The Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding Program is transitioning toward recovery from 2024’s Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, beginning in April 2026 when it is serving survivors in Ashe, Henderson, and Transylvania Counties.
From Sept. 21 to Nov. 15, 2025, more than 95 Brethren Disaster Ministries Rebuilding volunteers traveled to Johnson County, Tenn., to support 11 households impacted by Hurricane Helene.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed large grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the DRC) providing a six-month emergency humanitarian aid program for families affected by war, and to a program being developed by the Church of the Brethren Mission in South Sudan. Also among recent grants, funding was provided for the Hurricane Helene response of Brethren Disaster Ministries.
The director of Brethren Disaster Ministries, Jenn Dorsch-Messler, traveled through Virginia and North Carolina the week of Oct. 21 to visit with Church of the Brethren district and church leaders. The trip responded to the impact of Hurricane Helen in both states.
The Church of the Brethren’s aid and relief response following Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton continues on the denominational, district, and congregational levels. Here are some updates
Staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries continue to work with district leaders to help coordinate response efforts including the collection and distribution of relief materials and donations for emergency funding–especially for the hardest-hit areas in Southeastern District. Another conference call with district leaders is planned for Friday afternoon, Oct. 11. Brethren Disaster Ministries urges church members
Church World Service (CWS) is sharing updated kit distribution numbers and information about relief efforts following on the recent hurricanes. To date, CWS has coordinated the shipment of 4,372 Clean-Up Buckets, 8,720 Hygiene Kits, 5,890 blankets, 1,205 Menstrual Hygiene Kits, 590 School Kits, and 72 Welcome Backpacks to partners in Florida and North Carolina (a
CDS has two teams of volunteers serving in North Carolina. The four volunteers in “Team Fletcher” have been serving children and families at a shelter in Fletcher, N.C., since Thursday, Oct. 3. This response is in partnership with the Red Cross. When they arrived, the shelter housed 300 people, and there was a boil water
Several Church of the Brethren districts have issued calls or started service projects in response to Hurricane Helene and now Hurricane Milton. In addition, reports Brethren Disaster Ministries, “individuals and congregations have been calling and emailing all week asking how they can help in the effort.” Here are some of the ways districts and congregations
As media report that the death toll from Hurricane Helene has topped 200–with more than half of the deaths in western North Carolina–Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) have begun active responses to aid survivors of the storm and its aftermath.