Thank you to everyone who was a good steward of God’s grace, serving each other with whatever gift we have been given! (1Peter 4:10)
Debris removal at Zion UMC in North Las Vegas has been extremely productive in the last two weeks. The servant leadership of the volunteers who responded to the call was so successful, no further volunteers are needed at this time. Zion’s leadership along with numerous denominations across the Southwest stepped up providing monetary donations, manual labor, and prayers, each a blessing in this healing process. Through the hearts, minds, and hands of the many servants who came to help with the initial cleanup process, the first phase in now completed. The next phase includes a thorough structural inspection and possible demolition by professionals. In this transition to the rebuilding process, we will keep you posted on Zion’s resurrection as well as additional opportunities to volunteer in the coming months.
Zion UMC hosted, trained, and provided lunches for approximately two hundred servants who removed debris and treasures from the ashes. University UMC in Las Vegas housed and fed out of town volunteers every night of operations. Many other UMC churches throughout the Desert Southwest, Cal-Pac, and Rocky Mountain Annual Conferences assisted in the cleanup process. Our United Methodist connectional support, along with at least four other denominations in the local Las Vegas area provided administrative, financial, and physical responses. Every person and church community served a crucial role and we are truly blessed by the loving response.
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Items saved from the ruins. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Volunteers at work. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Volunteer group at Zion UMC. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Volunteer group at Zion UMC. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Burned Zion UMC building. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Burned Zion UMC building. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Burned Zion UMC building. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Burned Zion UMC building. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Volunteer group at Zion UMC. Photo by Khalif Smith
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Photo courtesy of Fred Heggestad
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Photo courtesy of Fred Heggestad
The Desert Southwest Conference is extremely grateful for the servant hearts and connectional abilities that are ready to help in the midst of a tragedy, like the fire at Zion UMC. In the coming months, the Disaster Response Committee will be holding training sessions for anyone willing to serve in various roles during a local or national level response. If you or your church would like to schedule a training, please contact Polly Turner at polly@ix.netcom.com and click here to access the “Hosting an ERT Training Event” PDF.
Fred Heggestad
Disaster Relief Coordinator
Desert Southwest Conference
United Methodist Church
