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April 20, 2004
Sudan: Pray for Peace
In the impoverished and embattled savannah borderlands between Sudan and Chad, 750,000 persons have fled from their burning, looted villages, Reuters reported this week. Aid agencies, including UMCOR, are providing blankets, seeds and tools to people camping in the open air or in public buildings. Please pray for peace in this troubled region. A generous gift to UMCOR Advance #184385, Sudan Emergency, will help to provide basic life necessities to the most vulnerable.
Haiti: "The Church Has Been So Faithful"
"Church leaders in Haiti are the peacemakers and the educators. The
church there has been so faithful in providing stopgap measures," says Kristin Sachen of UMCOR, who visited Haiti last month. UMCOR supports several projects in Haiti, focusing especially on priorities identified by church leaders there as a result of the civil
crisis of recent months. Those include health care, spiritual care, school fees and hot lunches. Encourage healing in Haiti by encouraging generous gifts to UMCOR Advance #418325, Haiti Civil Emergency, and to UMCOR Advance #418790, School Hot Lunch Program.
Liberia: Fighters Disarm
Fighters from rebel groups in Liberia began turning in guns this week. A Reuters report says that about 40,000 people are expected to disarm in the next weeks. Disarmament--and the reintegration into society that will follow--are essential to ending the cycle of violence. Liberia's 14-year war has left more than 200,000 people dead. UMCOR will operate a new demobilization camp for ex-combatants, a term for fighting forces and the people who accompanied them, such as cooks and messengers. UMCOR will administer health screening and provide activities that will prepare participants for next steps in their return to their communities. Help in a meaningful way by giving to UMCOR Advance #150300, Liberia Emergency.
Mexico: Widespread Flooding Affects Piedras Negras Area
Texas United Methodists are responding to needs in Mexico for water, diapers,
formula and other supplies following severe storms that put Piedras Negras under water earlier this month and killed 36 people. Heavy rains and floodwaters damaged homes and jeopardized young residents of an orphanage in the border town. UMCOR has sent a grant to the eastern conference of Iglesia Metodista de México to support clean-up efforts." Your gift could help in a meaningful way. Please donate to UMCOR Advance #982450, International Disaster Response, designate "Piedras Negras Flood."
New Resources: "Multiplying Hope" and "A Place Where You Can Serve"
Works of recovery and life-changing ministry supported by your donations become real in two new UMCOR resources produced to help you animate your church's mission focus. "Multiplying Hope" is a 7-minute video (also available in DVD format) that illustrates the ways United Methodists are in the lead to ease the pain when catastrophes strike. You can order by calling toll-free 1-888-862-3242. In a new brochure, "A Place Where You Can Serve," volunteers personalize UMCOR's work in their stories of giving and receiving. It's free, with a small charge for shipping and handling. Phone your order today to 1-800-305-9857.
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.
