As disciples of Jesus who are committed to sharing Christ, the recent devastation brought by hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina moves us to respond in love and generosity. We remember well how people have helped our area in times past. Now it is our turn to help others facing unprecedented disaster.

We understand that there are many efforts being put together from our great community to offer assistance to people affected by the storm. We are gathering news hourly about many of the efforts being initiated, and we cannot possibly list them all. We do encourage you to consider how the Spirit might lead you to be the hands and feet of Christ in one or all of the following three categories.

1. Short term/Immediate relief:  We encourage you to seek out and donate items that will be sent via large trailers. We know that the Salvation Army has such a trailer parked at Walmart with bottled water and other immediate needs listed that it will be delivering in the immediate term. There may be other efforts being initiated by other organizations in Washington that we may or may not know about.
2. Monetary donations: The Global Methodist Church is set up to receive offerings directly. (See appropriate info below for this option.) These funds will be directed to relief efforts of the North Carolina Global Methodist Conference operating out of Kings Mountain, NC. Or you can earmark funds to First Methodist Church Washington (“Hurricane Relief”), and through the work of Finance and Mission Committees we will timely and appropriately disperse funds.
3. Ongoing needs/Upcoming projects: We understand that while there are immediate needs in an area affected by natural disasters, we also understand there will be needs well into the foreseeable future. Therefore, through our Missions Committee, we will be looking out for ways we can organize efforts into the future. One such opportunity will be during Church Has Left The Building on October 27th. We will plan to include in our mission work that morning an opportunity to prepare “Flood Buckets” which contain certain items that help in the cleanup efforts after floods. There is a material/financial cost per bucket that is assembled, as well as the needs for hands to fill these buckets.
   We may also seek to assemble a team of First Methodist members who would want to work together by physically going into the mission field as those opportunities become available.

In addition to these strategies that allow us to put our faith into action, we encourage all of you to continue in prayer for the people affected by this recent storm. May God’s presence be felt in powerful ways among the people left in the path of Hurricane Helene, for we know that our God is more powerful than any storm in life, and we know that our Savior always rescues in mighty ways, and that the Holy Spirit has already preceded and follows our prayers as the Great Comforter in times of trouble.

In Christ,

First Methodist Church Washington Pastors and Staff

Monetary Donations to the Global Methodist Church Disaster Response

Donate to Hurricane Helene Disaster Response Online

Checks can be written to:
NC PAC – memo “Disaster Response”

And mailed to:
NC PAC
C/O Carolyn Hindel
PO Box 667
Kings Mountain, NC 28086