Week of Compassion - Gulf Oil Spill Resources

Gulf Oil Spill Resources

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has created an environmental disaster unlike anything we have seen. It has resulted in serious damage to wildlife, coastal areas, and it has disrupted fishing and tourism industries along the Gulf, putting many families at risk for serious economic hardship.

The needs are great, and they come with much uncertainty. How long will the oil continue to flow? How much damage will ultimately be done by the leak? What does a long term response look like?

Week of Compassion stands in solidarity with the people along the Gulf Coast. Below you will find a number of resources for your congregation, whether it is directly affected by the oil spill, or if you want to express your solidarity through worship.

Week of Compassion has already reached out to congregations in need of assistance. If you would like to give toward our Emergency Response fund, please follow the link to do so. With your partnership, we can reach out to those affected by this enormous environmental disaster with Courageous Compassion.

Pastoral Letter

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
let my cry come to you.
Do not hide your face from me
In the day of my distress.
Incline your ear to me;
Answer me speedily in the day when
I call.
--Psalm 102:1-2

Our Dear Friends and Partners in Ministry:

We write to you with hearts heavy with grief. Like most of the world, we have watched as the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf Coast has continued, seemingly unabated. We have watched as those we have entrusted to prevent such tragedies have puzzled over how this could have happened, and we have watched as attempt after attempt to stop the leak has failed.

We are angry, hurt, and disappointed. We are also well aware that your proximity to this disaster sharpens your emotions. Beaches marked by oil, wildlife sticky with oil, struggling economies—these are happening not just on your televisions, but in your communities, perhaps even in your backyards. We grieve with you, pray for you, and have hope for an end to the damage done by this spill and for the healing of the Gulf Coast.

We know, too, that the damage done by hurricanes in the recent past makes your hurt all the more palpable. We weep with you as we remember the recovery work that still needs to happen across the Gulf Coast from Texas to Florida, and we pray with you as we anticipate the current hurricane season.

Above all, we share with you a commitment to ministry in the midst of such uncertainty. Though our hearts are heavy with grief, they are full of faith as well. From the office of the General Minister and President to the seminary classrooms, God’s call to respond continues to resonate.

Those of us who serve as Regional and Area Ministers along the Gulf Coast are here to listen and to respond to pastoral needs as best we can, and we are committed to connecting you with the services you need.

Those of us at Week of Compassion stand ready to collaborate with our Regions and congregations to help provide relief to those affected by the spill—whether that means collaborating on recovery efforts with our ecumenical partners or providing resources to our congregations and church members for whom the economic fallout from this disaster is proving to be a disaster in itself.

Please let us know how we can be of assistance. All of us make up the Church—the very Body of Christ, and as we know from that oft-repeated letter of Paul, whenever one member suffers, the rest of us suffer as well.

We send to you our tender love, our fledgling hope, and prayers that the one who calls us to be signs of grace in a harsh but holy world might continue to push us toward wholeness and healing.

In Christ’s Peace,

Dr. Beth Dobyns
Transitional Area Minister, SW Coastal Plains Area

Rev. Allen C. Allen
Transitional Area Minister, SW Bluebonnet Area

Rev. Barbara E. Jones
Executive Regional Minister, Great River Region

Rev. Michael Elmore
Regional Pastor, District 1, Great River Region

Rev. Ron Degges
President, Disciples Home Missions

Rev. Carl Zerweck
Disciples Volunteering

Dr. Sharon Watkins
General Minister and President

Rev. Amy Gopp
Executive Director, Week of Compassion

Rev. John Mobley
Regional Minister, Alabama and Northwest Florida

Rev. Rebecca Hale
Transitional Regional Minister, Florida

Rev. John Richardson
Regional Minister, North Carolina