Haiti- How You Can Help

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Dear New Season Friends,

All of us have witnessed the television images of the destruction in Haiti after the devastating earthquake this week. In these times it is necessary for the church to be the church and step up to be Christ’s hands and feet to a suffering people. Many have asked, “How can I help?” At New Season Church we will be responding to what has happened in Haiti in the following ways:
• Through prayer.
• Through giving.
• Through collecting items for and assembling health kits.
• Through soliciting volunteers to be on work teams that will go to Haiti when it is safe and needed.

You can find information on each of these actions below.

1. Prayer. Please be in prayer for the people of Haiti. Pray for those who have survived, those who mourn, for rescue workers and all affected in any way by this earthquake.

2. Give. Obviously the rescue, clean up and rebuilding will be huge and take human and monetary resources. We will have special offering envelopes in the worship program for Sunday January 17th and January 24th. You may make checks out to the church and put in the envelope so they can be properly designated. You can also give online directly to the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) by going to www.umcorhaiti.org. 100% of your giving will go directly to relief efforts- none toward administrative costs.

3. Health Kits. The United Methodist Committee on Relief’s two relief supply warehouses are asking persons to make health kits that will be sent to Haiti. We will begin collecting kits immediately and will coordinate getting them to where they need to go. Simply bring them to church with you. Here is what goes in a Health Kit and how to put one together. It is best is you can put the whole kit together but we will also receive just the items if you are unable to do that. Alternatively, you can also write a check for $12 which is the approximate cost of one health kit.

Place these items inside a sealed one-gallon plastic bag.
1 hand towel (15" x 25" up to 17" x 27", No kitchen towels)
1 washcloth
1 comb (large and sturdy, not pocket-sized)
1 nail file or fingernail clippers (no emery boards or toenail clippers)
1 bath-size bar of soap (3 oz. and up)
1 toothbrush (single brushes only in original wrapper, No child-size brushes)
6 adhesive plastic strip sterile bandages

Important Kit Assembly Information
All items included in kits must be NEW items.
All emergency kits are carefully planned to make them usable in the greatest number of situations. Since strict rules often govern product entry into international countries, it is important that kits contain only the requested items-nothing more.
Do NOT include any personal notes, money or additional materials in the kits. These things must be painstakingly removed and will delay the shipment.

4. Volunteer in Mission Teams. After the initial rescue efforts have been completed and the long process of clean up and rebuilding happens volunteer teams will be needed to go to Haiti. Persons from New Season interested in serving in this capacity in the future will be connected with teams from other churches and from the region. Please let Pastor Robb know if you are interested in serving in this capacity.