An Update on the Flooding in Northeast Pennsylvania
During the past several weeks, several parts of Penn Northeast Conference and Pennsylvania Southeast Conference have sustained severe damage due to the heavy and continuous rains. Hundreds of homes and a few churches in both conferences have suffered severe damage. The churches and members of both conferences have responded with funds, clean up and hygiene kits and volunteers. Local pastor and church leaders and members of the Disaster Ministry Teams of the two conferences have also been heavily engaged in coordinating our efforts. For that we are very grateful.
Help from the United Church of Christ family has also been made available. The Ohio Conference delivered nearly 1,000 clean-up and hygiene kits to Susquehanna County in Penn Northeast Conference. UCC national disaster ministries staff have helped to guide the efforts. Later this week, Bill and Ellen Matten, Penn Central Conference Disaster Coordinators, will deploy to Schuylkill County to begin the process of damage assessment. Bill and Ellen have done this work for the UCC in many parts of the country. The process of property damage assessment is always a difficult one, but it is a most important step in the process to recovery!
This is how You can help as well:
- You can organize a work team or serve as a volunteer. For work in our conferences you can contact Conference Disaster Coordinator Karl Jones at 570-617-4018 – kjones275@comcast.net Or you can go to http://www.ucc.org/disaster_disaster-volunteers to discover more about any of the intermediate and long-term recovery volunteer opportunities that are currently open and seeing volunteers.
- Your church can assemble clean-up buckets, hygiene kits, and/or school kits. Go to https://cwskits.org/assemble-kits/emergency-cleanup-buckets/ to learn more about these kits. Completed kits can be delivered to either of our Conference Offices or St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, 200 W Main St, Trappe, PA 19426 Phone: (610) 489-4933.
- You can raise funds for this important work. In long-term recovery funding is always one of the best ways to respond. This funding will be used throughout the two conferences for the work of recovery. Funds can be sent to:
~PA Southeast Conference
~Penn Northeast Conference, 431 Delaware Ave., Palmerton, PA 18071;
designate PA Flooding on your check
~Schuylkill Association Disaster Fund, c/o Rev. Maureen Duffy-Guy, 618
Arlington St., Tamaqua, PA 18252-2202. Make check payable to Schuylkill
Association
- You can become a member of the Disaster Ministry Team. Contact Karl Jones for more information (570-617-4018 or kjones275@comcast.net
- Please keep everyone affected by and who will help in the recovery process in your prayers.
