God’s Mission, Our Mission
God’s Holy Spirit calls the Church into being for mission. The Church experiences and engages
in God’s mission as it pours itself out for others, ready to cross every boundary to call for true
human dignity among all peoples.

 As Jesus said: ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the
least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

UMCOR, The United Methodist Committee on Relief, takes this call to heart. As the
humanitarian relief and development arm of The United Methodist Church, UMCOR is the
hands and feet of Jesus whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

In 1940, Bishop Herbert Welch, representing the Methodist Committee for China Relief,
proposed the creation of the “Methodist Committee for Overseas Relief (MCOR),” in response to
displaced and vulnerable populations in the wake of World War II. Welch commented that
MCOR would serve as a “voice of conscience among Methodists to act in the relief of human
suffering without distinction of race, color or creed.” This mandate remains true to this day.
MCOR grew from providing necessities to refugees and displaced populations, to getting
involved in reconstruction, rehabilitation and repatriation of refugees and prisoners of war,
restoration of churches and civil operations, and reconciliation – an effort to restore peace and
goodwill.

When the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Methodist Church united into The
United Methodist Church in 1968, MCOR became UMCOR. – The United Methodist Committee
on Overseas Relief.

Later, UMCOR expanded its scope to include agricultural and community development projects,
as well as medical relief and development, and disaster risk reduction programs.
No one in 1940 could have foreseen the depths and breath of what UMCOR is today.2

UMCOR’s stated mission is: “Compelled by Christ to be a voice of conscience on behalf of the
people called United Methodist, UMCOR works globally to alleviate human suffering and
advance hope and healing.”

This transformative work is categorized into three areas:
• Humanitarian Relief/Disaster Response
• Sustainable Development
• Global Health

If you’d like to give to UMCOR Sunday, please mark your offering as such. There will be envelopes available to you on Sunday.

1 Theology of Mission, Global Ministries, https://www.umcmission.org/Learn-About-Us/About-GlobalMinistries/Theology-of-Mission 2 New World Outlook, 75 years of UMCOR. Christie House, editor.