An invitation to mission

Do you want to know how God has inspired us to act because of the Salt Lake City UMCOR Hub closing? As you may know, in 2017, following an inspirational mission trip to the UMCOR Depot in Salt Lake City, the United Methodist Church of Johnstown became an UMCOR Hub. Since that time many of you have helped with donations and the building of flood buckets, hygiene kits and school kits which were then delivered by members of our team from the hub here in Johnstown to Salt Lake. We are so grateful!

Last year we received the sad news that the Salt Lake Depot was closing indefinitely and suddenly transporting kits became cost prohibitive as the closest Depot is in Louisiana. During the past year our efforts have been local – Covid-19 kits distributed by a local food pantry, hygiene kits for seniors and domestic abuse victims, and most recently a successful   diaper drive in association with United Way of Weld County.

The time has now come to reach beyond our local communities but look for a need closer to home. Our new designation is the United Methodist Church Disaster Response Team. The DRT will have the same feel as UMCOR in terms of mission and strategy and it is our sincere hope that we can continue to work together with you to provide a positive impact in the wake of disaster. We will be working in coordination with the Mountain Sky District as the Western Jurisdiction Disaster Response Coordinators. We have all felt the effect of the forest fires, now unfortunately a part of the ‘new normal’ in the western United States. The decision was made to build Fire Kits (by combining two UMCOR lists out of California and adding some additional items) to be distributed to those individuals impacted by wildland or house fires.

Due to the number of items needed for each kit/bucket, the preferred method of donating is monetary, as we can then purchase in bulk, bringing the cost of each kit to $90.00. You can  make cash/check donations to UMC Johnstown with (Fire Kits in the memo line for checks) or through online giving. Gifts may also be given online at this link. Additionally, if your would like to purchase items, you can find a list on our website, and on this Amazon Wish List. Donations are tax deductible.

We will be building a small number of kits on September 5th, but as donations come in, we plan to build more kits and will welcome your help when those kits are assembled.

God bless you for your generosity.

Susan Jordan

United Methodist Church Disaster Response Team                                                                108 King Avenue, Johnstown, CO 80534