Tropical Storm Cindy, the first named storm of the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to make landfall along the Louisiana coastline Wednesday evening.

Cindy is expected to bring a significant amount of rain to the southern portion of Louisiana, affecting areas as far west as Lake Charles and as far east as New Orleans. 

The Conference office of Missional Outreach and Engagement is actively tracking the storm. 

In the event there is damage to a church, pastors are to contact their District Superintendents immediately. 

If significant flooding should occur in the community, please contact the various district disaster response coordinators, as listed below: 
 

• Acadiana: Scott Sutton, 337-519-2109 
• Lake Charles: Ken Findley, 337-249-7835 or Roger Templeton, 337-526-7500
• Baton Rouge: Alex Byo, 225-326-8514
• Monroe: Leslie Stephens, 318-251-0750
• New Orleans: Bertrand Griffin, 678-463-9334
• Shreveport: Scott Spalding, 318-861-7346
   

---

Connecting Neighbors

With a storm in the Gulf, it is time to remind everyone of Connecting Neighbors.

Connecting Neighbors is offered by The Louisiana Annual Conference and is a series of mission and disaster preparedness events held in the six districts.

This event is the new standard for learning how churches and their members can be prepared in case of a disaster, how to reach out to others in a disaster and how to lead or participate in local, national or international missions.

Who is this for and why should you attend? 

• Pastors, Lay Leaders, Trustees and Finance Committee members--learn how to ready your congregation for mission and disaster preparedness.
• Local Church small groups—find out how to effectively respond to those in need and how to explore your capacity for various disaster response ministries. 
• Missions Coordinators, Students, and Workers with Youth —find out about the effects of poverty and the importance of spiritual leadership when serving others.
• Mission Team Members and Leaders – learn all of the tools needed to be an effective and successful participant or leader of short term missions locally, nationally, and internationally. (formally LAVIM Leadership Training)
• Early Response Team: full basic training for those with expired certifications (after 3 years) or soon to be expired, along with those who are new to ERT.

Connecting Neighbors, Churches and Volunteers Training Events Dates: (Anyone from any district can attend if the dates work for you.)

• Baton Rouge District  July 14-15, 2017  Broadmoor UMC in Baton Rouge
• Monroe District   August 18-19, 2017   Lea Joyner Memorial in Monroe
• Lake Charles District  October 27-28, 2017  St. Luke Simpson in Lake Charles
• Shreveport District   January 26-27, 2018  FUMC Bossier in Bossier City

Register Now →

​