Author: Laura

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Hurricanes Partnership Pathfinders

New Braunfels Pathfinders Respond to Harvey

The Pathfinder Club of the New Braunfels SDA Church in Texas, “Ambassadors for Christ”, participated in community outreach for the Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief. A group of nine pathfinders helped out at the Multi-Agency Warehouse managed by Adventist Community Services in San Antonio on Sunday, October 1. They were divided into two groups. One group was in charge of sorting the personal Care Package items by putting each individual item into a large box of the same item category. By the time they were done, they had around 25 different boxes of individual items, all labeled and ready to be distributed. Another group opened up boxes of new underwear for boys and girls and packaged them in smaller boxes of six. They taped up the boxes, labeled each of them with a special code number, and loaded them on a pallet.

This enthusiastic bunch of volunteers had been looking forward to an entire day of work; however, they were able to finish the tasks assigned to them in just three hours. “We were prepared to stay all day but the jobs we were doing were completed. We are hoping to go back and help,” said Debbie Edmiston, Director of “Ambassadors for Christ”. And, sure enough, they continue to volunteer their dedicated time and efforts on Sundays at the San Antonio Warehouse. We sincerely appreciate these young people who are setting an example for other children to be involved in community outreach.

This Pathfinder Club was started in 2005 with the intention of reaching out to the young people from the surrounding neighborhoods to give them a positive avenue in life. One of the ways they were able to do that was to have their Pathfinders invite their non-Adventist friends or cousins. Vacation Bible School also played a significant role in getting children to join the Club. Debbie stated, “The Lord has blessed our Club through the years in many ways. And the Lord is still blessing us with boys and girls from our church and from the surrounding neighborhoods to this present day!”.

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Disaster Response Donations Hurricanes Partnership

FEMA Assistance for Harvey, Irma, and Maria

If you or your family and friends have been impacted by the hurricanes, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offers resources to help with recovery. Registering online, at www.DisasterAssistance.gov, is the quickest way to register for FEMA assistance.

Visit the Hurricane Harvey, Irma, or Maria pages for trusted recovery information.

To donate or volunteer, contact the voluntary or charitable organization of your choice through the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (NVOAD) at www.nvoad.org.

NVOAD is coordinating closely with the Puerto Rico Governor’s Office on offers of assistance. To make a cash donation directly to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, visit www.unitedforpuertorico.com.

Donations for the US Virgin Islands can be made to www.usvirecovery.org.

Categories
Disaster Response

Las Vegas Shooting Attack

On October 2 early morning, a gunman opened fire on a group of individuals that was attending a country music festival. The latest reports confirm over 50 people killed, along with roughly 500 injured. Currently, emergency management is on the scene and evaluating how the Recovery Efforts will be organized.

NAD ACS DR has contacted our local Nevada/Utah Conference Director, Jerry Waggoner, about ensuring that our local resources are aware of our willingness to assist should there be an expressed need. We have reached out to our Emotional/Spiritual Care team members in a couple of Conferences that are near Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, we reached out to the Red Cross and discussed our availability. Our team is now on standby, and trust if we are needed we’ll be able to meet the needs of the survivors recovering from this traumatic experience.

Photo Credits: NBC News
Categories
Disaster Response Hurricanes

ACS Responds to Hurricane Irma

A photo taken on September 6, 2017 shows the Hotel Mercure in Marigot, near the Bay of Nettle, on the French Collectivity of Saint Martin, during the passage of Hurricane Irma. France, the Netherlands and Britain on September 7 sent water, emergency rations and rescue teams to their stricken territories in the Caribbean hit by Hurricane Irma, which has killed at least 10 people. The worst-affected island so far is Saint Martin, which is divided between the Netherlands and France, where eight of the 10 confirmed deaths took place. / AFP PHOTO / Lionel CHAMOISEAU (Photo credit should read LIONEL CHAMOISEAU/AFP/Getty Images)

The ACS Disaster Response Teams are currently in Florida assisting with the Recovery Efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. They are working with the State, as well as the Florida and Southeastern Regional Conferences, to determine how and where a Warehouse will be placed. The Florida Conference is looking for ways to support those affected by the devastating flooding in Jacksonville and other areas nearby. Flood Buckets have been located and will be secured and delivered in the next couple of days. The Florida Conference has also assisted a couple of communities in debris removal after trees were blown down in the devastating winds.

The Southeastern Regional Conference conducted a needs assessment of the Fort Lauderdale, Naples, and St. Lucie areas to ascertain how these communities were recovering after the Hurricane. It appeared that these areas sustained little structural damage to their homes; however, the power outage was noted as the biggest challenge in several neighborhoods. They also were able to visit with five churches in these areas and spoke with both members and pastors who felt blessed to have made it unscathed through Irma.

Additionally, food has been a necessity and NAD was able to secure food packets for those in need. Conrad Duncan, Florida ACS Director, transported and distributed them to the affected areas last Saturday. Furthermore, several Distribution sites have been set up and are actively functioning in the State. Donations are currently being accepted at these locations. Though we await the State’s decision on where and when a Warehouse will be secured, we are providing services to those in need from the following locations:

Westchester Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church
9500 SW 16th St.
Miami, FL 33165-7667

Ft. Myers Seventh-day Adventist Church
3451 Ortiz Ave.
Fort Myers, FL 33905-7801

Jacksonville Southpoint Seventh-day Adventist Church
3208 Herring Rd.
Jacksonville, FL 32216

South Orlando Seventh-day Adventist Church
1112 W Oak Ridge Rd.
Orlando, FL 32809-4712

Brandon Seventh-day Adventist Church
1221 Victoria St.
Brandon, FL 33510

Southeastern Camp Ground
1771 FL Hwy 20
Hawthorne, FL 32640

Please remember all those who have been affected by this devastating tragedy.

