ATLANTA – Human Rights Watch reports that increasing violence has put the population of Haiti at grave risk. Gang violence, rising prices, falling income and below-normal rainfall that results in low agricultural production fuels the violence. Suffering is made worse when humanitarian aid can’t reach the communities that need it.

After the 2021 earthquake in Haiti, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) joined other humanitarian and faith-based organizations to increase relief efforts across the country. But today, only 10% of Port-au-Prince remains under government control, with criminal groups escalating attacks since late 2024. These groups have targeted key infrastructure, such as airports, seaports and roads, as well as state institutions, schools, health centers, media outlets, and residential and commercial areas.

“People no longer have a safe place to flee to,” an aid worker told Human Rights Watch. “Women who come here seeking help have not only lost loved ones, but have also been raped, displaced and left on the streets, starving and struggling to survive. We don’t know how much longer they can endure such suffering.”

In the face of these challenges, UMCOR has been working with Haitian partners that have capacity and ability to serve women, children and families. Providing health care and counseling for women, food and medical care for children and general food and shelter relief to families has become the focus for UMCOR’s grants in Haiti.

One way of getting health care and specifically, gynecological care for women, to the temporary places where they are sheltering is to meet them where they are using mobile clinics. Several partners have access to vehicles, staff and expertise to do this.

The Association for the Promotion of Haitian Family (Profamil) is a Haitian non-governmental organization dedicated to providing sexual and reproductive health services to women and adolescents. Places where displaced people shelter are typically schools, churches, and public spaces – none of which are designed for this purpose – yet they accommodate thousands of individuals.

“During our mobile clinics, we transport our equipment to these makeshift sites and set up our operations,” noted Profamil staff. “On one occasion, the room provided to us served as living quarters for 20 families. For the duration of the day, these families graciously moved their personal belongings to make space for us to establish our clinic in this room. We were able to provide medical consultations to over 100 women in a single day under these challenging conditions.”

REFKAD, an organization that brings together 30 women’s organizations in Haiti, received an UMCOR grant to organize community mobile clinics to assist women and girls who are survivors of sexual violence. It supplied medical staff, medicines, consultation and psychosocial support to women in shelters.

The Centre Hospitalier de Fontaine Foundation (CHFF), a Haitian nonprofit that helps underfunded schools and hospitals serving marginalized Haitian communities, supports health care, education, child protection and job creation services. CHFF hosted mobile clinics that visited K-9^th grade schools to provide health care for children and their families and school staff. CHFF also provided meals.

Négés Mawon, another Haitian nonprofit, received an UMCOR grant to improve the safehouse in Port au Prince that houses women, adolescents and children who are survivors of abuse. The grant was used to increase access to counseling and to make the residence more comfortable and functional for the residents.

The Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas (MCCA) Haiti District has been a major emergency food distributor for several years now through ongoing and shifting disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, severe flooding, and now political and social unrest. MCCA Haiti, also knows as EMH, or the Methodist Church of Haiti, has an agreement with UMCOR to buy and distribute food throughout the 13 circuits (or districts) of the church across Haiti. These ongoing rations of rice, beans and cooking oil help to supplement many families’ food needs.

Other support for food programs includes Project St. Anne’s, which distributes similar food packets to families in Camp Perrin, in the western part of Haiti. In Dondon, south of Cap-Haitien, Organization for the Development Integral of Dondon (ODID), a grant helped to support cash assistance or food, medical supplies and school needs.

The Community Coalition of Haiti (CCH) has been working in Grand Sud and Port au Prince regions to provide emergency response and urgent activities to bring immediate relief to those most affected by the current crisis. Flexible cash grants provide help to vulnerable families in households that have doubled or even tripled in size because of people fleeing violence. In addition, educational institutions and parents seeking a way to help students in places where schools have been forced to close will receive resources and support to continue educational activities outside the classroom. Since Haiti is often struck by natural disasters, the coalition will also continue to work with communities on disaster response readiness, given that the government currently has no capacity to respond.

