Breaking News: UMCOR Launches Iran Earthquake Appeal
December 23, 2003: At least two fatalities and dozens of injuries, plus buckled roads, broken gas mains and damaged buildings, followed an earthquake in the Paso Robles area of California on Monday. The 6.5 magnitude temblor was the largest to strike California in more than four years, according to The New York Times. Disaster workers from the California Pacific Annual Conference are assessing damages.
Rescuers in the Philippines, using bare hands and shovels, searched for missing friends and relatives after landslides, flash floods and a tornado killed scores of people over the weekend. UMCOR anticipates providing emergency aid to assist with recovery. Hardest hit areas were Leyte and the Mindanao Islands, where rains, strong winds and power outages are hampering rescue operations. You can help in relief efforts with prayers and generous gifts to UMCOR Advance #240235, Philippines Emergency.
Violence has marked Haiti's bicentennial celebrations. The US State Department advises curtailing travel to the region, affecting the mission plans of United Methodist volunteers. On the protests the Rev. Raphael Dessieu writes, "Armed civilians supported by the police and the government are reacting in a brutal manner" Rev. Dessieu, president of the Methodist Church of Haiti, requests prayers "to stop the killing of many innocent people." Protests have increased as Haiti's eight million people face worsening poverty. UMCOR Advances support many ministries there, including a school lunch program, education projects and a children's hospital.
Many of the hundreds of storms that destroyed homes and lives across North America and the Caribbean this year received virtually no media attention. For Puerto Rico, where nearly every town suffered flood damage in November storms, UMCOR is providing a grant to assist with recovery. Most severely affected-- rural communities with large numbers of elderly residents and unemployed persons. In the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, United Methodists are joining other faith communities to provide long-term recovery assistance to hundreds of families flooded out by days of rain. Along the Atlantic seaboard the long, unglamorous recovery continues from one of the worst storms-- Hurricane Isabel. If you can participate directly in repair and rebuilding of homes, please call the UMCOR Volunteer Hotline, 1-800-918-3100. UMCOR is also grateful for generous donations to Hurricanes 2003 Advance #982438 that will fund long-term assistance forthe most vulnerable people in the affected areas.
Formal peace deals have not put an end to sporadic clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Alarming rates of malnutrition and disease, coupled with collapse of basic services such as hospital care and schools, signal a long road to recovery from years of civil war. UMCOR workers in the DRC are helping to rehabilitate a riverboat that will transport medical supplies into remote regions. They are also distributing school supplies and seeds. A grant from the US Department of Agriculture will provide funds for additional food security projects. Much remains to be done in a country torn by a five-year war that killed three million people. Your generous gift to UMCOR Advance #982353, Global Peacebuilding and Reconciliation, will assist the most vulnerable people in the DRC.
Stay current with breaking news of humanitarian projects and disaster recovery every week in the UMCOR Hotline. We're changing our publication date. The Hotline will appear online and by phone every Tuesday beginning today. We hope this new release date will make UMCOR Hotline a more effective mission tool for you and your faith community-- for sermon preparation, mission minutes and newsletter distribution.
At Christmas we remember the life of one who came to transform. With your generous gifts and prayers this year, you have made transformation a real possibility for the millions of people who encounter the work of UMCOR. UMCOR is effective because we call forth generosity, restore dignity and teach the ways of peace. Your interest and support empower us to continue. With wishes for a joyous Christmas season, we thank you for all the hope you have brought.
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.