The Northwest Texas Conference Of
The United Methodist Church
Announces

Early Response Training (ERT)

ERT Training will be offered in 3 locations and dates.

Midland, TX on Feb. 1, 2018 [THURSDAY] at First United Methodist Church at 300 N. Main Street, Midland, TX (phone: 432-682-3701). The closest parking will be the parking lot beside our north portico entry. This parking is on our lot between Main Street (on the west) and Baird Street (on the east).

Lubbock, TX on Feb. 3, 2018 [SATURDAY] at Oakwood United Methodist Church at 2215 58th St, Lubbock, TX (phone: (806) 792-1220). Meet at Overton Hall on west end of the building complex (59th Street entrance) and use west side parking.

Amarillo, TX on Feb. 5, 2018 [MONDAY] at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at 4317 W I-40, Amarillo, TX (phone: (806) 352-5615). The training location to be posted at the church.

Training is open for all who wish to “deploy”; there is registration on site and a $50.00 cost for the one-day training (cash or checks only please). You will need to call for a reservation as each session is limited to no MORE than 30 persons. The sessions are one day only (each location) from 8AM to 5PM with a lunch break. Also, you will need to fill out registration and credentialing forms, have a background check, and agree to be on the “call out” list in the event of a response.

The United Methodist Church, through UMCOR, relies on Early Response Teams (ERT) as part of their disaster response approach- “To be a caring Christian Presence in the Aftermath of Disaster”.

There are a few important facts about ERT:

  • ERTs are called out starting just after the emergency (fire, flood, storm, etc.) has been made safe.
  • The ERT mission is to help the survivors of such emergencies to stabilize their situation and know the presence of Christ’s love in their lives. ERTs are composed of you and me.
  • Local persons who are willing to give up 3 to 5 days, normally 3, to help their neighbors in need.

In NWTX Conference, we are just getting started in growing our disaster response capability. We are just starting to “regrow” Early Response Teams. To be able to respond to a disaster and provide rotating teams of people anywhere needed we need a lot more than the persons we have trained so far. We ask each church to ask for members to be trained. We also plan on additional ERT training sessions later in the year as trainers become available. We welcome VIM and others to be included not just pastoral staff.

That’s where YOU come in. We are starting to train more people so we can respond when needed. We hope to hold several more basic ERT training courses this year. Additional classes are hoped for, but not yet planned.

REGISTRATION
Registration will be $50 and will include all course materials. Please send your name, address, and phone number to Charlie Brown at charlie.m.brown@gmail.com. Or, contact Jorie Welch at the NWTX Conference Office, welch@nwtxconf.org, or call her at 806-762-0201, she can also take your questions and forward to Charlie. Charlie will call you back later in the evenings after work. PLEASE REGISTER EARLY AS POSSIBLE. Charlie will be glad to answer your questions as he is able BUT Early Registration is greatly desired.