Central United Methodist Church has a commitment to be ready to assist communities throughout the world in times of crisis. Whether it is in our own backyard, along the Gulf Coast being there for those who survived Katrina, on the African plains, or on the shores of Thailand after a tsunami, the people of Central give from their wallets and purses and the people of Central get to work with our own sweat, muscle, and skills to help those in need.

Our most active disaster relief project to date involved a partnership with the community of Pass Christian, Mississippi that suffered tremendous damage from Hurricane Katrina both to its property and to its people’s psyche. Over the course of three years, Central sent multiple work teams to the Gulf Coast rebuilding houses, cleaning out damaged property areas, and providing counsel to people in the community both young and old who needed someone who cared to lean on. Our teams that traveled to ‘THE PASS’ included teenagers from our youth group, senior citizens from our XYZ’s, and representatives from every demographic group in our church.

As a United Methodist Church, Central is connected with UMCOR (the United Methodist Committee on Relief), which responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community's ability to recover on its own. UMCOR's work on behalf of United Methodists is global and includes countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, the Caribbean. UMCOR serves in long-term disaster recovery in the US.

The immediate goal of UMCOR's international and domestic emergency response programs is to provide relief and rehabilitation for the entire person-physical, social, and psychological-in a distress situation.

UMCOR always works to enable those affected by disasters to take responsibility for relief and recovery work. Wherever possible, UMCOR forms partnerships with other religious and secular organizations to pool resources and avoid duplicating efforts.

UMCOR provides long-term recovery as well as immediate relief. Recognizing that disasters cause disruptions that can last for years and often create permanent changes in people's lives, UMCOR works within a community to address the long-term effects of a disaster and assist people in rebuilding and adjusting to change.

When there is a call to assist UMCOR the people of Central are ready to help in whatever way we can. Our eyes, ears, and hearts are open to the call from those in need … that is the mission of the Christian Church and that is the mission of Central United Methodist Church.