Disaster Recovery

Mission trips are planned in response to disasters, but it’s always much more than a trip. Participants are on a mission— a mission to share God’s love through presence, prayers, and work. As a Volunteer in Mission (VIM) people who serve make a difference in the lives of others while finding that their own lives are changed forever. Often the mission focuses on home repair, but construction skills are not needed. A willingness to be the presence of Christ is all that is required. Each mission trip includes time for both action and reflection.
 
Mission Trip to Western Kentucky to Continue to Rebuild and Restore following a devastating tornado, April 30-May 6, led by Ed Rainaldi and Karen Curren. The team will be serving at Dawson Springs and staying at Hanson at a local church. The work includes home repair, but the most important work is the gift of presence. A willingness to work and a desire to be transformed through work, time away and reflection are all that are needed. An informational meeting will be held on Thursday, March 30th, at 7pm. Register HERE or email Pastor Katya with questions, katyabrodbeck@powellumc.org.
 
 

Disaster recovery teams from Powell have responded to tornado damage in Western Kentucky, flooding in West Virginia and hurricanes in New Jersey and Louisiana.

 
15 people from Powell UMC traveled to Dawson Springs, KY Hopkins County to do the work of rebuilding following the deadliest tornado in the country. The tornado killed 17 people in the county and our team listened to the stories of people on that terrifying night. The team stayed at Hanson Baptist Church in Hanson. Our morning started with devotional time and prayer. We worked in the morning and afternoon. Most nights we cooked our own dinner in the church kitchen. One night we ordered pizza from a local pizza shop when Hanson celebrated their 150 anniversary. Our work was transformative and helped us grow in our faith. We saw a lot of devastation but also experienced the hope and resilience of the people there. There were signs of rebuilding everywhere. We worked on four homes and met their owners. One of them, Marty, whose roof was blown away by the tornado, had lunch with us once and even helped with some work. She will be moving into her home soon. Our next trip to Kentucky will be April 30-May 6. If you are interested, please let Pastor Katya know.