The humanitarian need in Haiti is so severe that UMCOR continues to explore new partnerships and granting possibilities, especially with Haitian nonprofits. Consultations with Global Ministries’ Global Health unit ensure that programs involving health care are reviewed and any guidance relayed to the partner.

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

UMCOR DISASTER RESPONSE

United Methodist Committee on Relief Disaster Response and Recovery serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike both inside and outside of the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities outside the U.S. affected by natural or humanmade disasters.

The post Health, safety and food – UMCOR grants in Haiti appeared first on Global Ministries.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has supported relief and recovery projects in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Working with many different partners, UMCOR has accompanied people affected by the war through ongoing phases of humanitarian response.

At the recent Global Ministries Board of Directors meeting, members approved two major grants for continued war recovery in Ukraine. The ongoing conflict has had devastating effects on the population, causing widespread infrastructure damage and large-scale economic disruption.

A new grant of $1 million to International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)gives continued support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with disabilities living in conflicted areas, such as Zakarpattia, Rivne, Ternopil, Lviv, Chernivtsi and Ivano-Frankivsk. It will provide food and other essentials, and job training, thereby fostering stability, self-reliance and improving prospects for long-term recovery. Economic empowerment is especially crucial for women IDPs, who care for children and parents and face additional barriers to employment. IOCC will also establish safe housing conditions in three shelters and two institutions.

Another UMCOR partner, One Collective, is building an apartment complex in Zakarpatska Oblast, projected to house 40 people. Apartments have private bathroom facilities and a common kitchen, living room, and laundromat facilities. Many residents cannot obtain safe and permanent homes until after the end of the war. In addition to building houses, the grant of $400,000 will help the project incorporate construction training for displaced individuals and others who have lost their primary source of income because of the war. Those who participate in the training will receive jobs to build the houses. This type of programming seeks to address the needs of livelihood as well as housing.

“It is becoming apparent that many from Eastern Ukraine will not be able to return home,” Katie Hills, director of UMCOR Disaster Response, said to UMCOR directors at their committee meeting in April. Therefore, two critical areas requiring aid are shelter and livelihood programs. Return to stable and reliable medical care, which includes trauma counseling and Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome (PTSD) counseling for civilians and military personnel, are also concerns that UMCOR is addressing.

The United Methodist Church in Ukraine – In 2023, UMCOR confirmed a significant grant to purchase property, providing reliable shelter for displaced families and a base for the UMC outreach ministries. Through local connections, the UMC in Ukraine purchased Pid Zamkom, Ukrainian for “Under the Castle,” a hotel, restaurant and event venue near Kam’yanytsya. The new shelter hosts 40 displaced people currently and provides space for United Methodist conferences, training and community outreach. The long-term vision for Pid Zamkom is to transform it into a rehabilitation center for war-related trauma survivors. Today, the residents are mostly women, children and the elderly, with many having stayed several years because of the war’s ongoing devastation.

International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) – An earlier grant to IOCC improved the living conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and people with special needs living in shelters throughout Western Ukraine, IOCC is supplying or installing home and kitchen appliances and providing humanitarian kits and non-food items to targeted communities. In addition, IOCC is procuring essential medical equipment to restore medical services in the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv.

Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation – UMCOR supports psychosocial care provided to Ukrainian veterans and active military personnel at the Vinnytsia Rehabilitation Facility. This grant also provides wheelchairs and other medical equipment and nutritional support.

Tutapona – There is increasing need to support mental health and emotional healing in women, men, girls, and boys affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tutapona adult and child-focused group therapy curricula supports people in need of intensive mental health support in Lviv. Facilitated by trained, in-house Tutapona staff, these programs aim to produce a measurable decrease in trauma symptoms and increase well-being.

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

International Disaster Response

United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters.

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ATLANTA – Typhoon Gaemi, named Carina in the Philippines, took a direct path across Taiwan on July 24 and its outer band of winds struck the Philippines along the western coast of Manila. Unfortunately, it arrived just about the time a tropical depression formed, and a southwest monsoon hit the islands too, all of which caused massive flooding and landslides. On July 25, a tanker hauling about 370,000 gallons of oil hit the rough seas in the Bay of Manila and consequently sank. Within five days, two more vessels faltered and went aground or sank.

