Disaster Response Ministries reports growth in congregations partnering with UMCOR. With UMCOR support it added Jamaar Franklin Pye as Disaster Response Associate to help congregations build disaster plans, implement the Connecting Neighbors curriculum, and train Early Response Teams. Grace Lee-Zimmerman leads the Disaster Ministries warehouse at Impact and the MissionHub at the Conference Center, with churches sending groups to assemble UMCOR hygiene and cleaning kits (ngumc.org/warehouse).
A major UMCOR recovery effort has continued in the Augusta area since Hurricane Helene (September 27, 2024), rebuilding homes across a three-county area (Richmond, McDuffie, Columbia). The team received 472 requests for unmet needs and moved 214 projects into case management (as of 3/16/26), securing grant funding from the NGUMC Conference Offering, UMCOR, the Community Foundation of the CSRA, the ELCA Southeastern Synod, and the American Red Cross. Volunteer hours peaked at 342 volunteers working 13,403 hours in January 2026. Over 100 homes were repaired or rebuilt in the past year. Submitted by Scott Parrish.