St. Stephen’s Hurricane Helene Response
St. Stephen United Methodist Church is praying in earnest for the safety and wellbeing for all those affected by the devastation in Western North Carolina. We pray for the safety and speedy recovery of those who were injured and for those who have experienced property loss and damage. Most especially, we ask for God’s peace and love for those who have lost friends, loved ones, and family.
We know that many in our own congregation and across the region are yearning for ways to assist in what will be a very long road to recovery. St. Stephen will be working to support the long-term recovery efforts led by the Western North Carolina Conference and UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief). We want our relief efforts to make a positive and constructive — not a distracting or disruptive — impact on those needing assistance. Therefore, we are asking that all St. Stephen members seek to plug in to the efforts we are and will be coordinating for church-wide participation. We ask that you refrain from one-off or ad-hoc projects, especially if those projects are not coordinated with some larger, reputable relief agency. In most cases, we will not publish to church-wide communication channels any individual or small-group projects, and we ask that you circulate such projects among your own social circles or through your small groups.
A variety of current relief effort opportunities are listed below, current as of Oct. 3, 2024. This listing will be updated as needed.
Oct. 15: St. Stephen & Eastway Middle relief packing
St. Stephen is partnering with Eastway Middle to provide students an opportunity to participate and give back during Hurricane Helene relief efforts. Adult volunteers are needed to help guide Eastway Middle students in packing hurricane relief kits on Tuesday, Oct. 15 (additional details and time to be determined). Interested volunteers should register with St. Stephen and are also required to complete this CMS volunteer registration.
Eastway donation list (must be received by Sunday, Oct. 13):
- Individually rolled/wrapped paper towels (we need a total of 400)
- Large trash bags (we need a total of 2,200)
- Hand sanitizer (8-12oz)
- Nonperishable snacks like granola bars, fruit bars, fig bars, and sweet treats like teddy grahams
NOTE (Oct. 9, 2024): St. Stephen is currently prioritizing collections for our Eastway relief packing. The WNC Conference has instituted a “Supply Sabbath,” temporarily halting collection of additional supplies due to an overwhelming response. Please redirect your donation efforts toward the Eastway list above.
Donations can be dropped off at the church during regular business hours and on Sunday mornings (main church lobby/narthex and YMC lobby).
Oct. 16-19: Relief Trip with Samaritan’s Purse
St. Stephen will embark on a relief trip to Asheville in coordination with Samaritan’s Purse, Wednesday, Oct. 16-Saturday, Oct. 19. We have volunteer spaces and accommodations for 10 people. See additional details and sign up here. (Once these slots are filled and the form closed, please sign up on the waiting list; depending on interest and the length of the waiting list, an additional trip may be planned.) Note: This trip is open only to adults aged 18 and over. For any questions, contact Shelby Wilkins at swilkins@ststephenumc.net.
Oct. 19: Early Response Team Training
Volunteers interested in serving with Western North Carolina UMC relief and recovery efforts, whether sometime soon or in the future, must have ERT training to assist in recovery efforts. Please help spread the word to interested churches and individuals. Register here.
Once you register, a list of available sessions will be sent to you via email for registration.
October 19 – Myers Park UMC, Charlotte (Click the link above to see if space is still available for this session.)
Donations for Western North Carolina relief
Donations will be collected through the church and donated to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and Western North Carolina Conference recovery efforts. Donate online and choose “UMCOR Flood Relief” in the designation.