All around the Bay of Manila fishing villages and even inland towns have been affected by the triple calamity.

The Manila Episcopal Area Disaster Management Office (MEA DMO) supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), activated its disaster response protocol and assessed the triple disasters as a category 3 event (out of 5). Local churches gave direct aid by distributing food and water. The Manila Episcopal Area sent out a “call to action” and churches took a special offering, which included food offerings.

A committee was created to streamline UMC relief and recovery operations. At that point, the MEA DMO requested two UMCOR solidarity grants, one for storm and flood relief and the other to provide relief to fishing villages affected by the three oil spills, augmenting what the local churches were already doing.

The committee, headed by the Rev. Joseph Estadilla, district superintendent and dean of the cabinet for the Manila Episcopal Area, worked to maximize and ensure a coordinated response for local churches and annual conferences.

D.S. Estadilla and other team members visited affected areas to assess the damage, gather information about what the local municipalities were providing, and discern which families and communities were most at risk because they were not receiving municipal aid. They concentrated UMC relief in those areas.

D.S. Estadilla, who oversees the Bulacan Annual Conference, is also from Bulacan. “I’m from an island near Manila, Binuangan Obando, and I was able to go home to my barangay (town) and gather some information from the fisher folk there. They shared with me that because of oil contamination, the government banned all fishing, and they were not able to work. This would continue for about a month. They were having trouble with their daily needs, especially food, because most of the people depend on catches from the sea and Manila Bay. We provided some food packs from donations of United Methodist members.”

Other coastal areas such as Cavite along the bay were also affected. Rev. Glofie Baluntong, the executive director of the Philippine Central Conference Board of Church and Society, was involved in a coalition for emergency response and information sharing with communities in Bataan and also across the bay in Cavite.

“People found oil remnants on the fish and crabs they brought in,” she explained. “This is proof of the oil spill, and we could see black oil in the sand on the beaches. The effect of this in barangay Amaya, where the MEA DMO has a relief operation, is oil on the beaches and in the rivers. It has penetrated the water in household wells. Because of this, they observed that the birds do not come; there is no fish they can eat. They even reported some pets had died from eating contaminated fish.”

Apart from the fishing, they lost houses in the coastal villages. They contend that reclamation, or development projects, such as the new Bulacan Airport and adjacent hotels now underway, have caused negative long-term effects. “They layer fillers of stone and sand in the sea to build upon and then they dredge soil, silt, sand and rocks from different areas to fill in the construction,” Rev. Baluntong explained.

D.S. Estadilla described some of the resulting complications of the reclamation projects in Bulacan. “In my area, churches and their communities in port communities were under water. All of these were on the coastal area of Manila Bay. High tide and the typhoon joined together. The flooding was grave, unlike I’ve seen in other years.

“In one barangay, Meysulao, Calumpit, Bulacan, the flooding reached up to the neck of the average person. Small boats had to be used to transport goods and people, and it affected everyone. Even in mid-October, I spoke with a pastor there and he said there is still water on the roads after three months. The slow downstream flow of water to the Manila Bay is being blocked by reclamation projects.”

In a “next step” along its journey, the MEA DMO was officially inducted into the Disaster Risk Reduction Network of the Philippines (DRRNet Phils) in September. This organization is dedicated to disaster risk reduction and building resilient communities across the Philippines. It works on many of the hazards the DMO encounters on a broader scale together with its members.

“Joining the DRRNet Philippines is truly an answered prayer and a dream come true for us in the Disaster Management Office,” said Josephine (“Phine”) Cedillo, coordinator of the MEA DMO. “Now that our program is recognized and connected with the DRRnet, we are better equipped to support those most in need. DRRNet is also a member of the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Council. Joining allows us to enhance our impact on disaster preparedness and community resilience.”

