Contacts
Susquehanna Conference Disaster Response Ministry
The Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church and its Disaster Response Ministry share in a partnership with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The ministry responds by providing immediate relief as well as long term recovery support to address the physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs of individuals and families affected by disasters, locally, nationally, and globally.
Susquehanna Conference
Disaster Response Coordinator
Rev. Sara Shaver
Phone: 717-766-7441 ext. 3402
Email: drc@susumc.org
District Disaster Response Coordinators
Freedom Trail: Vacant
Mountain Valley: Pastor David McElwee - dmcelwee@susumc.org;
Pastor Eugene McCallips - emccallips@susumc.org
North Central Rivers: Ron Lucas - ronkar1976@comcast.net
Northern Wilds: Vacant
River Valley: Vacant
NEJ Disaster Response Coordinators:
Baltimore-Washington: Thea Becton - disasterresponse@bwcumc.org
Eastern Pennsylvania: Denise Shelton, projectrestoration@epaumc.org
Greater New Jersey: Cricket Denton - disasterresponse@gnjumc.org
New England: David Arruda - CDRC-NE@neumc.org
New York: Doris Dalton - dcm@nyac.com
& James Park - DisasterResponse@nyac-umc.com
Peninsula-Delaware: Rich Walton - pastorrichwalton@gmail.com
Susquehanna: Sara Shaver - drc@susumc.org
Upper New York: Kristina Clark - disasterresponse@unyumc.org
West Virginia: Rev. Jim McCune - disasterresponse@wvumc.org
Western Pennsylvania: Leslie Foland - disasterresponse@wpaumc.org
Early Response Teams
Early Response Teams (ERTs) are often the first people invited and provide aid after a disaster strikes. Their mission is to create a caring presence while cleaning up debris and making homes safe, sanitary and secure. ERT volunteers must go through ERT training with UMCOR. This ensures that they will operate under specific guidelines that allow them to be productive and caring while causing no further harm or being a burden.
Conference Early Response Team (ERT) Supervisor:
William "Bill" Toner
E-mail: wetoner@verizon.net
Spiritual and Emotional Care Teams
Disaster Response Spiritual and Emotional Care Teams are faith-based, on-going teams with standardized UMCOR training that provide spiritual and emotional care following disasters. Deployed through the conference Disaster Response Ministry, these teams provide support, information and referral for a holistic disaster recovery and help disaster survivors connect with their personal, community, spiritual, emotional and basic life resources. Teams also support meeting the spiritual and emotion needs of disaster response teams, VIM teams, and first responders. Teams comply with standards set by National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
Spiritual and Emotional Care Team Supervisor:
Vacant
If you are interested in learning more about the Disaster Response Ministry, or you would like to be involved, please contact the Conference Disaster Response Coordinator or your District Coordinator. If you wish to support the Disaster Response Ministry financially, please send your donations to the Conference Office with a reference to Advance # 8055.