1

By Ed Rutenkroger

While coordinating flood relief in Windsor

and the rest of Bertie County I discovered

that conference calls were a major part of the

process….a distraction from the work on the

ground but part of the process. On a recent

day, after a meeting with Emergency

Management, a conference call with our

Conference Disaster Recovery Coordinators

(DRCs), and of course the daily visits to job

sites to coordinate teams, I looked at my

watch and it was 1:55. That meant yet another

Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster

(VOAD) conference call in five minutes and I

had not eaten lunch. To be honest the VOAD

calls had repeated much of the same

information the last three days. I really

wanted to skip that call, and had decided to

do just that. But I heard a still small voice

saying “You need to get on the call today”.

And so, with absolutely no enthusiasm, I

dialed in.

Before long I was asked to give a Windsor

update which I did noting among other

things, “We still have many displaced

families and we continue to work to find safe

housing for them.” The call proceeded

through many repetitious reports before a

new participant from the Buddhist Tzu Chi

Foundation spoke up. “Interesting”, I thought,

as the call continued. Shortly after the call

ended my phone rang and it was a representa-

tive of that foundation with a few questions.

The next day Frank Chen the Washington DC

regional representative of the Tzu Chi

Foundation, called and asked if he could visit

to plan a way to help some of our hard hit

families. Of course, I agreed. And then, just

as I was getting ready to get back to work,

Frank asked in heavily accented English if we

needed any tools to help with tear out. He

said, “In addition to the Foundation, I work

for Black and Decker/ Dewalt and I think I

can get a few power tools if you need them”. I

asked for a couple of reciprocating saws,

thinking that was wishful thinking.

On the following Friday Frank and two

companions came to Windsor and presented 9

reciprocating saws, two dual drill kits, and

one prototype 60 volt battery powered

- Beacon District Shining Light A Monthly Mission Newsletter of the Beacon District United Methodist Church

Vol. 4 - Issue 9

November / December 2016

Pg 1 - Listening to God in the

Midst of Floor Recovery

Pg 2 - Buddhist Tzu Chi

Foundation Distributes

Debit Cards, Blankets, and

Hope to Flood Survivors

- The Methodist

Connection and the

Connection Beyond the

UMC

Pg 3 - Listening to God in the

Midst of Floor Recovery...

cont.

- The Methodist Connec-

tion and the Connection

Beyond the UMC... cont.

- UMC #Giving Tuesday

Pg 4 - A Message from Mary

Zigbuo

Pg 5 - The Interview - from

Elizabeth Tyson

- Thank you!

Pg 6 - A message from Jeff

Jenkins, District Lay

Leader

- A Message from Mary

Zigbuo… cont.

Pg 7 - A message from Gil

Wise, Beacon DS

For a calendar of events, important information

and much, much, more

we are on the web!

beacondistrictnc.org

Facebook: Beacon District UMC

Email: beacondistrict@nccumc.org

- article continued on page 3

Listening to God in the Midst of Flood Recovery

2

Shortly after church on Sunday 11/13 a selected group

of fifteen of the most severely impacted households

gathered at the Windsor UMC to receive assistance from

the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation. This foundation had

offered to help after hearing Rev. Ed Rutenkroger report

on a recent Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster

(VOAD) call.

In addition to distribution of $6,000 to help meet basic

needs, the volunteers from Tzu Chi Foundation provided

each person with a blanket made from recycled soda

bottles, and backpack with gloves and scarf, and most of

all a seed of hope for what will be a long road to

recovery from losses caused by recent flooding. Tears of

joy and hope flowed freely from recipients, members of

the host church, and representatives of the Foundation.

This is another reminder that caring for others can be

done in partnerships reaching across faith communities.

Liberia Task Force Representative,

Ed Rutenkroger’s contact info:

252-799-7499 or erutenkroger@nccumc.org.

Conference Mission Interpreter,

Bill Haddock’s contact info:

910-262-3831 or revbillh@nccumc.org.

District Mission Secretary,

Elizabeth Tyson’s contact info:

elizabeth.tyson@nccumc.org.

- article continued on page 3

Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation Distributes

Debit Cards, Blankets, and Hope to Flood

Survivors in Windsor, NC

When Tropical Storm Julia dumped 17” of rain on Bertie

County the flooding began. The next week the United

Methodist Response began with a site set up in Windsor.

