Last June, at the U.S.-Mexico border in South Texas, the regions of
Laredo to Brownsville experienced a humanitarian crisis—the arrival of a surge
of children and families fleeing violence in their home countries of Honduras,
El Salvador and Guatemala.
Government facilities were soon overwhelmed, and churches, including The
United Methodist Church, responded with centers for hospitality.
Church members and volunteers helped new arrivals with bus tickets, showers,
clothing, food and other provisions for travel across the U.S., while managing
material and financial donations from caring citizens.
To support a holistic response to the more than 62,000 refugees who crossed the
U.S.- Mexico border, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) issued a
$100,000 grant to the Southwest Texas Annual Conference to support the
conference’s immigration ministries at its welcome centers through June 2015.
The funding will provide personnel support, relief supplies, training and
coordination, including the hiring of a director of United Methodist
immigration ministries. This person will coordinate the church’s response to
the influx of refugees, host volunteer groups, manage donations and aid, and
serve as a contact person on the immigration crisis in and beyond the region.
The director will also advocate for fair and humane treatment of immigrants,
both in society at-large and in the U.S. legal system specifically.
You can support this effort and other critical events that develop in the
United States with your gifts to U.S. Disaster Response, Advance #901670.
