contributed by Regina L. Norwood, Central District Lay Leader
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9
Sometimes we find ourselves like Habakkuk, shouting to God about a world full of death, violence, division, and destruction; and demanding that God “do something”.
While we are waiting and expecting God to do something sweeping and spectacular (and God will), God is also waiting for us to “do something” miraculous. God wants us to momentarily turn our attention away from the perpetrators of wrong and see the people. God asks us to hear the cry of humanity and be stirred by the spirit of those who persevere against all odds. God is looking to see who, like Jesus, will be moved by compassion to act based on what we have witnessed.
What miraculous “something” can we perform? How about a gift to UMCOR – the United Methodist Committee on Relief? The ministry of UMCOR is well documented with a long history of making a difference all over the world. UMCOR’s “boots on the ground” are generally the first to arrive and the last to leave. Workers show up in areas like Haiti, Syria, Sudan, and Puerto Rico, and yes, even in places close to home like Arkansas. Now, war-torn Ukraine is added to the list. One hundred percent of giving go to services benefiting the people impacted by disaster, whatever form it may take. Gifts can also be designated to a specific Advance (like Ukraine).
I hope that you will join thousands of other churches around the world in supporting UMCOR on this Special Sunday, March 27, 2022. Resources for mission moments and promotion may be found here.
You are invited to be part of God’s amazing grace response by blessing those who are buffeted on every side, persecuted, knocked down, but by God’s mercy, keep going. Make a generous and compassionate gift to UMCOR today!
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers about the Ukraine Response may be found here.
Click here to give to the Humanitarian Response in Ukraine.