2016 Northeastern Jurisdiction UMVIM - UMCOR   Training Academy

You are invited to our second annual UMVIM-UMCOR Training Academy! Our goal is to continually learn about excellence in how we serve those in crisis from natural or human disasters. Gather with others from around the Northeastern Jurisdiction and UMCOR staff and trainers to learn, share, and prepare so that the church in your region can be ready to respond when disaster and crisis come to those in your community. 

This event is designed to provide both specialized learning to expand the skills and education of current leader as well as introductory courses for to those who have not yet been involved in this type of mission service.  Community members, pastors, church leaders, Emergency Response teams, Disaster Response Coordinators, UM Volunteers in Mission Coordinators, and District Superintendents are invited to attend and learn from UMCOR and Global Ministries' staff!

Plenary sessions will explore our UMC Theology of Mission, Cultural Approaches to Mission and changes in UMC missions in 2016. ERT Train the Trainer is once again being offered with limited availability - if you plan to sign up for this track, you will not have any other electives. All other participants will be asked to select from a variety of options during elective sessions. See the tentative schedule and description of elective courses below the 'Register Now' button below to help you as you register. Attendance is capped at 100 so reserve your spot today and spread the word!

 

Register Now! 

NEJ UMCOR-UMVIM Training Academy Schedule

Sunday, April 10
1:00-5:00 Registration

5:30 Dinner
7:00 Welcome AND Opening Plenary - Led by Greg Forrester / Jeremy Basset 

Monday, April 11

7:15 Breakfast 
8:00 Meditation
8:30 Opening Classes

• Foundations of Disaster Response
• Leadership Development 
• ERT Train the Trainer 

10:00 Break
10:30 Monday AM Sessions (continued)

12:15 Lunch 
1:30 Monday PM Session 1 Electives / ERT Train the Trainer cont.  

• Disaster Emotional & Spiritual Care
• UMVIM Medical and International Teams
• Connecting Neighbors: Intro

3:00 Break

3:30 Monday PM Session 2 Electives / ERT Train the Trainer cont.  

• Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care (continued)
• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Congregants
• Wesleyan Theology of Mission

5:00 Break

5:30 Dinner 
7:00 Plenary: Approaches to Mission in Different Cultures - Led by Joseph Ewoodzie / Stephanie Gottschalk       (Note: ERT Train the Trainer participants may have homework.) 

Tuesday, April 12

7:15 Breakfast
8:00 Meditation
8:30 Tuesday AM Electives / ERT Train the Trainer cont.  

•  ERT 200: Site Assessment
• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Churches
• UMVIM Team Leader Train the Trainer: Part 1

10:00 Break

10:30 Tuesday AM Sessions (continued)

12:15 Lunch
1:30 Tuesday PM Electives  / ERT Train the Trainer 

•  ERT 200: Cleaning Up Flooded Homes
• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Response
• UMVIM Team Leader Train the Trainer: Part 2

3:00 Break

3:30 Tuesday PM Electives  (continued)
5:00 Break

5:30 Dinner
7:00 Affinity Discussion Groups  / Conference Coordinators' Meeting  / Free Time                                        (Note: ERT Train the Trainer participants may have homework.) 

Wednesday, April 13

7:15 Breakfast 
8:00 Meditation
8:30 Wednesday AM Electives / ERT Train the Trainer cont.  

• After Early Response, Now What?
• ERT 200: Team Leader
• Cultural Considerations in MIssion

10:30 Break 

11:00 CLOSING
          Worship / Communion
12:00 Lunch

Elective Course Descriptions

Monday AM Opening Class (choose one)

• Foundations of Disaster Response   Why engage in disaster ministry? What are the phases of disaster? Who are the players? What are the functions and opportunities for volunteers? Where do the resources come from? What are our mission and values? We will address these questions and more! This session is the foundational training that grounds all of our efforts in disaster ministry, so if you have not attended this in the past few years, please put this on your schedule!  Led by UMCOR staff.

• Leadership Development This inter-active workshop will identify opportunities for strengthening your Conference disaster response capabilities. Participants will exchange baseline and best practices for early response coordination and communication strategies, training plans, disaster plans and ways to generate cabinet and conference committee support for disaster ministries. Led by UMCOR staff.

• Early Response Team: Train the Trainer   Become an UMCOR-authorized ERT Trainer! Those who successfully complete this course will be able to train ERT Basic within their Annual Conference. Those who attend should be willing and able to demonstrate and articulate ERT best practices. If this track is chosen, all your elective time will be dedicated to this course. Pre-requisites: Recommendation from your conference disaster response coordinator and current ERT badge. 

