I know many of you have asked about how disaster relief is progressing in VT, in the wake of Hurricane Irene.  Burlington seems to be relatively unscathed, but the destruction is pretty intense in many of the mountain towns.  I’ve been especially encouraged with how local churches, ministries, and nonprofits have stepped up to serve their communities by meeting both physical and spiritual needs.  If you are interested in helping with disaster relief, here are two great opportunities: one is with a local church and the other with an international relief organization.

* My good friend Trey Cates is pastor of New Life Community Church in Northfield,VT.  This three year old church is leading the charge in their community by assessing needs and “mudding out” homes.  Here’s an excerpt from one of Trey’s recent emails about how you can help:

Long term, there is a need for finishing crews who can help low-income homeowners install fresh insulation, sheetrock, flooring, and cabinetry. There are also needs for experienced electricians and plumbers to inspect systems before reconstruction begins.

Pray for us as we take the opportunities God gives us to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our service in His name and for His Glory!

How you can help:

• Contact your church to see if their association has disaster relief teams that would be able to help in New England.
• Consider sending short-term mission teams in the next few weeks to help with clean up and evangelism opportunities.
• Send a donation of money or Wal-Mart gift cards to our church to be used to purchase mud-out supplies and resources for volunteer teams: New Life Community Church, P.O. Box 133, Northfield, VT 05663.

You can contact Trey directly through his email at tcates@newlifevt.com.