Relief efforts in West Tennessee

Information will be posted here as it becomes available.

Volunteers desperately needed Saturday, Feb. 23, to help Huntersville farmers clear fields

Bill Carr issues call for youth groups and other volunteers

On Saturday, February 23, farmers in the Huntersville, Tenn. area are hoping that a large number of volunteers will come and help clear their fields of tornado debris.

The fields are covered with building materials, glass, home appliances, clothing and more. The fields cannot be harvested and/or planted until debris is removed. This is their livelihood!

One farmer will be grilling hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone who comes to help. Bill Carr, coordinator of Disaster Recovery, hopes to deploy at least 10 four-wheelers with trailers and at least 100 youth/adults. Volunteers must provide their own four-wheelers and equipment.

The fields will be muddy, so dress accordingly. A full day's work awaits you.

All volunteers are to meet at Northside United Methodist Church, 2571 N. Highland Avenue, Jackson at 8:00 AM. Carr will lead the caravan to the designated areas.

Please call the hotline to sign up. 877-664-2204.

Cathy Farmer

Communications Director

Memphis Conference/United Methodist Church

Dyersburg First donates $50 gift cards to 70 Union University students

By Cathy Farmer

Seventy Union University students who lost everything but their lives to the F-4 tornado that destroyed their Jackson, Tenn. campus will be given a $50 gift card to buy food and necessities, thanks to the people of First United Methodist Church of Dyersburg, Tenn.

“This is just wonderful,” said the Rev. Greg Thornbury, Union University campus minister, as he accepted the gift cards from Dr. Phillip Cook, senior pastor of Dyersburg First.

“Let me give you an example of how these cards will be used,” he continued. “Sarah Kim, one of our international students, lost everything. When rescue personnel were searching through the dorms for personal items, they asked Sarah if they should look for anything of hers. She told them there was an envelope with some money in it that had been sent by people in New Jersey that are helping to support her.

“They searched but they couldn’t find the envelope,” he said, “but they did find her Bible. It had a $10 bill tucked inside.”

Thornbury said the man who handed Sarah her Bible told her that she would have $10 at least.

“No,’ Sarah told him,’” according to Thornbury. “That $10 is my tithe.’

“Those are the kinds of students you’ll be helping with these $50 gift cards,” he said simply.

Cook said the $3500 for the gift cards was raised on the Sunday morning after the tornado hit.

“All I did was make an appeal that morning during worship,” Cook said. “Then I sent our financial secretary to Wal-Mart to purchase the cards.” Cook chose Wal-Mart because Union University officials requested cards from either Wal-Mart or Target.

“This won’t be the last we do for this disaster,” he continued. “We’ll continue to make requests for donations which will be sent to the Memphis Conference Disaster Fund. But we wanted to make an immediate response now.”

Cook said he hopes the initiative taken by Dyersburg First will help others realize they can do something to help too.

By Cathy Farmer

United Methodist disaster recovery teams in West Tennessee and Western Kentucky get way too much practice.

Frequent and violent tornadoes on the home front plus deployment to disasters in other conferences keep our teams humming like finely tuned machines–like it or not!

The Feb. 5, 2008 tornadoes that first touched down in the Memphis area and then swept across wide swaths of West and Middle Tennessee leaving destruction and death in their wake, were swifly followed by Memphis Conference Disaster Recovery trailers and teams.

Team I from the Memphis area has been cleaning up debris in Fayette County near Hickory Wythe, in the neighborhood near Hickory Ridge Mall in Memphis, and up and down the Collierville-Arlington Road.

“We have sporadic destruction,” said Myrtle Brown, co-team leader with Byron Crain. “We’ve fielded 15 to 20 trained volunteers for four full days since the storm.” And they’re not done yet.

Brown said they were interviewed by TV camera crews in the area because they were “the only volunteer group working!”

To date, Team I has helped approximately 20 families begin to recover.

If you want to help the team, contact Brown at 901-483-2199 (cell), 901-327-6980 (home), or Crain at 901-292-5515.

Team III (Dyersburg/Paris) and Team IV (Paducah District) revved into action in the Jackson Area.

Led by Chuck Jones, Team III spent days helping homeowners in the Indian Hills Subdivision just across from Northside High School in Jackson. Cutting downed trees and dragging branches and sectioned trunks to the street for city pickup saved the storm survivors thousands of dollars that they will be able to apply to house repair.

