Living the Call: UMCOR at Birmingham & Berkley First

Meet the faces of UMCOR at Birmingham and Berkley First. Learn how Linda Richards and Chelsea-Rose Jabboori are answering the call to disaster response—and discover how you can get involved in supporting a caring Christian presence when communities face crisis.

Answering God’s call to care, compassion, and service

By Adrienne Trupiano, Communications Specialist
When disaster strikes, the work of relief can feel distant; something happening somewhere else, led by people we may never meet. At Birmingham and Berkley First, however, UMCOR has names, faces, and stories. Two of those stories belong to Linda Richards and Chelsea-Rose Jabboori, whose faith, experience, and willingness to serve are helping re-energize our church’s commitment to disaster response in tangible, meaningful ways.

Linda Richards has served as the Missions Committee UMCOR Project Leader since January 2025. Her connection to disaster relief is deeply personal. For four years, Linda lived and worked in the Asheville area of North Carolina—well before Hurricane Helene devastated the region. When the storm struck, many of her friends and former colleagues were directly impacted by catastrophic flooding and loss of life. Some remain displaced and are still working toward recovery. As a lifelong Methodist, Linda was already familiar with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and its long-standing reputation for ensuring that disaster-relief funds reach affected communities quickly and responsibly. Experiencing the storm’s aftermath through the lives of people she knows strengthened her resolve to help our church stay informed, connected, and responsive.

Linda sees her role as a “bridge builder”—connecting Birmingham and Berkley First with Michigan Conference disaster-relief efforts, such as After the Storm, and with UMCOR’s national work. She is committed to asking thoughtful questions, sharing updates, and helping the congregation understand how donations are used and where needs remain. Her leadership is grounded not only in organization and communication, but in compassion shaped by real relationships and lived experience.
Chelsea-Rose Jabboori’s journey into disaster relief began in a different place, but with the same spirit of calling. Since finding Berkley First in 2019, Chelsea-Rose has felt welcomed, encouraged, and supported in her faith. Over time, she discerned a strong call to mission work—one that now shapes both her professional and volunteer life. Chelsea-Rose serves as a preschool teacher at Birmingham First and supports the Nursery, Vacation Bible School, and Summer Camp, nurturing our youngest members with care and intention.

For the past four summers, Chelsea-Rose has participated in mission work with Henderson Settlement. It was during this time, particularly after witnessing devastating flooding in Kentucky, that she felt called to expand her disaster-response training. She completed specialized coursework through Kentucky Disaster Relief, including Evangelism in Crisis, Shower and Laundry Ministries, Mass Feeding, and Chainsaw Safety. These trainings prepared her not just with practical skills, but with an understanding of how presence, dignity, and teamwork shape effective disaster response.
Together, Linda Richards and Chelsea-Rose Jabboori are now UMCOR-certified Early Response Team (ERT) volunteers. With their certification comes a covenant commitment—to remain accountable, prepared, and supportive of fellow disaster-response volunteers wherever they are called to serve. Both look forward to joining UMCOR relief teams in 2026, offering their time, skills, and compassion in communities facing crisis.

Their leadership reflects a broader truth about UMCOR’s work: disaster relief is not something “out there,” carried out by strangers. It is ministry embodied by people within the church, people like Linda and Chelsea-Rose, who respond faithfully when the need arises.

UMCOR itself was founded in 1940 to assist refugees displaced by World War II. Over the decades, it has grown into a permanent nonprofit agency of the Methodist Church, operating under the General Board of Global Ministries. Today, UMCOR supports domestic and international communities recovering from natural disasters, assists refugees and migrants, promotes access to healthcare, advances sustainable agriculture, and cares for the environment. Its guiding mission remains constant: to provide a caring Christian presence in the aftermath of disaster.
That mission has long been part of the story of Birmingham and Berkley First. Over the years, our congregation has responded generously when disaster strikes: sending a semi-truck filled with water bottles to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, filling nearly two hundred Home Depot orange buckets with cleaning supplies after Hurricane Michael in 2018, supporting Ukraine after a Ukrainian choral group sang in our sanctuary following the 2022 invasion, and offering designated gifts for survivors of Hurricane Helene in 2024 and the California wildfires in 2025.

When a disaster occurs in the United States, UMCOR responds only at the invitation of local leadership. Bishops request assistance, and UMCOR then coordinates with United Methodist conferences to deploy resources. This can be in the form of emergency grants, Early Response Teams, or long-term recovery staff. Relief efforts often last years, with local churches serving as centers for coordination, distribution, and care. Donations are disaster-specific and carefully stewarded, meeting immediate needs such as food, water, hygiene supplies, and shelter, while also addressing long-term recovery, mental-health support, and community rebuilding.

As we look ahead, we invite you to be part of this ministry. Pray for survivors and first responders. Consider joining our local UMCOR team and helping strengthen connections with neighboring churches. Explore training as an Early Response Team volunteer at the next session on March 14, 2026, at St Paul’s United Methodist Church. Help assemble relief kits for the Michigan Annual Conference. And when disaster strikes, give generously.

Through people like Linda and Chelsea-Rose, and through each act of faithful response, we continue to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in a hurting world.
For more information or questions about UMCOR, contact Linda Richards at (248) 761-0756 or lrichards@richardscg.com.

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Have a story or idea you’d love to see featured? Reach out to Adrienne Trupiano at atrupiano@fumcbirmingham.org.