Some local day teams from First UMC Washington, and

Edenton UMC began the work of muck out and tear out.

Volunteers from Windsor and Ahoskie helped process

applications for assistance. Progress was slow but steady.

And then came Hurricane Matthew with an additional

15+” of rain. The river rose again and exceeded the level

of the previous flood. Once again, local teams responded

immediately to the need with additional help from the

Gates Charge and others. First - Washington returned

again and again to help. Resources and gifts poured in

from churches throughout the Beacon District and beyond.

A wonderful ERT team from the Baltimore Washington

Conference worked three days on multiple homes. Our

Conference Disaster Relief team responded with teams

from two other Districts, and still there was more work

than volunteers.

Just when the situation felt most overwhelming, the

Connection beyond the Connection joined the effort. A

World Renew Team (Christian Reformed Church) from

Michigan arrived and worked for 14 days. A team of

Lutheran’s delivered much needed flood buckets. A team

of Old Order Amish travelled through the night from north

of Baltimore and worked a 14 hour day before travelling

home, and a local division of the Church of Latter Day

Saints sent a team of 10 to work on a Saturday. They

happily donned United Methodist Disaster vests and went

to work. In the intervening week several local teams

continued to work. The following Saturday 45 members of

LDS groups came to work and we shared those volunteers

with the Baptist Men who were short-handed that day. The

next week I received a call offering 100 LDS workers. I

knew the need was greater at Hatteras so I directed all but

a few to the outer banks (a connectional thought as well).

One team really wanted to come to Windsor, so I agreed.

You see, they had started working under a house the

The Methodist Connection and the

Connection Beyond the UMC

3

To Contact the Beacon District Leadership Team

888.661.4941 OR 919.779.9435

Beacon District Office

910.322.0100

D.S. Gil Wise’s cell

252.333.0536

A.D.S. Tom Quance’s cell

- Listening to God in the Midst of Flood Recovery article continued from page 1

Because We Have Received ...

UMC #GivingTuesday is Nov. 29

We're less than three weeks away from UMC #Giving-

Tuesday - a celebration of generosity and all the amazing

things that The Advance is doing to support mission and

ministry throughout the world.

We give because we have received so richly. And when

you give through The Advance, you know that 100

percent of your gift goes to the missionary or project you

select - not to overhead, not to staff costs, not to market-

ing, but directly to the ministry you have chosen to

support.

It's not too soon to start thinking about where you want

your UMC #GivingTuesday gift to go. Visit umcmis-

sion.org/give to explore our more than 300 United

Methodist missionaries and more than 800 United

Methodist-related projects that are giving light, giving

love, and giving life to people across the globe.

We can't wait to see what happens on UMC

#GivingTuesday, Nov. 29, when you and thousands of

other United Methodists reflect on what you've been

given and exercise your generosity.

In the meantime, would you forward this email to friends

and family who might like to join with you on this day of

giving? We'll be sending you more information as we get

closer to UMC #GivingTuesday.

With blessings and thanks for your generosity,

Thomas Kemper

General Secretary

General Board of Global Ministries

reciprocating saw that is not yet on the market, to me as a

representative of the NC Conference Disaster Response

Team. Frank says he will send more batteries for the tools

soon. In addition, they promised aid coming to 15 of our

worst impacted families in the form of debit cards.

I cannot tell you how glad I am that I heard that small voice

and that I got on that conference call. God is using persons of

all faiths to assist in this time of need!

The Methodist Connection & the Connections Beyond the UMC-

article continued from page 2

previous week and wanted to complete the work and do-

nate labor to put in new duct work for an older couple who

was without heat. That couple is now able to live again in

the comfort of their own home.

We give thanks to all those in our UM Connection who

sacrificed time, sent supplies, and made donations. We

also thank those with whom we are connected in faith be-

yond our denomination who came to help. It is due to the

efforts of both groups that I can report that Windsor is very

near completion of the tear-out phase and will soon be

ready for rebuilding.

