South Georgia UMs raise $75,000 for tornado relief in Kentucky, Tennessee

By Kara Witherow, Editor

South Georgia United Methodists have raised more than $75,000 to help the Kentucky and Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conferences in their relief and recovery work following a string of deadly December tornadoes.

This is in addition to a $20,000 donation of disaster response funds given to the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference in the immediate aftermath of the storms.

In December, an appeal was made to South Georgia United Methodists requesting monetary donations for tornado relief efforts in the affected areas. Hundreds of individuals and 46 local churches responded. 

“The South Georgia Annual Conference would like to walk alongside your conference as you continue helping churches, communities, and individuals impacted by December’s deadly tornado outbreak,” Bishop David Graves, episcopal leader of the South Georgia Conference, wrote in letters to Bishop Bill McAlilly of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference and Bishop Leonard Fairley of the Kentucky Annual Conference. 

“We are grateful for the connectional system through which we are all able to serve through God’s faithfulness to us. The beauty of The United Methodist Church is in our connection, and we come together to support one another.”

The storm system struck Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, 2021, is blamed for nearly 90 deaths and billions of dollars in damages in five Southern and Midwestern states.