Team IV, led by Wayne Workman, worked in Indian Hills and then in Huntersville, the small community to the west of Jackson that was the scene of two deaths from the killer winds.

They were joined by Baptist youth and by students from U.T. Martin Interfaith led by the Rev. Jolinne Balentine-Downey.

While the teams were laboring in the field, Bill Carr, Disaster Recovery Coordinator for the Memphis Conference, was putting together a staff for long term recovery.

Kim Rainey, a member of Grace United Methodist Church, has agreed to coordinate housing for volunteer teams planning to come to Jackson to help rebuild. Get in touch with Kim by calling 731-234-4578 (cell).

Mike Hibbs, a member of Northside UMC, has agreed to be the food coordinator. He’ll be working with the churches and individuals who want to provide meals (lunch and/or dinner) for Early Response Teams. Hibbs’ contact number is 731-298-1546.

Volunteers are already standing by the Disaster Recovery Hotline which is located in the Conference Office. If you want to volunteer to provide housing or food or to help clean up and rebuild, the number to call is 877-664-2204. If you need help to clean up or rebuild, call that same number.

Carr says the Disaster Recovery Hotline is ringing off the wall.

Memphis Conference churches want to know what they can do to help. United Methodist Disaster Recovery Teams from around the country are calling offering to come help clean up and rebuild.

Carr said teams have called from New York, Florida, both North and South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Idaho.

The team leader from Idaho joked, “We have seven feet of snow and we want to see some grass even though it might be dead!” when he offered to bring a team to Tennessee.

The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, United Methodist Committee on Relief coordinator of U.S. disasters, was in the Memphis Conference Feb. 13—touring Madison and surrounding countires.

Carr said he also received a call from a reporter with the Christian Science Monitor. She came to Jackson to write a story on Christian action.

“Everywhere she goes, she hears the Methodists are doing it,” Carr said. “Walking the neighborhoods in Jackson, wherever the yards were clean, she said they told her the Methodists did it.”

So she arranged a meeting with Carr to talk about the Disaster Recovery effort taking place in Madison County.

But, despite the tremendous strides being made by Memphis Conference teams and volunteers, the mess left by the killer tornadoes that struck West and Middle Tennessee is far from remedied.

What can you do to help?

• Sack lunches or dinners are needed for disaster recovery volunteers. Individuals or churches are urged to volunteer sack lunches or dinners for the teams of United Methodists working on disaster recovery.

If you or your church can volunteer meals, please call the Disaster Recovery Hotline: 877-664-2204.

• Volunteers are needed to answer the Disaster Recovery hotline at the conference office in Jackson, Tenn. After a short training session, volunteers will answer the hotline, taking two kinds of requests: those by survivors asking for help, and those from volunteers offering to help clean up and rebuild. Shifts are four hours, either morning or evening. Every volunteer will have a script to refer to while answering the phone. Please call the hotline at 877-664-2204 if you can help out during this disaster.

•If there is any destruction in your community, please call the Hotline. We have plenty of volunteers and teams ready to spring into action.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR BILL CARR; call 270-556-5221.

Buried under 20 feet of rubble for three hours,
United Methodist finds a deeper faith

By Cathy Farmer

Buried for three hours under tons of rubble deposited on him by an F-4 tornado, Jordan Thompson, a member of Germantown United Methodist Church, found new brothers and a deeper belief in God.

“I’d have given up, 100% given up, without my faith,” said Jordan of his ordeal trapped beneath a crumpled building at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.

One of seven young men who had been playing pingpong in the University Commons and wondering aloud when the sirens would finally go off, Jordan said they all rushed to a nearby bathroom to seek shelter when the storm roared over the campus.

“You never expect it to happen to you,” he said.

Only seconds after they took shelter, the ceiling and walls came crashing down. The young men were crushed, scarcely able to breathe.

“I couldn’t move,” Jordan said. “I could pick my head up maybe two to three inches. My legs were tucked up under me and I was face down.” He was forced to remain in that position for three hours until rescuers were able to drag him through a small hole they forced in the rubble.

During those three hours, Jordan and the other boys forged a bond.

“I’ll never forget what we said to each other while we were under there,” he said. “We’re brothers now.”

Jordan said they prayed for each other and recited scripture while waiting for rescue.

“There’s no way not to see God’s hand on us,” he said quietly. “We’re all alive...and that makes no sense without God in the picture.

