Youth and young adults from across the United Methodist connection, including five from the North Georgia Conference, were safely sheltering in place in Tagaytay, Philippines, during Typhoon Rammasun, locally known as Glenda.
"We are safe and okay. Praise be to God!," wrote Rev. Carolyn Poling, youth pastor at Impact UMC who is attending with two youth from her church. "There is a lot to do here for clean up so please keep the Phillippines in your prayers as well as the rest of our conference."
Delegates and observers for the Global Young People’s Convocation, hosted by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), have been arriving at the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) for the opening event tonight, July 16th.
Participants were awoken in the middle of the night due to strong winds and rain. Everyone was gathered in the common meeting spaces of each building.
Young people supported one another with songs and prayers to get through the early morning hours. They prayed for the nearby community and those with less secure shelter.
The Young People’s Ministry Division of GBOD moved the entire convocation to a central secure building during the eye of the storm. Other buildings sustained damage to roofs, windows and minor flooding.
After confirming everyone was accounted for, Mike Ratliff, Associate General Secretary for Young People’s Ministries, said, “Everyone at the CCT center is safe. Our team is in the process of making plans for moving forward.”
From General Board of Discipleship and General Board of Global Ministries