Q: If my local church votes to disaffiliate can I keep my ERT credentials?
The Early Response Team (ERT) program has always included communities of diverse faith backgrounds and denominations who agree to follow the UMCOR ERT program guidelines. The South Georgia Conference will continue to include trained individuals in UMCOR’s local response to disasters.
Q: If my local church votes to disaffiliate can my church still have an ERT team?
The Conference Disaster Response Ministry is grateful for the ERT in South Georgia and the partners we collaborate with during disaster responses. No one team can do everything so synergizing resources best benefits our response capabilities. If a church who has a disaffiliated has a trained team, the team can still remain connected to our district or conference response coordinators for opportunities to deploy and apply their UMCOR training locally.
Q: Can disaffiliated churches host UMCOR training (ERT, Connecting Neighbors, Disaster case management, etc.)?
While trainings will be held in United Methodists Churches across South Georgia, the trainings will be open to any interested persons who agree to follow the UMCOR ERT program guidelines. All participants who successfully complete the training will receive UMCOR credentials as appropriate.