“I won’t say we didn’t falter at all, but I was never mad at God or asking why He had put me there. I knew I was there to help the other guys. If we had been alone, I don’t think any of us would have gotten out. Sometimes one of us would say, ‘I’m slipping, I’m going!’ but God gave us the strength to help by talking to them.”

The pressure of the rubble made it impossible for some of the boys to speak. One, Jason, was only able to hold Jordan’s hand.

“He was having trouble breathing, crushed by stuff, and from the dust and insulation in the air,” Jordan said. “I told him to squeeze my hand once in a while so I’d know he was okay.”

Four of the seven boys are still in Jackson Madison County General Hospital, recovering. Jason is one of them.

Jordan said he was able to free his cellphone, and though unable to call out, was able to flip it open so he could see Jason’s face by the light. “I kept checking; I was afraid he was gone.”

“I was able to walk when they pulled me from the wreckage,” Jordan continued, “but the others are in worse shape. One may be in the hospital for two months. Several have been on dialysis. They’re not 100% out of the woods yet, but the doctors say they should make a full recovery.

“None of us have an ‘oh woe is me’ attitude,” Jordan said. “That’s the kind of community we have. All the guys,” he said, “it was okay when we didn’t think we’d get through. We’re all Christians. Well, it’s not okay, but in one sense it is. We’ll all see each other again.

“What we said to each other during those hours, it’s emotional. I’ll never forget it. We’re brothers now. And I’ll never be the same.

“I’ve seen the love God has for His children.”

Jordan has one request of United Methodists in the Memphis Conference. While three of the seven have been released from the hospital, four are still undergoing care.

“Please keep praying for the guys still in the hospital,” he said. “Pray for David and Kevin and Matt and Jason.”

Church family rallies around Thompsons

By Cathy Farmer

Germantown United Methodist Church rallied around Sherry and Dave Thompson when word arrived that the Thompsons’ son Jordan was one of the students trapped in a collapsed building on the Union University campus.

“Germantown is an amazing church,” said Sherry Thompson. “We have no family here; we’re from Los Angeles. But we’ve always known our church is a family, that we take care of one another. They couldn’t have done any more for us than they did. And our pastor Rick Kirchoff is an amazing, loving man. He called and prayed with me.”

When the Germantown family learned that Sherry and Dave were driving to Jackson in the teeth of the storm because they couldn’t raise Jordan on his cell phone, they began to pray for them. And leave messages of support and encouragement.

Sherry said she and Dave continued to call Jordan’s cellphone while they were driving to Jackson.

“We drove in a horrible thunderstorm and passed at least ten tractor trailers on their sides as we neared Jackson,” she said.

“As we were driving,” she continued, “we heard that some students were trapped. Tim Kuhlman finally called us and told us that they had confirmed that Jordan was one of the trapped students. Two hours had elapsed since the collapse.”

When they received a message that Jordan was in an ambulance and on his way to the hospital, they hurried there. The other boys were still trapped.

Jordan was very shaken up, on IV, scratched and covered in debris. His clothes were torn and muddy.

“We spent the whole evening in the emergency room until the last of the boys was finally brought in alive,” she said.

The Thompsons saw 58 trauma patients in that hospital alone. “Kids were wandering everywhere, cut, bloody, no cell phones...” Sherry said. “Most of them had lost all of their possessions, their cars were all piled up and destroyed.”

When the Thompsons returned to Germantown with Jordan and two other Union students to house for the night, the church family came by with food and hugs.

“We’ve been here in Memphis 17 years,” Sherry said. “This is home. The kids, we have three, grew up at Germantown United Methodist.

“What do people do if they don’t have a church?” she continued. “It isn’t the physical needs, it’s that they will take care of each other. It’s a byproduct of the love everybody.”

Dave Thompson agreed. “The church is our family,” he said. “They’ve been praying for us, calling us, encouraging us. It’s been huge. Not having family here, they’ve provided emotional support. Once Jordan sits down, he’ll probably talk to Rick, probably get some counseling. Church friends brought bags of food for the two boys we brought back from Jackson with us. One is from Ethiopia and he has only been in the country for four months.

“I’m unbelievably relieved, grateful, so thankful that no one died,” Dave said.

“Jordan came out of that maelstrom with just cuts and bruises. We were so close to losing him. It was gut-wrenching.”

