  |
|
March 9, 2004
One Great Hour of Sharing: Please Give on March 21
"I thank you really" conveyed the emotions of Asal Habib after she received emergency supplies in Bam, Iran. Asal, a girl who lost many family members in the Dec. 26 earthquake, is a beneficiary of UMCOR grants to help people in Bam. UMCOR is working through its ecumenical partners, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) and Church World Service. MECC has distributed health kits, food and mattresses to earthquake survivors like Asal. Your gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering-- received March 21 or another Sunday during the year-- go to work on behalf of disaster survivors like Asal by underwriting the administrative costs of UMCOR. That means when you donate, you can rest assured that, through UMCOR, your church is delivering resources that enable the transformation of entire communities. Please give generously to the One Great Hour of Sharing when the offering plate comes your way.
Haiti: Hopes for a Just and Lasting Peace
R. Randy Day, head of the church's mission agency, called on United Methodists to join in working with the people of Haiti to establish a just and lasting peace. The General Board of Global Ministries and its related unit, the United Methodist Committee on Relief have numerous church development and humanitarian programs in Haiti. UMCOR is also providing a grant to the rapid response fund of Action by Churches Together. The ACT fund will assure immediate medical assistance, transport and emergency accommodation. Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #418325, Haiti Civil Emergency, will support these efforts. All programs face higher fuel and food prices-- so a gift to a favorite Haiti Advance, such as the School Hot Lunch Program, Advance #418790, will help cover these additional costs. More than 700 United Methodists from the United States go to Haiti each year, on mission volunteer teams or as individual service volunteers. Raphael Dessieu, president of the Methodist Church of Haiti, reminds United Methodists that he is available for pastoral care should anyone in the military deployment wish to meet with him.
Midsection of the United States: Severe Weather
High winds did damage in Oklahoma and Texas late last week. The storms snarled airport traffic and destroyed homes. When storms devastate a community, UMCOR is available to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts. You can underwrite this kind of help for the most vulnerable residents of affected communities by donating to UMCOR Advance #901670, Domestic Disaster Response.
Liberia: Rebuilding Ganta Hospital
Renovations have begun at Ganta Hospital in Liberia. Mary and Herbert Zigbuo, missionaries assigned to Ganta, describe the rebuilding as a "tremendous amount of work... to accomplish minimal repairs." Buildings at the Ganta compound were destroyed in fighting last summer. UMCOR has provided $87,000 in grants for the project. Another $4,000 per month is earmarked for operational expense once the hospital is reopened. Much
remains to be done, including purchase of medicines. United Methodists can help in this important work through donations to UMCOR Advance #150385, Ganta Hospital Emergency.
UMCOR provides emergency relief in many areas of the world. To find out more about UMCOR's ministries, please visit umcor.org. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583, where credit card donations are accepted. UMCOR is exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of the United States and qualifies for the maximum charitable contribution deduction by donors.
And, please pray for those who are hungry, displaced, sick or in poverty because of these and other natural and human-made disasters, and for the workers who minister to them.
