UM churches provide shelter during winter storm

United Methodist News Service
With high temperatures in the 20s, thousands found warm places to sleep last week, thanks to open doors at United Methodist churches across nine states.
“Of course, anything God does is absolutely gorgeous, whether it is good or not,” said Ed Hewlett, a member of Schweitzer UMC, Springfield, Mo. “But it looks like a bomb went off here.”
More than 150 people stayed in the Springfield church, and more than 200 were getting hot meals there three times a day from Jan. 12 through 19.
More snow and ice were predicted for Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas Jan. 19 to 21.
In western Kansas, members of several United Methodist churches have been serving as emergency shelters since Dec. 30. Healy (Kan.) UMC has “put up the whole town,” said Bill Taldo, church member.
“We have German Baptists, Catholics, Church of the Brethren, Mount Pleasant Baptist and Methodist volunteers at the church,” said Donna Gillespie, a member of Quinter (Kan.) UMC. “We have plenty of people coming and going all the time. It’s really a community effort.
Bishop Scott Jones of Kansas Episcopal Area issued an appeal for disaster funds, and volunteers are needed in many states to help with recovery work.
The Nebraska Conference received $10,000 from the United Methodist Committee on Relief emergency disaster relief fund.
Youths from Trietsch Memorial UMC, Flower Mound, Texas, on their way to a ski trip in Colorado in early January, were stranded by the winter storm. They found sanctuary at Springfield (Colo.) UMC.
Members of the youth group found ways to give back to the community by shoveling snow for elderly members of the church and volunteering at the town’s Women, Infant and Children program.
While at the church, many of the youths used their ski-trip spending money to help restock the food panty.