4

A Message from Mary Zigbuo -

one of our missionaries in Liberia

In my health strengthening role, I work alongside our UM

Health Coordination Office, the leaders and staff of five

United Methodist health facilities. The United Methodist

Church in Liberia provides Christ-centered, compassionate

health care services for more than half a million people -

mostly subsistence farming families - living in three

counties in Liberia and one town in Guinea. With a

collective staff of 270 persons, all of our facilities provide

treatment and other services through daily outpatient

clinics, primary health-care programs and activities,

maternity care and prenatal clinics. Our Ganta United

Methodist Hospital offers comprehensive dental services,

an orthopedic clinic, an eye clinic, a diabetes clinic, an

HIV/Aids clinic, prenatal and postnatal clinics, mental

health services, surgical services, X-ray and ultrasonogra-

phy services, laboratory services, in-patient services, and

emergency triage.

UMC GLOBAL HEALTH GRANTS

PROVIDES HOPE

Global Health’s 2015/16 Imagine No Malaria, Health

Strengthening Support, and Maternal Child Health grants

have greatly assisted our facilities’ efforts to develop drug

revolving-fund systems, provide community-based health

care (with special emphasis on maternal/child health), and

improve specialized staff capabilities, administrative and

local partner development capacity, physical structures,

laboratory analysis, and water access for each facility.

Improving these attributes will also attract greater client

access and local support, thereby improving revenue.

Our facilities provide affordable health care and rely

upon service fees to support operational budgets.

Realistic fees cannot be charged to a public that

struggles to support its basic needs - food, shelter, and

clothing.

One of many life-saving contributions of the Imagine

No Malaria Grant was the provision of a four wheel

drive vehicle that is used to respond to medical emer-

gencies in the Ganta Hospital catchment communities.

The vehicle provides a safe option for people who need

to be picked up in their communities and rushed to the

hospital for emergencies. Up until a year ago, our

clients had to use motorbikes (as emergency “vehicles”)

over challenging, poorly maintained, dirt roads; often

with tragic endings. A few days ago, 34 year old Irene

Yeaney arrived at the Ganta Hospital orthopedic clinic.

Irene is from the town of Busi, about 6 miles from

Ganta Hospital. 15 years ago, Irene’s six month old

baby girl had a high fever and was convulsing. She

remembered Ganta Hospital’s community health

educators explaining convulsions as a warning sign to

immediately report to the hospital’s emergency room.

The only mode of transportation in her village are motor

bikes. In desperation, she held her baby and mounted

the motor bike. Irene’s “emergency transport” ended in

disaster. She and the baby endured the perilous trip

from her village to the main road. While turning on the

main road, (a 1 ½ mile distance from Ganta Hospital),

the motor bike collided with a vehicle and Irene’s leg

was crushed. Her baby’s knee was dislocated. The

motorbike driver sustained a broken foot. Ganta Hospi-

tal’s orthopedic clinic treated the baby’s dislocated knee

and applied a cast. It healed very well. Irene’s

prognosis was not too good……her leg had to be

amputated above the knee. The stigma of amputation is

great, and Irene’s husband abandoned her. A prosthetic

limb was prepared by the then USAID supported Ganta

Hospital Orthopedic Workshop. Wear and tear deterio-

rated the limb. Five years ago a group of orthopedic

volunteers came to Ganta Hospital and outfitted Irene

with another limb. That one has also worn out! Mr.

Nestor Suah heads Ganta Hospital Orthopedic Clinic

and he repairs Irene’s (and others) limbs as best as he

can. Her village is a subsistence farming community.

Irene cannot farm due to the restriction of movement in

her prosthetic limb (the implement that allows the limb

to bend has worn out). Irene sells rice and other food

stuffs in her local market to provide for her daughter.

She dreams of a day when she can acquire a modern

prosthetic limb that is flexible enough to allow her to

grow a big garden, travel to competitive markets to sell

her produce so the quality of life can be improved for

her and her daughter. The provision of the Imagine No

- article continued on page 6

5

5 Questions for Jane Moseley,

Mission Chair @ Mighty Wind UMC

ET: Tell us about your spiritual journey. How did you

come to put your faith in Jesus?

JM: I grew up going to St. John’s UMC in Rock Hill, SC.

We all went, and my dad was a lay leader. I was 17 and

my sister was 12, when my parents split, and my family

mostly left the church behind at that time. My first hus-

band and I lost our infant daughter in 1981 to possible

child abuse; I got mad at God and stopped attending

church. It took almost 20 years for me to return to church.

A friend invited me to attend Duck UMC where I attended

regularly searching for God's grace and in the late 1990's

God used a newsletter article by the pastor, David Clift, to

bring me back to full faith. My bad habits fell by the

wayside, I had a mentor, and I knew that this was the path

I was to take. God started visibly working in my life, and

the confirmation has continued since then.