Monday PM Session 1 (choose one)

• Connecting Neighbors: Intro  Learn about this curriculum which is intended for broad use by dedicated volunteers willing and able to facilitate workshops and webinars with the goal of inspiring congregations and communities to be better able to minimize disaster-caused harm to people and property and to respond to our neighbors in helpful, cooperative and caring ways on behalf of the church and in the spirit of Jesus Christ.  Led by UMCOR staff.

• UMVIM Medical and International Teams   Discuss potential pitfalls and best practices for medical UMVIM teams. Consider team leader challenges for international teams which are not usually present for domestic teams. Led by Dr. Sylvia Reimer. 

• Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care    Disaster Emotional and Spiritual care is a versatile ministry that can be helpful in all phases of disaster and in context of varying roles. From times of peace, through the chaos of disaster response and the seemingly long road to recovery, this session provides an overview of the ministry of presence, reactions to traumatic stress, the importance of self-care, and an overview of the steps in developing a care team.  Led by UMCOR staff.

 Monday PM Session 2 (choose one)

• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Congregants   Ready Congregants focuses on preparing individuals and families to be disaster-ready. Objectives: Participants will be inspired to take action in order to prepare themselves, their households and others before and immediately following a disaster. Led by UMCOR staff.

• Wesleyan Theology of Mission   Mission is a part of the DNA of the Methodist movement. We will explore some Wesleyan themes that will help our congregations recapture the missional fire of the original movement. Led by Jeremy Basset.

• Disaster Emotional and Spiritual Care Continued  Disaster Emotional and Spiritual care is a versatile ministry that can be helpful in all phases of disaster and in context of varying roles. From times of peace, through the chaos of disaster response and the seemingly long road to recovery, this session provides an overview of the ministry of presence, reactions to traumatic stress, the importance of self-care, and an overview of the steps in developing a care team.  Led by UMCOR staff.

 Tuesday AM Session (choose one)

• ERT 200: Site Assessment  Site Assessment class is designed for both team leader and logistics persons. This class explores ways to evaluate a site for safety and suitability for an ERT. ERT site assessment specialty teams could be very helpful in the earliest days after an event to set the way for other teams to come. (This class is not designed for use in rebuilding or repairing.)  Led by UMCOR staff.

• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Churches  Ready Churches emphasizes the importance of protecting church property and the people within the property, before and immediately following a disaster, and of appropriate use of church property in disaster response. Led by UMCOR staff.

• UMVIM Team Leader Train the Trainer: Part 1    This hands on workshop is for experienced UMVIM participants that would like to teach others about best practices of UMVIM team leaders and members. Led by Curt Knouse (Susquehanna) and Una Jones (Global Ministries.)

Tuesday PM Session (choose one)

• ERT 200: Cleaning Up Flooded Homes  Cleaning Out Flooded Homes, more commonly referred to as mucking out, will talk about current best practices and safety procedures for cleaning out, stabilizing and sanitizing water damaged homes. Led by UMCOR staff.  

• Connecting Neighbors: Ready Response   Ready Response encourages churches to explore their capacity for various disaster response ministries and to consider ways to engage community partners. Led by UMCOR staff.

• UMVIM Team Leader Train the Trainer: Part 2  This workshop continues for experienced UMVIM participants that would like to teach others about best practices of UMVIM team leaders and members.Led by Curt Knouse (Susquehanna) and Una Jones (Global Ministries.)

Wednesday AM Session (choose one)

• After Early Response, Now What?  Transitioning from relief to recovery can be daunting. Participants will explore similarities and differences between relief and recovery, identify ways to provide leadership in developing recovery coalitions, and ways to resource recovery of individuals and families. Led by UMCOR staff.

• ERT 200: Team Leader   Team Leadership, is designed to be for both leaders and assistant leaders. This class will explore more of what those functions involve as well as what all functions should be doing. Led by UMCOR staff.

• Cultural Considerations in Mission   As volunteers, we must first understand ourselves and the intentions of our culture and community before we attempt to understand the intentions of other cultures and communities.  We will explore together the values and legacies that have formed our lives and how they impact us when we engage in God's mission with other cultures.  We will also hear from a current recovery director about how the assumptions we make from our own frame of reference in mission have impacted an urban community struggling to recover from a historic flood that while being the largest federally declared disaster of the year has received very little attention. We will learn how several local congregations have transformed struggles into opportunities for connecting with their neighbors.  Led by Una Jones (Global Ministries) and Rev. Becky Wilson (Detroit Flood Recovery Project.)