries.  Please include the names of the church and district. Read more »

ZOE Ministry has a handful of slots open on two upcoming mission trips to Rwanda:

The trips will cost approximately $3,200 and will introduce missioners to ZOE’s remarkable orphan empowerment project.  This project equips orphans to live self-reliant, faith-filled lives within three years, thus breaking the cycles of poverty and dependency.

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