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Video: ‘Look what God can do’

Video and photos by Annette Spence, Holston Conference; produced by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

An East Tennessee pastor says God guided her congregation to respond to the needs of families displaced by Hurricane Helene. The Rev. Sarah Varnell, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, says the church’s response started small and has grown into a community-wide effort, with the church becoming a safe place for people to come and get supplies. “Look what God can do,” she said.

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Elias Torres cleans up flood damage from Hurricane Helene at Cedar Key (Fla.) United Methodist Church. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. 

Florida churches begin Helene recovery efforts

United Methodists across the southeastern U.S. are responding in communities that were devastated by Hurricane Helene. UM News photographer Mike DuBose traveled with church leaders and relief workers in Florida this week to document as they began assessing damage and planning relief efforts.
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A view of Valle Crucis United Methodist Church in Valle Crucis, N.C., shows water over the stairs of the entryway after flooding caused by Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina and other parts of the southeastern United States last week. Bishop Ken Carter, who leads the Western North Carolina Conference, said it’s estimated that more than half of the 44 counties in the annual conference have been affected. Photo courtesy of the Western North Carolina Conference. 

United Methodists offer relief after Helene

Church members are beginning the long, slow recovery following Helene’s devastating storm surge and flooding in the southeastern U.S. Conferences are busy supporting survivors.
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Church History
“A boy at Gulfside Waveland, Miss.” is the original description of this undated photo taken at Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss. The historic African American camp, founded in 1925, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Assembly.

Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina
Gulfside Assembly was wiped out by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but the spirit of this special place can still be felt today.
Faith Stories
Youth attending Wilderness Week at Camp Glisson in the summer of 2000 sit on top of the camp van in Dahlonega, Ga. Photo by J. Paul Manion, former Camp Glisson staff photographer.

100 Years of Camp Glisson
What if you could relive childhood days at summer camp? United Methodists are returning to the woods of North Georgia for Camp Glisson’s centennial celebration.
Disaster Relief
Beneficiaries of a United Methodist-sponsored nutrition program gather at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District, Malawi. The camp is home to an estimated 57,000 refugees. The church initiative provides a monthly clinic that offers supplementary feeding programs for those at the camp most at risk of malnutrition. Photo by Francis Nkhoma, UM News.

Church provides food, hope at Malawi refugee camp
Through the Dzaleka Refugee Camp Nutrition Program, United Methodists offer vital health and nutrition services to vulnerable women and children.

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