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Churches Dealing with Disaster

Volunteers assemble cleaning buckets in this file photo on the website of the North Carolina Conference. A file photo by Bill Norton.By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*
Volunteers assemble cleaning buckets in this file photo on the website of the North Carolina Conference. A file photo by Bill Norton.By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*

When disaster strikes, United Methodists respond with prayers and support.

Find out how you can be a part of relief efforts. Follow news coverage or the United Methodist News Service page on Facebook.

Check for information about local churches or conferences.

Learn from the stories of United Methodists congregations that have faced hardship, healing and hope after disasters.

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Disaster preparedness and response

Storms and flood

Part I of this series shares how the United Methodist Committee on Relief responds to disasters. The next four segments tell the stories of three churches — in Alabama, Indiana and North Dakota — that are recovering from tornadoes and floods.

Fires

During 2012 and early 2013, fire destroyed or damaged more than a dozen United Methodist church properties across the United States. This special news series reported on the damage from those fires, the response to the affected congregations and what churches can do to protect themselves.

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Disaster Relief
The Rev. Godfrey Gaga (right,) Malawi Provisional Conference superintendent, removes the ribbon from the door of Annie Katumbi’s new home in Ngabu Village in Chikwawa, Malawi. The house was built as part of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Phase 2 recovery efforts after Cyclone Freddy devastated the area in 2023. Photo by Francis Nkhoma, UM News.

3 years after cyclone, recovery continues in Malawi
Phase 2 of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Cyclone Freddy recovery initiative is delivering long-term shelter, clean water and agricultural support across cyclone-affected districts.
Social Concerns
At left, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a member of Ben Hill United Methodist Church in Atlanta, celebrates winning Georgia's race for governor during an election night rally Nov. 3 in Atlanta. She is the first Black woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. At right, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Resurrection, The United Methodist Church’s largest U.S. congregation, celebrates his victory in Kansas’ Senate race at a watch party Nov. 3 in Overland Park, Kan. Hamilton will be the first Democratic senator from the state in nearly a century. Bottoms photo by REUTERS/Taylor Edgerton; Hamilton photo by Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

United Methodists win big in midterms
The Rev. Adam Hamilton and Keisha Lance Bottoms notched historic victories in the Kansas Senate and Georgia governor races, respectively. Both plan to rely on their Christian faith in their new roles.
Disaster Relief
Heavy rains accompanied by balls of ice destroyed the roof of Kuziva Stephen Makunike’s home during the Oct. 5 storm that swept through Masvingo town in southeastern Zimbabwe. Estimates were yet to be made, but church members believe property damaged will need thousands of dollars to repair and rebuild. Photo by Pastor Samuel Maunga, UM News.

Zimbabwe hailstorm destroys churches, homes
United Methodists in Masvingo town are counting their losses after a severe hailstorm smashed church properties and members’ homes.

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