Heartland District Office
of the United
Methodist Church
Heartland District Office
of the United
Methodist Church
Monday, Wednesday
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Tuesday, Thursday
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
WINTER - When Mt. Pleasant schools close due to weather our office will be CLOSED
QUICK LINKS
Greetings and may God bless us as we continue to bless
our brothers and sisters in Haiti. We have achieved great success in
phase one, which was to encourage churches to collect health kits for
Haiti and bring them to a collection station in each district.
Now let us begin phase two. Each of our collection stations have agreed
to transport the health kits to the Rays of Hope warehouse. The address
is 446 Grandville Avenue SW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503. Take the Wealthy St
exit off US 131 (loading dock 6/7) Please contact Kim Sorrelle (616)
318-7378 to ensure the warehouse will be open. The normal operating
hours are Mon-Fri 9:00am-5:00pm and Sat, 10:00am-4:00pm.
When health kits are brought to the warehouse, please be prepared to
help pack them for shipment. Our desire is to have them shipped as soon
as possible. Some churches have expressed desires to also send dry goods
(beans and rice) as well as disaster buckets, layettes (infant kits) and
school bags. Rays of Hope will accept them and again please use UMCOR
guidelines for packing.
Since the earthquake struck two weeks ago, Rays of Hope have sent four
shipments through a port in the Dominican Republic. We have been in
Haiti for years and have well established supply lines and contact
persons and are not experiencing the delays that so many others have
complained about. Our relief efforts in Haiti are working, both through
direct shipments and UMCOR!
Please continue to use either the packing list found on the West
Michigan Conference Website or the UMCOR packing list to prepare the
health kits (UMCOR.org) If a church or district would like to designate
a specific circuit or area in Haiti to receive the health kits, please
include a packing list accordingly. A deadline for the health kits has
not been established, however our desire is to ship the health kits as
they come in. Perhaps at a later date we may holding them for bulk
shipment from Annual conference in June.
The above information has been provided by Dale Golden.
List of
Collection Stations
Haiti Relief Donations Qualify for
Immediate Tax Relief
People who give to charities providing earthquake relief in Haiti can
claim these donations on the tax return they are completing this season,
according to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxpayers who itemize
deductions on their 2009 return qualify for this special tax relief
provision, enacted Jan. 22. Only cash contributions made to these
charities after Jan. 11, 2010, and before March 1, 2010, are eligible.
This includes contributions made by text message, check, credit card or
debit card. The new law only applies to cash (as opposed to property)
contributions. The contributions must be made specifically for the
relief of victims in areas affected by the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.
Taxpayers have the option of deducting these contributions on either
their 2009 or 2010 returns, but not both. Contact Conference Treasurer
for any questions.
Dear friends of the Heartland,
Many of you have been asking what you can do for the people in Haiti.
With the help of our Conference office, we are sending you a list of
possibilities that you and your congregation can do this week and in the
weeks to come. Each congregation will choose its own combination of
things. The one thing that we ask is that everyone do their part to
support the people of Haiti and all those who have touched by the
effects of this earthquake. Some of the things are:
• Keep those affected by this tragedy in your prayers.
• Make a financial contribution to Haiti emergency relief directly
through your local congregation and include the UMCOR Advance Special
Account Number #418325. UMCOR will put 100% of your contribution to work
in direct aid and relief. None of your contribution will be used for
administration.
As far as we know now, everyone from the Heartland who is currently in
Haiti is safe. Let us continue to hold them in prayer as they try to
find their way home, and all those who continue to work there to assist
the pastors and people of the Methodist Church in Haiti.
Thank you for your help!
Bill Dobbs, Superintendent
Abbreviated version of article that
ran in Saturday's Greenville paper...
http://www.thedailynews.cc/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2&ArticleID=32370
Instructions for assembling and shipping health kits
Online Prayer Wall
United Methodists everywhere are invited to share a prayer for those
affected by the Haiti earthquake. Visit the Facebook group for
10thousanddoors.org
to lift up your praise or concern on the wall.
There is a new song called, "In Haiti There Is Anguish," written by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette and sung to the tune of "Beneath The Cross of Jesus."