United Methodist Volunteers In Mission (UMVIM) is a grassroots movement within The United Methodist Church designed to provide an official channel whereby Christians, both lay and clergy, may offer their skills and talents for Christian service at home and around the world on short term assignments at their own expense.
Their work includes construction and renewing of mission facilities, teaching, witnessing, conducting medical clinics, conducting Bible study or Bible School for children, and serving in disaster relief efforts around the world.
An Early Response Team is a special type of VIM Team
An Early Response Team has a very narrow function and has no management or administrative responsibility for the overall disaster response. An Early Response Team is a specially trained and certified team called to do early response. Early Response Teams (ERT) are specially trained teams that offer assistance soon after the disaster strikes. They generally do clean-up work and tasks required to stop further damage from being done, e.g. putting tarps on damaged roofs. They might do minor repairs that help make homes habitable, but they do not do extensive repairs or reconstruction (that is the job for Long Term Recovery).
An “Early Response Team” should not be confused with a Disaster Recovery Team.
A Disaster Recovery Team is a type of UMVIM Team that comes to assist in the long term recovery, AFTER early response is completed.
As the continued needs continue as the results of Hurricane Harvey in the Coastal Bend, we are having a UMVIM TRAINING to prepare teams to go into these same areas for up to five more years in the future. This training is offered to a team from a local church, or several nearby churches, or individuals from a local church who want to be trained and present this ministry to their local church.
Registration is through the Hill Country District office by:
email – kdumc@kdumc.org
mail – 222 Sidney Baker South, Ste. 528, Kerrville TX 78028
Telephone - 830-896-6400
Cost of the training: $30 – include lunch, manual and resources. Church teams can pay for one (1) manual and then just for the lunch $11.00 per person. Any of the team wanting their own manual will have to pay $30
You may mail payment to Hill Country District or pay at the door.
If you have any questions feel free to contact:
Pam Elliott, Hill Country District VIM Coordinator-dispro512@gmail.com
Abel Vega, RTC Mission Vitality Outreach Director – avega@riotexas.org
Frank Rojas, RTC VIM Conference Coordinator - vim.riotx@gmail.com or 512.422.0210