The DRRNet offers the MEA DMO a chance to form collaborative partnerships with like-minded non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, academic institutions and government agencies. The DMO also gains access to training, workshops and seminars to enhance its skills and knowledge.

UMCOR International Disaster Response has supported MEA’s Disaster Management Office operationally since 2017. The DMO has implemented many successful relief projects. Katie Hills, director of UMCOR Disaster Response, says the MEA DMO has responded to countless typhoons, fires in informal settler communities, earthquakes, and COVID economic impacts since 2017. “It’s notable they always keep creation care central to their programming. They were inducted into DRR net thanks to a track record of high quality humanitarian programming.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor for Global Ministries and UMCOR.

International Disaster Response

United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.

Central Conference Disaster Management Offices in the Philippines and in Africa are supported by and connected with UMCOR through International Disaster Response. Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters. For the latest news on responses, click here.

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ATLANTA – For more than 80 years, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has alleviated the suffering of individuals, families and communities affected by both natural and humanmade disaster.

UMCOR journeys with communities throughout a disaster’s cycle, including disaster preparedness, relief, response, recovery and mitigation. It focuses on disasters that overwhelm a local community’s ability to respond, such as storms and flooding, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, war and civil unrest.

Through a strong network of worldwide partners, UMCOR quickly assesses needs in the wake of disaster. UMCOR comes alongside communities at their invitation and encourages their involvement in and ownership of their recovery. UMCOR works collaboratively with local partners to connect survivors to the help they need to rebuild their lives.

In the U.S., UMCOR works with disaster response ministries and coordinators in annual conferences. Internationally, UMCOR resources Disaster Management Offices in Africa and the Philippines and accompanies and equips other Methodist and faith-based partners. UMCOR’s primary channels of assistance are training, technical support, and both short and long-term grantmaking and programming.

From initial relief efforts such as distributing food, water, clothing and hygiene items, to long-term recovery projects like home repair, case management, psychosocial support and restoring livelihoods, UMCOR’s partners select beneficiaries based on need and vulnerability as opposed to other categories such as gender, race or religion.

UMCOR’s ministry would not be possible without the support of others who give generously of their time and resources. There are several ways you can join UMCOR in disaster response efforts:

Pray
Our work is undergirded by the power of prayer. Pray for disaster survivors, first-responders and those coordinating local responses. Pray that basic needs would be met and that communities would experience resilience. Follow UMCOR on social media to learn how you can pray for the latest disasters.  

Serve
UMCOR welcomes volunteers to both prepare for and respond to disaster.

Volunteer at a supply depot within the United Methodist Relief Supply Network like Sager Brown in Baldwin, LA.  

Make cleaning, hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits to be sent to disaster-affected communities in the U.S. (UMCOR does not ship kits internationally.)

Give toward the purchasing of kit items to keep supply depots well-stocked.

Consider Early Response Team (ERT) training within your annual conference. And please do not self-deploy. Visit the disaster response ministry section of your conference’s website to learn more.

Share
Tell others about the work of UMCOR! Visit our News Center for stories on UMC relief and recovery efforts around the world.

Give
Donations to U.S. Disaster Response and Recovery, International Disaster Response and Recovery or UMCOR Where Most Needed enable UMCOR to respond quickly and effectively to disasters as they arise. 100% of gifts made to UMCOR go directly to help those in need rather than funding administrative and operating costs.

Together, we can alleviate the suffering of those affected by disaster, bringing hope and healing to communities worldwide.

The post How UMCOR responds to disaster…and how you can help appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA – Global Ministries awarded several grants through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) that are being mobilized this week to support organizations in Gaza on the ground, moving with and serving the displaced population.

A grant of more than $200,000 for United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), a nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C., is being used to provide 3,275 displaced households in Gaza with fresh vegetables to compliment dry food rations and increase food availability in camps for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) and with host families. Fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, zucchini and lemons will be a great and welcome relief for families in the Rafah area.

