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Japan Earthquake & Tsunami

Japan was hit by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded on March 11, 2011. The magnitude 9.0 quake spawned a deadly tsunami that slammed into the small island nation, leaving a huge swath of devastation in its wake. Thousands of people are dead and many more are still missing or injured. Almost half a million peopl ehave been left homeless.

In addition, the country is facing a nuclear crisis from damage to several power reactors. Not since Three Mile Island has there been a more serious threat of reactor meltdown.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working with the United Church of Christ in Japan and other partners to bring relief to communities in Japan.

News stories


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Church Leadership
Participants sing during opening worship at the 2023 special session of the National Association of Korean American United Methodists at Korean First United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Ill., on Oct. 2. The Southeastern Jurisdiction has scheduled its first Asian American Ministers Gathering in May to bring clergy together for fellowship, resources and ministerial support. Pictured from left are Bishops Dottie Escobedo-Frank and Hee-Soo Jung, Dana Lyles and the Revs. MiRhang Baek, Prumeh Lee and Ju-Yeon Julie Jeon. File photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Gathering aims to help Asian American clergy thrive

Southeastern Jurisdiction brings Asian American ministers together for fellowship, resources and ministerial support.
A portion of Hong Kong at night as seen from Victoria Peak. More than 400,000 migrant domestic workers live in Hong Kong, about five percent of the total population. They cook and clean and care for children, pets, and the elderly. They also at times endure horrible treatment. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

United Methodists support migrant workers in Hong Kong

A United Methodist pastor from the Philippines and a deaconess from the U.S. work to empower migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. The migrants are mostly women who often face difficult challenges in both their workplace and their relationship to families back home.
Mission and Ministry
Participants and facilitators of 2024 ASCEND, a global leadership development training for Methodist young adults in Asia, jump for a photo at Hope Vocational School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Nov. 4. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Training helps Asian young adults to ‘soar high’

Methodist young adults from Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia and Vietnam gathered Nov. 4-8 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for 2024 ASCEND, a global leadership development training event.

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