ET: In what countries have you been on mission trips?

JM: I went first to Haiti and saw the ministry of the Ryan

Epps Home: http://www.ryaneppshome.com/about_us

then to Liberia, where the team toured many UMC

mission sites such as Ganta mission Station: http://

www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-

Projects/Projects/14369T, and then to Costa Rica with the

Rice and Beans ministry. http://www.umcmission.org/

Give-to-Mission/Search-for-Projects/Projects/3021052

My granddaughter was able to go with me on the Costa

Rica mission trip; it’s quite youth-friendly, and we both

had a great experience! In November, I am going back to

Haiti with a team from the Beacon District.

ET: Will you share one amazing time on one of these

trips where you experienced God at work in an especially

powerful way?

JM: It was nearly a physical reaction (sort of difficult to

describe exactly) to the work and ministry that I saw at the

Brighter Future Children Rescue Center in Liberia: http://

www.umcmission.org/Give-to-Mission/Search-for-

Projects/Projects/3020790. I saw children of all ages and

young adults learning and working together: soap-making,

tending produce gardens, and learning basic life skills.

Many of these children are victims of the country’s civil

war, and to see them thriving in this place was awesome!

The Interview.

- Submitted by Elizabeth Tyson, Beacon District Missions Secretary ET: How have these mission team experiences changed

you?

JM: I have seen first-hand the difference between pov-

erty in the USA and poverty beyond the USA, and it is

extreme. It has caused me to think globally as I discern

God’s direction for my future involvement in mission

work. I am most drawn to some kind of ministry with the

elderly poor population of Haiti; the government cannot

provide for them, and they have almost no resources. I

am also drawn to Liberia-helping the elderly or Brighter

Future Children Rescue Center.

ET: Are there any mission books you can recommend to

someone thinking about joining a mission team?

JM: Yes. Transforming Ventures: A Spiritual Guide for

Volunteers in Mission (Jane Ives, Upper Room Books) is

a practical guide.

Thank you, Jane, for sharing some of your mission

thoughts with us! I plan to feature one interview for each

newsletter. If you or someone you know, would like to

be interviewed about missions, I invite you to email me

(elizabeth.tyson@nccumc.org).

Thank you!

Many thanks to everyone who has been assisting in

disaster response! Some of you were affected directly,

and some have friends, relatives and neighbors trying to

recover from loss. Our work in helping is a faithful wit-

ness to our merciful, loving God.

Thanks also to those who helped sort and pack Project

Agape Christmas boxes! Having recently returned from

Armenia, I can attest to how much they are needed and

appreciated. Our relationship with the people there is a

powerful example of the One body of Christ in the world.

I am increasingly grateful for the opportunity to serve

along side you all as we seek to make disciples for the

transformation of the world! Please feel free to contact

me anytime.

Jaye White

NCC Outreach Team Coordinator

jayewhite@nccumc.org

919-779-6115 / 800-849-4433

6

Send Forth Your Light

“As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants

for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living

God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalms 42:1-2

(NIV).

The very premise of the “I Found Him…” book and these

Facebook posts is that God is everywhere, always, if we

will only look. He can be “found” in wildlife; in

abandoned houses, trucks, and tractors; in waterfalls and

rainbows; at work and in backyards. Although He is

always present, we often question it. Psalm 42:3 says:

“My tears have been my food day and night, while men

say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’”

We all face adversity, and question God’s presence. Why

does He allow suffering? Strength to cope, however,

comes from God. Faith—faith is what sustains us. It is

faith that brings us joy, peace, comfort and hope. The

refrain in Psalms 42 and 43 offers the clue: “Why are you

downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put

your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior

and my God.”

A relevant prayer for us is the one prayed by the psalmist

in Psalms 43:3 “Send forth your light and your truth, let

them guide me…” (NIV). God is with you now, and He

will sustain you. Look for Him, accept Him, and lean on

His powerful shoulders.

I Found Him…as a deer quizzically stared.

Jeff Jenkins

Beacon District Lay Leader

(Taken from my Facebook Ministry: www.Facebook.com/

IFoundHimMinistry)

Malaria Grant road-worthy emergency vehicle will en-

sure tragedies like what Irene experienced will cease!

COMMUNITY BASED DIABETES

CARE SAVES LIVES!