UPA was founded in 1978 by a group of Palestinian-American business professionals to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and contribute to the long-term socio-economic and cultural development of Palestinian communities in the West Bank, Gaza and the Palestinian diaspora. The organization has developed many connections with Palestinian medical facilities, vendors and social service agencies to procure the harvested produce from local farms, thereby aiding their income as well.

An earlier UMCOR grant to UPA in December 2023 to provide 14,000 displaced people with food parcels for those not being served by United Nations shelters, hospitals and schools, was successful in getting aid through Egypt.  

The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches has also received an UMCOR grant of about $200,000 to support a humanitarian relief project as IDPs flee more bombardment, concentrated now in Rafah and South Gaza. Early in May, the closing of the Rafah crossing by Israeli authorities halted relief deliveries and even medical evacuations of critically injured patients.

In November 2023, soon after the Israeli response to the Hamas incursion and kidnappings unfolded, DSPR opened a clinic in Rafah to support the sick and injured entering that city.

“Our staff worked day and night under unsafe and very dangerous situations; most of them and their families were forcibly displaced from their homes in different locations like hundreds of thousands of others. Many fled for refuge to Rafah as the Israelis named it a ‘Safe Area,’” DSPR staff noted in a May 2024 update.

Since November, the DSPR team has continued its mission to serve people who are desperate for medical help and psychosocial support. But on May 6, the Israeli incursion into Rafah caused its temporary closing. “They keep chasing those tired families and targeting them by airstrikes and shelling in the new location they move to,” DSPR said. “We will resume the work in Rafah clinic when this threat has stopped.”

Even so, most of the DSPR staff moved to the central area of Gaza and started up a mobile clinic, an alternate plan they had already designed and were ready to activate.

The UMCOR grant will support the procurement and distribution of hygiene kits and cash transfers to IDP families for food, shelter, water, medicine or whatever family members need most. The Rafah clinic will also receive UMCOR support for its ongoing medical work, health awareness sessions with IDPs and psychosocial support, which is critical to maintain hope in a dire situation.

In January 2024, a $100,000 grant to the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) reached nearly 3,000 people with winter blankets, coats and winter clothes. This was crucial support for families living in makeshift tents, as a woman displaced in Rafah with her young son explains.

“I had no choices left, so I tried to seek refuge at my aunt’s house. Unfortunately, my aunt, already burdened with financial difficulties and many people living at her home, couldn’t accommodate us. The only option I had was to build a makeshift tent to shield my family from the outside conditions. I left my house when it was hot two months ago, we left wearing summer clothes. With what I make selling tea, I couldn’t afford to buy any new clothes. We finally were given the chance to buy (with the voucher) jackets and winter clothes to stay warm.”

Through eight months of conflict, the need in Gaza remains overwhelming. Available resources are scarce and the teams on the ground of these organizations are exhausted.

But they are also determined and unwavering in their love of neighbor.

“Remember the people of Gaza in your prayers,” notes Roland Fernandes, Global Ministries’ general secretary. “And remember those who serve alongside the people of Gaza, despite their exhaustion and the volatile conditions in which they serve. We, as United Methodists, have the honor and privilege of continuing to support their mission, extending God’s grace to those they encounter in their outreach.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

International Disaster Response

United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.

Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters.

The post UMCOR renews relief efforts in Gaza appeared first on Global Ministries.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – In 1940, General Conference made a momentous decision to create a new organization for relief work among war refugees in Asia and Europe: the Methodist Committee on Overseas Relief, now the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or UMCOR. UMCOR is a vital part of Global Ministries’ work, bringing together the service and missional aspects of ministry.

Bishop Herbert Welch, who spearheaded the founding of UMCOR, called on General Conference to form this new body to distribute the proceeds of a special offering “for the relief of human suffering without distinction of race, color or creed.” Ever faithful to that commitment, UMCOR continues to meet the needs of vulnerable populations while maintaining the dignity of those with whom it works in relationship.

