March 13, 2021
Sharing from the congregation – David Petty, missions chair
UMCOR Sunday, Tomorrow March 14, 2021
They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.
— First Timothy 6:18
I grew up in a small town in Middle Tennessee, on the Cumberland River upstream from Nashville. My brother still lives there on Riverside Drive. You may recall that in 2010 a devastating flood hit Nashville. The same flood hit upstream as well. My brother’s house, which has the highest elevation on his street, was completely surrounded by water. (He and his family had already evacuated.) Fortunately no water got into the house; the only damage was that an outside air conditioning unit was ruined — it was fully insured. Also, when he went to clean out his pool later, there were fish in it.
His neighbors were not so lucky. All of them had evacuated too, but every other house on the street was flooded, some damaged beyond repair.
When the waters receded, the first people to show up, other than residents and local authorities, were volunteers from UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Some were from Knoxville. They spent several days helping to clean up, repair and rebuild, and provide emotional/spiritual support.
UMCOR, which celebrated its eightieth anniversary last year, directs emergency relief efforts and ongoing projects all over the world. It’s nice to hear about its work in Africa and Asia, but I can tell you that when it comes to your own home town it takes on a whole new significance.
Methodism has made many contributions to theology, but it has never let that stand in the way of doing all the good we can. March 14 is UMCOR Sunday. Donations on that day go to administrative costs; all other funds go directly to relief efforts. We preach with our hands, backs, and goods as well as with our mouths.
Gracefully submitted,
David Petty