As a man who just retired from the Marine reserves after 26 years of service and is employed as a pilot for Northwest Airlines, Thompson considers himself to be fairly tough.

“I thought I was pretty good at compartmentalizing my feelings,” he said. “But I’m not very tough, I guess, when it comes down to it. I called the chief pilot at Northwest and told him I just couldn’t fly today. Too much on my plate. The company has been very supportive.

“God’s grace helped us deal with the uncertainty,” he continued. “The boys were in God’s hands the whole time. I believe that to the depth of my soul. I’m just so thankful.”

Sack lunches or dinners are needed for disaster recovery volunteers. Individuals or churches are urged to volunteer sack lunches or dinners for the teams of United Methodists working on disaster recovery.

If you or your church can volunteer meals, please call the Disaster Recovery Hotline: 877-664-2204.

Volunteers are needed to answer the Disaster Recovery hotline at the conference office in Jackson, Tenn. After a short training session, volunteers will answer the hotline, taking two kinds of requests: those by survivors asking for help, and those from volunteers offering to help clean up and rebuild. Shifts are four hours, either morning or evening. Every volunteer will have a script to refer to while answering the phone. Please call the hotline at 877-664-2204 if you can help out during this disaster.

Volunteers are needed to help canvass Madison County for survivors needing help to remove debris. Lambuth University students will canvass in the Indian Hills subdivision on Saturday; other volunteers are needed to continue the canvassing through next week. All volunteers are to meet at Northside United Methodist Church, 2571 N. Highland Ave., Jackson at 8 a.m. Every volunteer will be given a form to fill out and a name tag to wear while canvassing. We need you! If you can’t come Monday morning, call the hotline 877-664-2204 to schedule availability.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR BILL CARR; call 270-556-5221

Memphis Conference Disaster Recovery Team 3 (Paris District) will be working in the Indian Hills Subdivision in Jackson, Tenn. today. That’s the subdivision at the intersection of University Parkway and Highland Avenue. They’ll be on the first street south of University, on the west side of Highland. They’ll begin work at 9 a.m.

Chuck said, “I just spoke with Bill Carr and he suggests that we not work Saturday or Sunday. He would like to have some breathing space to get things better organized. He assured me there will be plenty of work next week. Bill still plans to meet with our team Sunday.”

Bill Carr says the facilities at Jackson First UMC are very good and that the team from Ky is staying there.

MEMPHIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE-- DISASTER RELIEF HOTLINE

For all inquiries... including requests for assistance and/or offers to provide assistance. Please call this number beginning Monday, Feb. 11.

Call: 1-877-664-2204 (Monday-Friday, 9:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M.)

Sack lunches will be needed after Wednesday, Feb. 13. Please call Disaster Hotline to offer assistance through volunteers or teams and to request assistance if needed.

Bishop Richard Wills has authorized a disaster relief appeal.

You may send your donations through your local United Methodist

congregation.

DONATIONS: Memphis Conference Disaster Relief

24 Corporate Blvd.

Jackson, Tennessee 38305-2315

** In Jackson/Madison County, 577 Homes damaged or destroyed... approximately 100 businesses.

Teams 3-4 are working behind Northside High School in Jackson; Team 1 is working near the Collierville-Arlington Road.

PRESS RELEASE:

CONTACT: Cathy Farmer

Communications Director

Memphis (regional area) Conference, United Methodist Church

Phone: 731-234-0520 (cell)

Email: catfarmer@memphis-umc.org

SUBJECT: People of United Methodist Church turning out in force to remove tornado debris in Memphis and Jackson areas

The people of the United Methodist Church are turning out in force to help remove debris left by the tornadoes that moved through West Tennessee Tuesday evening. Teams are working in the Indian Hills subdivision in Jackson (near Northside High School) and in hard-hit Huntersville, Tenn. A tree has been removed from Andrews Chapel United Methodist Church in Huntersville. United Methodist volunteers are presently working at removing downed trees and debris from homes and yards.

On Friday, teams of volunteers from Western Kentucky and from the Paris, Tenn. area will return to the Indian Hills Subdivision and Huntersville.

United Methodist volunteers from Memphis are working to remove debris and help survivors on the Collierville-Arlington Road.

On Friday, contact Bill Carr, Disaster Recovery Coordinator, at 270-556-5221. After Friday, please call toll free 877-664-2204 for more information.