Early on, UMCOR was concerned primarily with the plight of war refugees and migrants, especially those impacted by the Second World War. Assistance for those impacted by war, along with natural disasters, has continued to be a priority for UMCOR. In 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, United Methodists responded with great generosity to help those displaced and otherwise affected by the war. UMCOR has also responded as best it can to the devastating situation in Palestine, despite little to no access to Gaza. As a Christian humanitarian organization, UMCOR asks that humanitarian organizations have full, immediate and safe access to Gaza, and calls on all in authority to establish an immediate ceasefire so that those who are starving can be fed and cared for.

UMCOR works as a part of Global Ministries to transform people and communities in ways that support holistic wellbeing. The four components of UMCOR’s work – providing disaster relief and recovery, assisting migrants, fostering environmental sustainability, and promoting sustainable agriculture – operate in holistic support of one another and other Global Ministries programs, such as Global Health, to support the wellbeing of the whole person.

But UMCOR isn’t just about sending help, and UMCOR does not do its work alone.

UMCOR is about helping one another through difficult times and circumstances through the power of partnership. UMCOR’s work is only possible because of the dedicated work on the ground of United Methodist episcopal areas and annual conferences, affiliated Methodist churches, and other partners. Together, we all share in the work of UMCOR.

In the video below, meet a few of our many amazing UMCOR partners.

As United Methodists, we can be proud of what we have accomplished together through UMCOR over the last 80-plus years.

But our work is not done.

UMCOR is committed to continue showing God’s love to those who are suffering.

Will you join us?

The post Relieving human suffering for more than 80 years appeared first on Global Ministries.

ATLANTA – As Israel’s bombardment and ground invasion against the Gaza Strip approaches its fifth month, Palestinians across the region, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, experience the loss of their jobs and the inability to move across checkpoints, or buy or sell food. They face a constant threat of harm and harassment, not because they are anywhere near Gaza, but because they are the Palestinians within reach.

Amid the scenes of overwhelming death and destruction, by God’s grace, small miracles happen each day.

Amir*, a Palestinian youth, finds it nearly impossible to cross the Palestinian/Israeli line to get to his school in a safe way. Yet, his school, community and United Methodists giving through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) created a way for him to continue his education. Hope Secondary School opened a remote learning station in his neighborhood and provided him with an electronic tablet and a place where wi-fi still works.

In this way, Amir has been able to rely on the safety of his own community and continue his education – a small but important miracle for him and other students.

“As we support our partners across the Middle East, we continue with faith and hope to encourage one another at this time,” said Roland Fernandes, general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR. “In the face of so much loss – Muslim, Christian and Jewish lives, the 28,000 men, women and children lost in Gaza, our hearts are breaking. But we believe that God is with those who suffer, and we are a small part of a much larger effort to work for peace in the region.”

Gaza is bound by the Mediterranean Sea down its entire west coast and an Israeli fence more than 37-miles-long on its east side. All crossings but one into Israel have been closed by Israel since Oct. 7, 2023. There is a crossing into Cairo, Egypt, at Rafah to its south, which Israeli authorities close much of the time. Rafah is where hundreds of trucks wait in line for a chance to cross the border into Gaza to provide emergency aid. Food, water and medical supplies go unused until something happens to stop the bombardment and allow drivers to complete their mandate to deliver aid.

Just as nothing gets into Gaza, nothing and almost no one can get out. Even news is sparse because of communication blackouts, lack of electricity and fuel, and because more than 82 journalists reporting from inside Gaza have been killed.

David Wildman, Global Ministries’ United Nations and Middle East liaison, traveled to the region in December 2023 with a South African international solidarity delegation. They met with Palestinian Christian colleagues and human rights leaders across Palestine, Jordan and Egypt, as well as in Tel Aviv with the families of hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. “There is a trickle of aid getting through,” Wildman said. “There should be more than 500 trucks going into Gaza every day, but there are at most 120 allowed to pass from Cairo to Rafah, but the little aid that gets in cannot reach all the people safely.”

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinians in the Near East (UNRWA) has had its shelters in Gaza bombed and reports 152 of its workers have been killed in the current crisis, more than in any other crisis in the world.

