Letter from Bishop James Swanson:

“Holding up the banner of Christ”

 To the people of the Holston Conference: I greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Holston's first response to the Haiti disaster is to ask all persons and congregations to offer prayers for the people of Haiti. In the poorest country in the western hemisphere, where people do not suffer from poverty but from extreme poverty, these people are now suffering again in an extreme way. Please pray for the persons there and for those who are frantically working to bring aid to the victims of this disaster. May all feel God's loving presence with them.  UMCOR officials Rev. Sam Dixon and Clint Raab, were in Port-au-Prince, were buried in the rubble and died of their injuries. We our offer prayers to the families of these great men of God.

  Our second response will be to provide monetary aid through UMCOR. The Advance Special number to use is #418325. Checks may be sent to Holston Conference marked with this Advance Special number. As always, 100% of the funds donated will go directly to Haiti to help alleviate the suffering there. Finally, UMCOR will need lots of health kits. Churches that want to provide a "hands-on" response are encouraged to prepare kits, and we will coordinate a manner in which to have these delivered to the Sager-Brown depot in Louisiana. Kit contents are below:

  Again, thank you for your support and keep up the godly work.

     Health Kit (Value: $12 per kit):

Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.

• 1 hand towel (15” x 25” up to 17” x 27”, no kitchen towels)

• 1 washcloth

• 1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)

• 1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)

• 1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)

• 1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, no child-size brushes)

• 6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

(NOTE: UMCOR Sager Brown is now purchasing toothpaste in bulk to be added to health kits before shipping to ensure that the product does not expire before it is sent. Please include $1 for each kit you send toward the purchase of toothpaste & $1 for shipping.)

All items included in kits must be NEW items.

All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items and nothing more.

Do NOT include any personal notes, or additional materials in the kits.

Locally, churches in our area are compiling a range of emergency kits.  Luminary UMC will be collecting these in an 18-wheel trailer until it is filled, at which time UMCOR will pick up the trailer and take it to the Sager Brown Depot in Louisiana.  From there the

kits will be delivered to Haiti and the people who need them so much. For a complete list of kits & kit material, please contact the church office.