Three Months After the Storms

Our Churches  

Two Johnson City District churches were severely damaged by the storms, and a handful of others received slight to moderate damage. Still in the recovery process are Liberty Hill UMC and Mt. Tabor UMC.  

Liberty Hill UMC's Lay Leader, Nelle Evans, reports that while the roof has been replaced, they are still working on repairs in the sanctuary where there was much water damage. The walls, ceiling, lights and pulpit furniture have been repaired. The congregation is now looking into having all of the pews refinished and reupholstered.    

At Mt. Tabor UMC, a new steeple was recently erected, and the pastor Rev. Joe Miller says that it is beautiful at night with the lights shining on it. The roof, front porch and broken railings have also been repaired.  

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Long Term Recovery for Greene and Washington Counties 

District Disaster Coordinator and Volunteer in Mission Coordinator Rev. Stephen Burkhart shares the following information on the recovery process for Greene County:

I praise God for the people called "Methodist" who are active in missions in ongoing recovery efforts. I am now active in the Washington County  Long Term Recovery efforts as well as continuing in Greene County. This was facilitated by the Washington County Mayor's office, Munsey Memorial UMC, and Johnson City District in a recent meeting. Over 150 homes have been effected in Washington County.

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Training Opportunities

Spiritual & Emotional Care Training

August 22 & 23

Cokesbury UMC, Knoxville

Lunch, snacks and training materials provided at NO COST

This training is being offered by the Holston Conference Pastoral Counseling Center, Holston Conference Disaster Response and United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to prepare persons to serve on "Care Teams" - faith-based, on-going teams that provide spiritual and emotional care following disasters. Both laity and clergy are needed to serve in this capacity. Deadline for registration is August 4.  

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Local Church Disaster Coordinator Training

Saturday, September 10

8:00 am to noon

Location TBA

Each church in Holston Conference has been asked to identify a Local Church Disaster Coordinator who will work with conference and district personnel in times of emergency. Training for these coordinators will be provided on September 10 by the Holston Conference Disaster Relief team. IF YOUR CHURCH DOES NOT ALREADY HAVE A DISASTER COORDINATOR IN PLACE, please identify one immediately and make certain they attend the training. It is important that all of our churches are represented so that we are prepared when disaster strikes.  

Contact Steph Burkhart for more info  

Buy a T-Shirt - Support Disaster Recovery

Holly Brooks of Greene County Aidnet is selling t-shirts as a fundraiser for Greene County Disaster Relief. The t shirts are 10.00 each with every penny going back to the community. She can handle large orders of any quantity and will deliver shirts if needed. For more info, contact Holly at 423-638-9164 or by email. 

  

Czech Invasion 

PandaMania, softball, English lessons with a southern accent, playground renovators and ex-pats have invaded the Czech Republic this summer! To date, eight Volunteer in Mission teams from the Johnson City District have visited (or are visiting) the most atheistic country in Europe, and there are more to come.   

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For More Info About Czech Missions:

English Speaking UMC-Prague Website 

Czech Partnership Facebook Page 

Czech Missions Page on District Website