Caring and Sharing – The UMC Connection at Work

Louisiana Conference Remembers the CTC with a Generous Disaster Relief Donation

Give and it will be given to you. A good portion – packed down, firmly shaken, and overflowing – will fall into your lap. – Luke 6:38 CEB
 
One of the blessings of the United Methodist Church is found in the first word of the denomination’s title. United is defined by one online dictionary as “involving people or groups working together to achieve something – a group combined or connected together to make one.” The “connection” that is the UMC is never more evident than when disaster strikes – natural or man-made.
 
Over the years and decades, the people and churches of the Central Texas Conference have eagerly opened their hearts and wallets to relief and recovery efforts whenever and wherever it is needed. Millions of dollars in financial support have been sent out of the borders of our conference to help the relief and recovery efforts following natural disasters all across the nation and over the world. For instance, more than $450,000 was collected and sent to the UMCOR Hurricane Katrina relief efforts from 2005 to 2010*.
 
Of course, the CTC’s response has never stopped with financial giving. CTC Early Response Teams (ERT) and Volunteers in Mission (VIM) have answered the call to go all over the globe and help in the recovery and rebuilding stages of a disaster relief.
 
Yes, to say that the people of the CTC live out the words of the Apostle Paul found in Acts 20:35 is about as obvious as saying that the sky is blue and water is wet. Still, while it is more blessed to give than to receive – receiving an unexpected and generous gift is pretty cool too. So it was with humble and joyous hearts that the leadership of the CTC received the following letter, which included a check for $7,000 to support the disaster relief efforts currently underway in our own conference, from our sisters and brothers of the Louisiana Conference.
 

November 10, 2015   Central Texas Conference UMC Attn: Bishop Mike Lowry 3200 E Rosedale Street Fort Worth, TX  78105   Dear Mike:   Enclosed with this letter is a check in the amount of $7,000 made to the Central Texas Conference. This is a donation from the Louisiana Conference to your Conference to assist with the recovery efforts from the recent disasters that have impacted your area and your congregations. Along with this check come our prayers for you, those in leadership of the response efforts and those personally involved in these disasters.   The Louisiana Conference remembers with gratitude the response from your Conference Cabinet and membership to our own natural disasters. We know the difference you and many others made to us through prayers, volunteers, and monetary contributions to aid in the long process toward recovery. This is a small way to say “thank you” and to support you in whatever ways are most appropriate.    We will work to send mission teams to help as we are able.    Blessings,  Donald C. Cottrill  Provost

 
White it’s hard to conceive of a bad time to be blessed with a surprise boost to our disaster relief funds, this one comes at a most opportune moment, as ERT teams struggle to get a foothold on the recovery efforts in flood ravaged Navarro County and UMVIM teams begin the rebuilding efforts in Williamson County.
 
Please join Bishop Lowry, the CTC Cabinet and all of the Mission Support team in thanking the Louisiana Conference for their generosity and for the blessing that is the United Methodist connectional system.
 

*By the end of 2010, $456,116.68 had been collected and sent to UMCOR in support of its Katrina relief efforts. This total only reflects monies given to UMCOR and not any of the other monetary support given by individuals and churches to other Hurricane Katrina Relief funds.