With great sadness, we are saying goodbye and happy retirement to Judy and Doug Lewis as they retire as Chairs of the California-Pacific Conference Disaster Response Task Force and United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM). They have worked tirelessly in helping our Conference become a leader in this field and in helping us respond faithfully to the call of serving those affected by both natural and manufactured disasters across our Conference, the Western Jurisdiction, and the wider UM circles!
We thank them for their service and hope that you will reach out to them directly to let them know how very appreciated they are.
These are hard shoes to fill, and we look forward to seeing how our new leadership will take on these roles and make them their own, shaping them into the future and adding their personal touches as they respond to this call.
We are delighted to announce that effective Jan 1st, 2023, Karl Ports will be assuming leadership as the new chairperson of the Disaster Response Task Force. In addition, Susan Harriss will be the UMVIM coordinator for our Conference. We are grateful to them both for stepping up at this time and into these roles, which require much hard work, patience, and diligence. We are also thankful that Doug and Judy will be helping and guiding them as they transition to these new roles.
Bishop Grant Hagiya
Los Angeles Area Resident Bishop
Rev. Denyse Barnes
Director of Justice & Compassion EMT