On January 26, in a case for genocide brought against Israel by the South African government, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague ordered Israel to stop its military actions that have caused so much death and destruction, allow complete, unhindered humanitarian access, prevent and punish ‘direct and public incitement to commit genocide,’ and preserve evidence of atrocities.

“We’re watching the world struggle with what to do to stop the genocide,” Wildman said. “There is a growing call around the world for an immediate cease-fire as a necessary first step. The only time since Oct. 7 that any hostages have been released was during the humanitarian pause in November, which saved lives. Palestinian prisoners were released, but since Oct. 7, more than 6300 Palestinians have been detained, often without charge. The message to us from families of hostages was: ‘release all for all’ – all hostages for all Palestinian prisoners.”

Among the members of the visiting delegation was also Bishop Ivan Abrahams of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and the general secretary of the World Methodist Council. “We decided that Christmas can only have meaning for us if we heed the call from our siblings in Palestine, and we go and stand in solidarity with them. We felt strongly that we needed to break the silence, that we could not be complicit, that it was our moral implication and a biblical imperative to go and stand by those who suffer from such injustice.”

UMCOR, like other humanitarian agencies, has found it difficult to get relief into Gaza. A long-time Global Ministries’ partner, the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) of the Near East Council of Churches, has staff in Gaza that have been working with what they have, but they, like 90% of all Palestinians in Gaza, have been displaced. UMCOR affirms the ACT appeal for Gaza relief that will support the work of DSPR, but how soon the aid can reach Gaza is a real challenge. An emergency grant to provide 14,000 people with emergency food rations made it to the DSPR in Gaza early in the conflict.

In efforts to support Palestinians in places like the West Bank and the Northern Galilee section of Israel, where most Palestinian citizens of Israel live, UMCOR supports partners that serve marginal and vulnerable Palestinian communities. Though many of these have specific areas of service to specific populations, they now find their communities need emergency help. Two grants to Hope Secondary School  have helped Palestinian children and families affected by the repercussions of the war in Gaza.

A grant to Princess Basma Centre in Jerusalem served an urgent need for the development of a telemedicine program for Palestinian children with disabilities whose families confronted closed check-points when they tried to take their children to their medical appointments at the center. Another grant is in the works for the Four Homes of Mercy for Disabled Children.

A grant to the Al Quds Foundation provided counseling to children and youth in the Shufat Refugee Camp. This Palestinian camp, like others in the West Bank, has received multiple incursions by Israeli soldiers, sometimes in the middle of the night, during raids that end with young men being removed and jailed.

The Rev. Jane Eesley, a Global Ministries missionary, serves as the advocacy coordinator with the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem. “The United Methodist Church chose not to start another church but to support what is here through Greek Orthodox, Lutheran and Anglican churches,” she explained. “We trust in the body of Christ that is already here and in the indigenous Palestinian Christians. They are grateful for the ways we conduct a ‘servant ministry’ alongside them. A lot of people turn away and flee from suffering. It is important to be here among those who suffer.”

The Methodist Liaison Office offers a way for United Methodists to hear directly from Palestinians in the Holy Land through a weekly online gathering every Wed. at 1 p.m. EST. Register by sending an email request to office@MLOJerusalem.org and the office manager will send the link to join the hour-long meeting.

Another way to support Palestinians in the region is to continue to give through the Advance, as the projects in the Middle East are still operating. Though Gaza is the territory under bombardment, Palestinians in the West Bank and other places have experienced repercussions. The UMCOR International Disaster Response is another way to give.

Finally, Palestinian Christians have reached out to Christians across the world to call for an immediate cease-fire and to trust in God and pray for them. “They believe God will find a way we can’t even see,” noted Eesley. “Tell others about Palestinian Christians. There is great anxiety among them that before too long, there will be no more Palestinian Christians to witness in the place where Jesus was born.”

*Name changed to protect identity.

The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, UMC, in New York City, recorded a service of prayer and worship for the Middle East on January 30, 2024: A Spiritual Call and Response for Palestine. David Wildman talks about his trip to Palestine starting at minute 38.

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

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