Reaching Out — April 2009

NYAC Mission and Outreach	*Reaching Out* April 2009

Upcoming Events

Biloxi

Team 87 April 18 - 25, 2009 Team leader Douglas McArthur

Team 88 April 25 - May 2, 2009 Team leader Stephen McGoldrick

Training Workshops

Bishop's Cabinet Disaster Response Training June 18, 2009 Camp Olmstead

Training for Trainers June 19 - 20, 2009 NYAC Conference Center White Plains, NY
ERT CertificationTraining June 20, 2009 8am - 5pm Simsbury UMC Simsbury, CT

(See registration flyer below.)

Other

NYAC Disaster Administrative Committee (CDAC) May 1 - 2, 2009 Stoney Point, NY

Early Response Team Re-certification and Certification Training

Thanks to all who participated in the February and March Early Response Team Re-certification and Certification Training workshops. Your dedication and commitment to Disaster Response ministry will bring hope and joy into the lives of many people in so many ways.
As Iowa Team 13 member, Johanna, so eloquently wrote in her reflections, "When I signed up to do the mission trip I believed that I was going to selflessly give to other people who needed my help. My only purpose was to lend a hand to people who suffered throught a disaster. What I didn't count on was the rewards that God blessed me with." And so it is with all of you. In giving, you also receive.

Where do we go from here?

Iowa and Biloxi await volunteers. How about inviting a friend along on your next VIM trip? More team leaders need to be re-certified and the next opportunity to do so is the June 20th workshop sponsored by Simsbury UMC. See the registratio flyer below for more information.

Also don't forget to check the www.nyac.com website for new information, particularly the team leader manuals. Updates are frequently posted.

The need for help is even more crucial during this economic downturn. Remember that as much as you have been a blessing to someone, you also have been blessed in many ways through your commitment to this special ministry.

Calling All Team Leaders!

Team leaders are needed for teams forming May - July. In particular, a group is looking for a leader for Team 93 May 30 - June 6 (or alternatively, Team 94 June 6 - 13) and Team 96 June 20 - 27. If you are a team leader who has been re-certified and can lead a team, please contact the Mission and Outreach Office at 914-615-2226 or at disaster@nyac.com.

UMCOR ID Card
Available Soon

Attention Participants of the February Certification Training Workshop Please send a digital ID photo of yourself to the Mission and Outreach Office so that your UMCOR ID card can be processed. ( disaster@nyac.com )

Sticking Out in the Crowd

The new T-shirt design is ready! Many thanks to Cindy Hoesler for dontating her time and skill for VIM's new design. Also thanks to Ransom Skateboards and Apparel for agreeing to be our new supplier. Contact the Mission and Outreach office for an order form. (disaster@nyac.com)

Be sure and submit favorite photos and stories of your VIM t-shirt in action.

Team 84 READY TO WORK and READY TO LISTEN

VIM 84 made up of 8 return volunteers and 5 newbie's to mission work were ready and willing to do whatever was asked. Newbies and returnees alike were wide-eyed, both in looking at some of the damage that is still evident as we rode through Biloxi, and later when we saw photos of damage and destruction.

There were many conversations with people who went through the hurricane and we listened to the individual struggles for survival. We were amazed, for example, at the loss of the SUMA church when less than 200-300 feet away sits the cafeteria and staff housing that was left untouched except for water damage. The intact cafe enabled the staff to feed hundreds of survivors for many days after the hurricane.

For the returnees and some of the newbies, the priority of the work we were asked to do was somewhat questionable as compared to previous trips to Biloxi. Therefore, each evening at 9PM when we held a team meeting to discuss events of the day, it was important to let each person express for themselves what they had experienced and discuss what they were doing, who they interacted with and share their feelings about the overall experience. Although the garage roof seemed to everyone to be of a lower priority, the fact that we were interfacing with the citizens of Biloxi was rewarding to each member of the team. We were given the opportunity to let the people we came into contact with tell us their story about how they survived Hurricane Katrina.

Many people expressed thankfulness by waving to us and saying 'thank you' as they drove by our job sites. One individual took time to get iced tea, cups, sliced lemon and ice for us to thank us and one family made lunch for us. Always, there is appreciation for what we are doing for them. So in many ways, it is not what job we are doing, it is that we are there on site willing to help out in any way that we can, whether it be reconstruction or rebuilding lives through listening to someone tell us what happened to them.

Pictured above from left to right: Warren Ferry, Keith Bowes, Peter Schreiber, Charlie Bornschein, John Pomeroy, Jerry Peuse, Bill Laderer, Tom Neiland, Gina Christie, Bob Christie, Gary Ott, Linda Mascaro, Peter Mascaro

Early Response Team
RE-/CERTIFICATION

You are invited to register for the Early Response Team Re-Certification training scheduled below. Attendance is limited to 35 participants per workshop, so you are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Early Response Team (ERT) volunteers are trained by authorized UMCOR trainers. The mission of an early response team is to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of disaster. This re-certification training is designed to help you respond safely to a disaster in your community or other communities within the New York Annual Conference. Upon re-certification you will also be eligible to be deployed by NYAC to be a responder in another conference.

Dates:     Sat. June 20, 2009 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Venue: Simsbury UMC, 799 Hopmeadow St, Simsbury CT 06070

Registration deadline: May, 2009   Costs: Materials/Lunch $15

Please make checks out to: SUMC-VIM with note "ERT Training"

Requirements for re-certification

All day Attendance

Pre-Requisites: Previous attendance at Disaster Response Training/Workshop.

Traveled as a volunteer with a team to Biloxi, Iowa or similar site.

Training Overview:

8 hours UMCOR training overview and content
Who? What? When? Why?
Covenant Agreement
Equipping a Team
Team Safety
Safe Sanctuaries Policies
What exactly does an ERT do?
Instructions for Tasks
Team Building Activities
Forms
Test Your Knowledge

Registration:
A registration form is listed below. Please fill it out and return it no later than May 29, 2009 to Cassandra Broadus-Garcia, broadusc@ccsu.edu

or
SUMC VIM Coordinator
10 Crescent Way
Simsbury, CT 06070

Other:_____________________

E-Mail: (1) _______________________________ (2) _____________________________

Name and Address of Local Church
__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________

Return to: Cassandra Broadus-Garcia, broadusc@ccsu.edu
SUMC VIM Coordinator
10 Crescent Way
Simsbury, CT 06070

Welcome back to Teams 82, 83, 84, 85, and 86.

Please send your contributions for the next newsletter to disaster@nyac.com The deadline is Monday, April 27, 2009.

Thank you to each VIM team leader and VIM member. We hope to see your name on a team list again, soon.

We apologize for the delay in sending this newsletter to you. The conference is experiencing technical difficulties.
NYAC Office of Mission and Outreach Coordinator: Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie

Reaching Out — April 2009

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