Categories
Disaster Response Hurricanes

Harvey Response Continues

September 13

During the last week, Adventist Community Services Disaster Relief (ACS DR) volunteers throughout the North Pacific Union Conference (NPUC) have been torn between increasing storm devastation needs far to the east and the potential of wildfire recovery efforts close to home. Read More

As ACS Disaster Response warehouse teams are efficiently working in close partnership with the distribution sites in Texas, communication with Florida, (Southeastern Regional and Gulf States) are underway. The discussion centered around identifying the needs in the areas that were struck by Hurricane Irma. The power outages could lead to the need for food, water and other essentials. Additionally, the high number of trees that fell could have a great impact on transportation challenges on the streets in these local communities.

This assessment stage will continue for another day as teams will send their workers into the field to speak with Emergency Management, other faith based groups and local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters that might have verifiable needs that have already presented itself. More updates to follow.

COLUMBIA UNION ADVENTISTS SEND 10,525 PERSONAL CARE KITS TO PEOPLE IMPACTED BY HURRICANE HARVEY. READ MORE

Categories
Local Conference NEWS

Spokane Valley Community Garden

The Upper Columbia Conference is enhancing its outreach ministry by involving the Spokane Valley Adventist Church Community Garden as an official ministry of Adventist Community Services. The purpose of this project is to teach gardening to the community, inspire culinary experimentation, and provide food to those in need. “This is a wonderful opportunity to see how God is working in opening more and more doors,” said Patty Marsh, UCC ACS Director.

The idea of transforming a two-acre plot of vacant land into a community garden was started by Rupert Salmon, a member of the Spokane Valley Church. He and his team started on the project in February of this year by building beds. They are working in partnership with the Latter-day Saints, Catholics, as well as the Mormons in the area.

Community gardens have been a part of ACS ministry for a very long time. Particularly, the Northern CA Conference has been proactively engaged with its opportunity under Dr. Gordon Botting’s leadership. There are approximately 40 churches that have developed community gardens in the NCA Conference. “The Spokane Valley Adventist Church is being a recognizable, tangible, and a visible sign of God’s mission in Spokane,” stated Sung Kwon, NAD ACS Executive Director.

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Categories
Community Local Church

North Philadelphia Church Offers Free Services

Patients getting screened before being sent to vision/dental treatment. Photo by Kenneth Moore, Jr.

The North Philadelphia SDA Church hosted a two-day free AMEN clinic event offering free medical and dental services to the community. More than 100 volunteers from the church and the community took part in this event, providing care to around 200 people. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” said Marquis Johns, pastor of Allegheny East Conference’s North Philadelphia church. Church leaders partnered with the Adventist Medical Evangelist Network of physicians and dentists who dedicated their time and services at the medical and dental clinics. Not only were the patients blessed by this event, but the volunteers also found pleasure in being of help and service to others. Upon hearing the success of the clinics, a member of the community contacted Pr. Johns and pledged $5,000 toward having the church host another clinic in the near future.

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Disaster Response Partnership

FEMA Partnership Day

The NAD ACS Disaster Response Team is currently participating in the Voluntary Organization Partnership Day which is being held in Washington, DC today. This event is hosted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and National VOAD. The purpose of this event is to promote and recognize the services provided by voluntary, community, and faith-based organizations to disaster survivors. During the day, various organizations and groups from within FEMA will be part of an exhibit showcase that will be open to the public. There will also be informal discussion panels on disaster-related topics and an opportunity to meet with subject matter experts.

Categories
Disaster Response Floods Local Conference

Heavy Rains Cause Flooding in Wisconsin

The state of Wisconsin has experienced devastating floods in the past few days. As the torrential rains continue to pour down, the tally of damaged homes keeps rising. There have been reports of more than 4200 homes damaged or even completely destroyed. Businesses were also heavily impacted by the flood; 26 businesses are reported with damage and 11 businesses were fully destroyed.

Multiagency resource centers have been opened throughout the three counties that were affected in the southeastern area, to meet the needs of the survivors. Each county has local organizations that are taking care of the donations for that county. Volunteers have been meeting at the Mt. Zion Christian Church at 7:30 and 12:30 daily to go out and help with cleanup. The West Central region of the state was also heavily impacted by flooding and damaging winds. Four shelters have been set up in that area.

Let us remember all those who have been affected by this disaster.

Categories
Local Church Refugees

Italy SDA Church Welcomes Refugees

A predominantly refugee church in southern Italy emphasized the World Refugee Day during their June 17 Sabbath morning worship service. The service which included refugee stories, a concert, reports, and interviews were live streamed. The church which is located in Castel Volturno, a town 21 miles northwest of Naples, has opened its doors to welcome migrants that are coming in mostly from Libya. Some were already Adventists before they arrived, some found faith on their journey, and some were introduced to the Adventist faith after getting in touch with the church. Read first-hand stories about refugees and the trials they endured in their homeland, the struggles they encountered during their journey, and the challenges they continue to face in their new home, Italy.

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