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Early Response Team training set for June 10

Posted on by James Deaton
Community hit by a tornado
An EF3 tornado left an almost 17-mile path of destruction through the community of Gaylord, MI, on May 20, 2022, damaging and leveling homes and businesses. The Michigan Conference trains groups of volunteers to aid in cleaning up following such disasters. These Early Response Teams are critical to disaster relief in Michigan and beyond. ~ photo courtesy Adam Miller

Disasters strike suddenly. Prepare to serve neighbors in need by joining a volunteer-led Early Response Team. The next in-person training for Michigan United Methodists is June 10.

REV. BOB FREYSINGER
Michigan Conference Early Response Team Trainer

“Providing a Caring Christian Presence in the Aftermath of a Disaster”: This statement is the motto of an Early Response Team (ERT) as they deploy to a community hit by a natural or human-caused disaster. With hearts to serve and bodies to work, ERTs are volunteers trained to serve in the days, weeks, or months following a disaster.

Walking into a community that has been struck by a disaster is a humbling experience that will transform the hearts of the servants and those whom they serve. Helping a family pick up the pieces following a flood, tornado, hurricane, or other disaster requires that an ERT volunteer come with a hefty dose of love and caring in their hearts. It requires volunteers to listen to the stories they hear and pick up the pieces of the families they serve.

What does it take to become an ERT volunteer? $35 and one day! One eight-hour day of Basic Early Response Team Training equips you for entering a disaster zone. You will receive a badge certifying you for three years of service, a T-shirt with the Michigan Conference ERT logo, a manual explaining what it means to be a United Methodist disaster relief volunteer, and lunch.

Equipped to serve, you and a team of at least seven ERT volunteers will be ready when a request comes for assistance from the Michigan Conference Disaster Response Coordinator or one of the other annual conferences of The United Methodist Church. You will be invited to get dirty, sweaty, and tired by mucking out basements, removing drywall, tarping roofs, and taking out damaged furniture and personal belongings—all for the joy of serving God as the hands and feet of Christ.

If you want to join an ERT team, attend our next training event on June 10 at Grass Lake United Methodist Church, east of Jackson. Registration details are below.

Saturday, June 10, 2023
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Grass Lake UMC
449 E. Michigan Ave.
Grass Lake, MI 49240-9501

Reserve a seat by emailing me at [email protected]. Please include the following information in your message: name, church name, birth date, mailing address, email address, and preferred phone number.

If this date doesn’t work, but you are interested in becoming trained to join an ERT, email me. We will be looking for new training venues in the near future.

Last Updated on May 16, 2023

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The Michigan Conference