Note: This edition of the UMCOR Hotline is a special update about the tsunamis catastrophe. For more about UMCOR's current responses, read the hotline for January 4.
January 7, 2005
UMCOR Provides $750,000 in Asian Tsunami Relief
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has provided about $750,000 in relief to the tsunami stricken Indian Ocean region. On December 26, a powerful earthquake triggered tidal waves that swept away the lives of at least 150,000 people and the homes and livelihoods of millions more.
So far, UMCOR has sent:
Recovery from the tsunamis will take several years. UMCOR is carefully assessing how it will proceed after survivors' immediate emergency needs are met. This process will include face-to-face meetings with people in affected regions like Sri Lanka. UMCOR has successfully run large-scale rebuilding projects in Turkey, Afghanistan, and Bosnia; its expertise may also be needed in Asia.
United Methodists Have Been Generous: Much More Is Needed
"United Methodists have been incredibly generous," says the Rev. Paul Dirdak, UMCOR's chief executive. "But much more is needed."
Cash gifts will help UMCOR continue to assist its ecumenical partners who are working in the disaster area. Long term recovery support, such as rebuilding homes, hinges on continuing generosity. As of January 6, United Methodists had contributed more than $1 million to "South Asia Emergency, UMCOR Advance #274305" online at http://MethodistRelief.org. Money continues to pour in through Web, mail, and church offerings.
Every dollar given goes directly to aid for the affected region. Such 100 percent giving is possible because UMCOR's administrative costs come from other undesignated sources, including the annual One Great Hour of Sharing for UMCOR. Resources for this March 6 observance are online.
UMCOR needs Medicine Boxes and health kits in addition to cash donations. "We'll be able to use every box and kit our congregations can make,” the Rev. Dirdak says. For contents and other requirements for these material resources, go to UMCOR's web site.
Three Church Bulletin Inserts and Other Resources
Three different bulletin inserts on United Methodist response to the Asian tsunamis disaster are ready for congregations to download and print locally. "After Walls of Water, Hope in Half a Dozen Countries" provides details on UMCOR's initial activity in disaster-stricken regions. It was updated with a new photo this week. United Methodist Communications, in cooperation with UMCOR, has produced two inserts, "Hands Already at Work" and "Be the Answer to Somebody's Prayer." Get
under "Church Resources" on UMCOR's South Asia Emergency page.
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.