15 year old Shadrach does not know how many years he

has been a diabetic! But one thing he know for sure is

that his lifelong battle with ill health is due to a treatable

condition- diabetes! Shadrach was screened at the Ganta

Hospital Diabetes Clinic with a blood sugar of 480! As

evidenced by his emaciated body (due to the body’s ina-

bility to absorb food), Shadrach has probably been a dia-

betic for most of his 15 year old life. His uncle (who ac-

companied him) said he has been ill since a baby. Shad-

rach explained he could not attend school because he

could not concentrate; he felt tired and sleepy when in

class. Today, Shadrach’s condition is stable. His uncle

was taught how to administer insulin, and they returned

to his home town of Karnplay (about a 60 mile distance)

with a three month supply of medication, blood glucose

test strips and a glucometer thanks to the diversified sup-

port of World Diabetes Foundation (Belgium), Pacific

Northwest Conference (USA), Life for a Child

(Australia) and Insulin for Life (Canada). Now,

Shadrach is looking forward to enrolling in school and

playing soccer with his friends.

A World Diabetes Foundation Grant supports a two year

intervention to enable Ganta Hospital Diabetes Clinic do

awareness, education, screening, and management in

fifteen communities (including the town where Shadrach

lives) throughout Nimba County. During a recent

outreach with the Ganta Hospital Diabetes Clinic staff,

my blood sugar was recently screened by a Ganta Hospi-

tal trained Diabetes Community based Health Volunteer

in the large village of Bunadin!! Who would’ve thunk??

- Global Health Grants article continued from page 4

7

Reap the Vision - Wash Tubs & Wooden Blocks Reap the vision is a monthly column in the Beacon District Mission Newsletter sharing how the Vision of the Church is being

walked out in our lives.

Generosity begins with God. It is God’s abundance that gives us the capability to be generous.

God so loved the world that God Gave…

We love because God first loved us…

My childhood is a gift of God’s generosity. I remember my grandmother giving my brother and me a bath in a wash

tub in the yard. I remember a garden every year that yielded fresh vegetables at every meal and a row of flowers that

my grandmother would plant in the area between the garden and the yard. There were hog killings in the winter and

fishing trips to the coast in the fall.

As a child I have no recollection of going to bed hungry. There was never a night that my brother and I were not

snuggled in a bed safe from the elements. And yet my childhood was not filled with things. Growing up on my

grandfather’s farm, I remember picking cotton, riding in the trailer that workers loaded with tobacco and gathering dried

corn to store in the corn crib to help feed my aunt’s chickens and our pigs. I remember going to the outhouse because

there was no running water in the house and watching my grandmother cook on a wood fired stove. We didn’t have

toys other than those we created with our own imagination.

In addition to farming, my grandfather was a carpenter. Granddaddy came home with blocks of wood that were the

scrap cuttings from homes he built for others. My brother and I would use these blocks of wood to push around on the

ground as imaginary cars. I still can feel the cool summer breeze underneath the pecan trees under the porch of the

smoke house where we loved to play. As I recollect these things, I am appreciative of the building blocks of my

childhood that gave me an appreciation for that which really mattered. I never knew the fragile financial life of my

family. I never knew why my parents and grandparents worked so many jobs. I never knew the desire to have more

things. We had everything that really mattered and celebrated these things as important and valuable.

The emphasis was not on the things we had rather on the family and love that we shared. We marked the seasons by the

smell of fresh turned earth in the spring and the smell of leaves burring in the fall. From Easter Sunrise services

celebrated at the edge of the church cemetery to play practices for the annual Children’s Christmas pageant in

December. All I had needed had been provided in abundance. The building blocks of generosity were set in my life

from a God of generosity. God had abundantly given. These blocks are LOVE, GRACE, MERCY, FAITH and

HOPE. I had freely received. Now my challenge is to live out of that generosity with a generosity that reflects the love

of God in Christ Jesus.

What we read in scripture is a reminder to us of what we need to be about as a people of Christ. Have fervent love for

one another.

1 Peter 4:8-11 The Message (MSG)

Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to

give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless - cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave

you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.

That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and God will get all the credit as

the One mighty in everything - encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

This message is an excerpt from the Message the District Superintendent gave for Cluster Charge Conferences this

year.

Reap the Vision,

Gil Wise, District Superintendent

The Beacon District of the North Carolina Conference

The United Methodist Church