Disciples Hurricane Response Moves Ahead

Thursday, January 11, A.D. 2007

As we move into the 5th month of the Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative (DHRI: Sept 1, 2006 - Aug 30, 2008), more than 200 work groups have gone or have registered to go to the Gulf South for hurricane recovery work through the Office of Disciples Volunteering. Groups have been repairing and building homes in five Disciples Mission Stations, with Habitat for Humanity, and through several local long-term interfaith recovery organizations. A significant part of the Initiative is to coordinate at least 750 Disciples-related work groups during the two-year period in response to the devastation from the '04 and '05 hurricane seasons. [If your church has sponsored a hurricane recovery-related work trip and isn't sure it is included, contact Anne Marie Moyars (amoyars@dhm.disciples.org) or Tod Iseminger (tiseminger@dhm.disciples.org). We don't want to miss any group!]

While the needs across the Gulf South remain enormous and entire communities remain devastated, church related recovery efforts continue to receive high marks, especially from local citizens. Week of Compassion remains committed to providing resources to our Mission Stations, local Disciples Habitat projects, numerous community interfaith recovery partners and other church related efforts. In the first four months of the DHRI, WOC provided more than $455,000 for hurricane recovery work, bringing WOCís total response to the two worst hurricane years in U.S. meteorological history to more than 2.4 million dollars.

WOC has a limited number of grants available for hurricane related work trips. Applications are available on the WOC website (www.weekofcompassion.org). To schedule a work trip or for more information on work opportunities in the Gulf South, please contact Anne Marie or Tod at the above email addresses.



Disciples Support Darfur Relief Efforts

In response to the ongoing suffering and violence in the Darfur region of Sudan (and because of the continuing concern and generosity of Disciples across the whole church) the Week of Compassion Committee approved an end of the year "over and above" grant of $25,000 to support the work of partners in the Darfur Emergency Response Operation (DERO) of Action by Churches Together. ACT partners, under conditions difficult for most North Americans to imagine, are providing medical assistance, water and sanitation, supplementary feeding, psychosocial care and other basic humanitarian aid to more than 500,000 people who have been displaced by the violence in Darfur. WOC continues to post updates and personal stories on our website. For the latest, click here.

In a response to a similar crisis, WOC is sending a $6000 emergency grant to support church related relief and reconciliation in northern Uganda. Peace talks are continuing between warring factions and time is of the essence to capitalize on the fragile security Uganda has not seen in years. Church World Service partner and Action by Churches Together member, the Church of Uganda, is providing food aid, agricultural inputs, water and sanitation, medical assistance, psychosocial care, basic skills training and other humanitarian aid to some 8,000 of the most vulnerable households (about 48,000 people).



WOC Responds to Ice Storms

Communities throughout Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado continue to reel from the end of the year ice storms that swept across the west, closing airports, knocking down thousands of miles of power lines and causing other significant destruction and interruptions to life. Especially hard hit have been farmers who are scrambling to get feed to their stranded livestock. Week of Compassion is providing an emergency grant to the Christian Church in Nebraska to support the needs in local Disciples congregations as well as statewide ecumenical relief efforts. Click here for a related story about one involved Disciples pastor in Nebraska.



Map for Congregations

Click here for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the WOC map/poster for your congregation, contact Elaine Cleveland at 317.713.2442 or ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.