Iraq Emergency Response

About UMCOR Response News.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is responding to the crisis in Iraq through our ecumenical parters. Please give to UMCOR's Advance #623225, Iraq Emergency. Checks should be written to UMCOR with the Advance number and name of the response in the memo line. One hundred percent of your tax-deductible gift will be used for this emergency. The generous giving of United Methodists to the One Great Hour of Sharing supplements the cost of Advance gifts. Give through a local United Methodist church or send financial contributions to: UMCOR, 475 Riverside Dr., Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Call 1-800-554-8583 to make a credit card donation.

Photo: A family who has found a home in a housing project for low-income families in Amara, Iraq. Fears have been expressed that the long-term cost of war will be extremely serious for the Iraqi people, as decades of war, international sanctions and the actions of its regime have crippled the country's infrastructure, leaving people extremely vulnerable. Of serious concern as well is the fact that the immediate human costs of military action are likely to include civilian casualties, possible displacement of people and the breakdown of state functions. Credit: David P. Young(PCUSA)/ACT International

Onsite and Partner News

• Iraq: Dream of a Safe Future: UMCOR Church Bulletin Insert, February 2005.
• UMCOR Hotline, February 1, 2005.
• Iraq: Where Hopes and Fears Meet, ACT, December 17, 2004.
• UMCOR and Dilemmas in Aid by Guy Hovey, New World Outlook, November-December 2004.
• In Face of Violence, UMCOR Partner IOCC Continues Work in Iraq, ENI, September 14, 2004.
• UMCOR Hotline, August 10, 2004.
• UMCOR Hotline, August 3, 2004.
• Religious Leaders Condemn Iraq Church Bombings, UMNS, August 3, 2004.
• UMCOR Hotline, July 13, 2004.
• United Methodist Mission Leaders Voice Concerns over Power Transfer in Iraq, GBGM, June 29, 2004.
• UMCOR Hotline, April 13, 2004.
• Relief Agency Provides Water to Baghdad Slum, UMNS, February 10, 2004.
• "All Our Children" Launches Theater Project in Baghdad, December 17, 2003.
• Iraq: A Place of Fear, but also of Hope, ACT, October 30, 2003.
• ACT International Providing Assistance to Iraqi children, Displaced Persons, ACT, August 18, 2003.
• Church World Service Sends $1.2 Million in Supplies to Iraq, UMNS, July 2, 2003.
• "Whoever Brought the Medicine, Saved My Life ...", Guy Hovey, UMCOR-ACT, May 13, 2003.
• UMCOR's Partner MECC Delivers Relief Items to Iraq, Guy Hovey, UMCOR-ACT, May 6, 2003.
• Aid that Escaped the Looting Helps People Who Didn't, ACT, April 30, 2003.
• In Once Forbidden Places, Find Women and Children Still at War, ACT, April 30, 2003.
• Water Shortages Continue in Basra, ACT, April 29, 2003.
• UMCOR Plans for Iraq Relief Assistance, UMNS, April 9, 2003.
• Relief Items Arrive Safely in Iraq, UMCOR, April 9, 2003.
• Refuge for Third Country Nationals Fleeing War in Iraq, ACT, April 1, 2003.
• Shipment of Soap for Pediatric Hospitals Arrives in Baghdad, CWS, April 1, 2003.
• UMCOR Hotline, March 28, 2003.
• Report from Baghdad: Iraqi Churches Continue Relief Work Despite War, ACT, March 27, 2003.
• Iraq Crisis: City Will Collapse in Days Without Water, Christian Aid, March 27, 2003.
• Letter on War Against Iraq and MECC Humanitarian Services, MECC, March 26, 2003.
• Church Building in Baghdad Suffers Damage from Bombing, ACT, March 23, 2003.
• International Ecumenical Alliance Assists Iraqi People, ACT, March 22, 2003.
• Communiqué from Heads of Middle East Churches on Start of War in Iraq, MECC, March 21, 2003.
• Letter From UMCOR About Iraq by Paul Dirdak.
• UMCOR Hotline, March 20, 2003: Special Edition: Iraq Emergency.
• As war begins, CWS accelerates longstanding relief to Iraqis, CWS, March 19, 2003.
• Church Leaders United Against War in Iraq: War Would Have Unacceptable Humanitarian Consequences, ACT, February 5, 2003.

Ongoing News: Church Sources

• GBGM News About Iraq.
• Action by Churches Together International (ACT).
• Conflict with Iraq, United Methodist News Service.
• Iraq Humanitarian Crisis Emergency Appeal: All Our Children, Church World Service.
• Middle East Council of Churches News.

United Methodist Statements and Resolutions

• Statement on the Start of War with Iraq by R. Randy Day, March 20, 2003.
• General Board of Global Ministries' Executives Respond to State of the Union Speech: A call for prayer and advocacy for peace and justice in Iraq, GBGM, January 30, 2003.
• Resolution on Iraq, General Board of Global Ministries, October 21-24, 2002.

Offsite News

• Remains of Toxic Bullets Litter Iraq, Christian Science Monitor, May 15, 2003.
• Iraq's female health crisis, BBC News, March 29, 2003.
• 2 Christian Groups' Aid Effort Questioned, Washington Post, March 28, 2003.
• Humanitarian aid to Iraq proves one of war's biggest obstacles, Christian Science Monitor, March 28, 2003.
• How Aid Agencies Are Gearing Up, BBC News, March 27, 2003.
• Statement by the Secretary-General on Iraq, United Nations, March 20, 2003.

Ongoing News

• Iraq: AlertNet
  AlertNet provides global news related international disaster relief, including news about UMCOR. It is funded and run by Reuters Foundation, an educational and humanitarian trust.
• Iraq: Relief Web
  ReliefWeb is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). When a disaster strikes, it features news from UMCOR and other relief agencies.
• Iraq: UNICEF.
• Iraq: Yahoo Full Coverage.

Maps and Facts

• Iraq: GBGM Country Profile.
• Iraq: AlertNet Country Profile.
• Map of Baghdad Showing 8 MECC Relief Centers.
• Timeline: The Road to Iraq, Christian Science Monitor.

Worship and Spiritual Resources

• Iraq: Dream of a Safe Future: UMCOR Church Bulletin Insert, February 2005.
• God, Whose Love Is Always Stronger by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette
  A prayer-hymn for this time of war and anxiety.
• Prayers for Peace
  Write and share your prayers for peace online as part of the "Christian Women Pray for Peace from Advent to Easter" campaign.
• Prayers for Peace
  During this time of uncertainty, the people of The United Methodist Church invite you to write your own prayer for peace and share it with the world.
• Resources in a Time of War or Other National Crisis, General Board of Discipleship, The United Methodist Church.