UMRC Newsletter

Charleston District

Volume 6, No. 1 - March 2001

A Word From The Executive Director

Dear Friends and Supporters of the United Methodist Relief Center,

The United Methodist Relief Center has experienced phenomenal growth over the past several years, evolving into a valuable community resource and providing a tangible witness to God's work in and through a peculiar people call United Methodist.  The Board of Directors recognized as critical the need to evaluate where we are, devise and implement a five-year strategic plan to ensure mission integrity, provide for long term sustainability, and plan for growth. In November, the long range planning process began with a retreat; both incoming and outgoing directors as well as the staff worked diligently and the plan has just been completed. As we examined the scope of the work accomplished, the numbers of families now living in vastly improved conditions, the numbers of dedicated hardworking volunteers who perform the back breaking construction tasks and the significant resources made available; we were again the reminded of how God has blessed this mission. There is simply no way humanly possible for the amount and scope of our work to have been completed. God is good!   

Blessings for this past year include several additions to the staff: Rev. DeVon Ruth as Director of Programs; Lynette Duggins Thomas, Church and Community Worker, as Advocacy Coordinator; Emily Shown as Grants Assistant; Leigh Peigler as Clerical Assistant. (Please click here to get acquainted.)   

This year two Board Members, Levy Berry and Betty Walker, completed six years of dedicated service, and Dot Eason is retiring after ten years of service. Their commitment and leadership have truly enhanced the work of the United Methodist Relief Center. While these folks are no longer on the Board they have expressed a desire to continue to support the mission. The nominating committee has indeed done a laudable job. We welcome new Board Members: Linda Brown; Coleman Glaze, Vice President; Alfred Heyward; Joe Hinske; Jennifer Miller; Brantley Moody; John Pardee; Rev, Bill Rogers; Marly Schulken; and Rev. Joe Long, returning as Board President. They join Robbie Fulmer, Secretary; Floyd Generette; Rev. Betty Hughes; Rev. Sam Johnson, Treasurer; Rev. Larry McCutcheon and Rev. Mark Robinson to make up our seventeen member Board of Directors.   We have completed construction on new home number 67, number 68 is dried-in; and the foundation is being poured for 69.  In the year 2000, 85 families were assisted. Volunteer teams utilizing grant and/or donated funds have accomplished 51 construction projects in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties; 34 additional families across the state were assisted through partnerships. While these statistics are phenomenal, let's not overlook the direct impact on human need (165 very low income persons served) and the opportunities provided for Christians (994 individuals worked 46,312 hours) to tangibly demonstrate the love of Christ and utilize the gifts and talents which God has so generously provided.   

In His Name,

Pat Goss

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UMRC's 10 Year Celebration

The Advocacy Program, Helping Hand, is the second part of our Outreach Program. Clients receiving housing assistance are required to participate as needed in the program. The primary goal is to work with individuals and/or families to increase their level of self-sufficiency in maintaining their homes (once rehabilitated or reconstructed) and to increase their awareness of their property as an asset. This additional assistance serves to instill a feeling of dignity and self-worth in the participants, and to ensure their ability to maintain their homes. Volunteers from local communities will be trained to identify the specific needs of those assisted, and  will work with the Advocacy Coordinator to develop and implement a plan of action based on those needs.

Simple skills such as basic housekeeping and routine home maintenance will be explained. Where more in-depth instruction is needed — in the areas of healthcare, budgeting, education and employment opportunities — the United Methodist Relief Center will seek to identify other qualified local agencies to provide these services. This will ensure that the UMRC is not duplicating existing services, and that the individuals/families are afforded the opportunity to optimum success. Documented records of physical changes in the living conditions or each client will be maintained. These records will reflect the conditions prior and subsequent to the home improvement project. If you are interested in becoming a part of the Helping Hand program, please call Lynette D. Thomas at (843) 884-4860. 

- Lynette Duggins Thomas  
Advocacy Coordinator

A donated house was moved from the Isle of Palms to McClellanville, a move of about 25 miles. The mover located it on the property and raised it four feet in the air on steel beams. We needed to dig 192 feet of foundation, lay the reinforcing steel rods in place, pour it full of concrete, have the pier blocks laid and then have the house mover lower it on the blocks.  Each detail was properly scheduled for an orderly flow of work over the next week, including two rain days. That was Friday afternoon. 

Monday morning started with a call at 6:30 a.m. Paul, a new site employee as of Thursday, was on the other end of the  line. "I'm sick," he announced with regret,   "I'm going to the  doctor and will call you tomorrow."  Ed, Ernie and I waited on the work team that was scheduled to arrive at 7:30 a.m. They had canceled their trip but the information didn't reach us until 8:30. Now there are three of us left. I rode around Mt. Pleasant look-ing for some day laborers but it was Martin Luther King Holiday. 

Ernie, an older volunteer visiting from Wisconsin, could not be expected to dig in a stooped position all day.   Ed announced that he had strained his back over the weekend. Those now left to complete the work is matter of simple math. I was willing to start the digging but knew that repetitive jarring of my foot on the shovel would Irritate the nerves near the arthritic spurs. 

The three of us Impaired workers arrived on the site only to discover that 75 of the pier blocks had been unloaded under one corner of the house in the way of the foundation to be dug. Total frustration began to rule my thoughts and feelings.  No foundation meant canceling the order of concrete, canceling the block mason, canceling the mover, canceling the other team coming later to build the porches. As I paced up the driveway a neighbor from across the fence greeted me with a cheerful,  "Good morning!"   No similar greeting was returned, but I related the developments of the morning and then asked, "Do you know of anyone who can help us dig this foundation?  He reminded me of the holiday but responded, "I'll see what I can do."  Unloading the 8 to 10 shovels was an act of pure faith heavily mixed with dark doubts about finishing the foundation that day. 

The next series of events to unfold were nothing short of miraculous.  Shovels hardly hit the ground until they were picked up by a member of the community. Dirt began flying from under the house in a blinding flurry. "Got any more shovels?" the willing neighbors pleaded. "Tell me how deep you want to go," others shouted. "Where's the steel? another asked. I pulled out my ruler to show one guy how wide and deep to dig the trench. He rebuffed my instruction with, "This is what I do everyday!"  After a few string lines were strung, I stepped back to watch, feeling as if I was hindering what God was inspiring. Even in my dull spiritual sensitivity, it was all too obvious that I was getting in the way. 

No accurate count was taken of the community volunteers that responded to a neighbor on that holy day. My best guess is around 15; they were moving too fast to count.  By 3:00 in the afternoon the trench was dug and the steel rods were laid.  We got back to Mt. Pleasant early.  I was exhausted, not from work, but worry. I wonder: how long is it going to be before I can fully trust the work of the Holy Spirit?  Until I arrive at that exalted state, I have one more witness of the power of God at work in a community to add to the countless revelations. 

Grace and peace,

- DeVon Ruth
Director of Program

GIFTS TO THE 
UNITED METHODIST RELIEF CENTER