Disciples Approach Halfway Point of Recovery Initiative

Friday, July 27, A.D. 2007

In just a little over a month, Disciples will arrive at the halfway point of the two-year Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative – a joint effort of Week of Compassion, the Office of Disciples Volunteering in Disciples Home Missions and the Great River and Southwest Regions. A major part of this effort to help in hurricane recovery is to send 750 Disciples work groups to the Gulf Coast. As we approach the halfway point, 459 groups have gone and/or are signed up to go. Below is one of numerous emails we’ve received from returning groups – this one from D’Arcy Blosser of First Christian Church, Lincoln, NE. Won’t you come be a part of the next 300 groups we need? For details visit the WOC website. A limited of work trip grants are available.

Our church's mission team just returned home this afternoon from hurricane relief work at Port Arthur, TX. What a wonderful experience we had!! We worked all week continuing the repair work on an 83-year-old woman's home. Our small team of four (including one youth) joined with two folks from First Christian Church, Quincy, IL, to put in a mighty effort. We left our new friend's home much closer to completion and pray that the next group that comes can get things finished up for her. She has lived nearly two years in a storm-damaged home! Can you imagine living in such a mess for such a long time?? We could not!! It made us very grateful for what we have, and even more grateful that we could be part of an effort to return her life to normalcy.

We worked with SETIO - Southeast Texas Interfaith Organization. They have nearly 1,400 homes still on the list to be fixed. They need many more volunteer groups to even begin to put a dent in the need. And this is just the Beaumont/Port Arthur area. We are proud to be part of the Disciple Initiative to help in hurricane recovery, and we are already talking about the possibility of going again in the next six to nine months. The blessings we received this week far outweigh the aches and pains of tired muscles and the sweaty dirty clothes and bodies!

Peace!
D'Arcy

Appeal Issued for Growing Iraqi Refugee Crisis

Earlier today Action by Churches Together issued a major appeal to its member organizations to assist Iraqi refugees who are fleeing the violence in Iraq at the rate of some 2000 people a day. Indeed, one of the under-reported stories of the Iraq war is the growing humanitarian crisis of more than 4 million people who have been displaced, including more than 2.2 million who have fled to neighboring Jordan and Syria.

ACT members International Orthodox Christian Charities, Norwegian Church Aid, and long-time Disciples and Church World Service partner, the Middle East Council of Churches, are coordinating their efforts to assist thousands of displaced Iraqis in Jordan and Syria and within Iraq with emergency relief aid that includes food parcels, hygiene kits, medicines, shelter, water and psycho-social care.

Week of Compassion is responding with an immediate grant of $6000 from the Compassion Response Fund. Many Disciples from across the whole church have been asking how they can help. Designated gifts to the Response Fund would be a great help and can be sent to WOC, P.O. Box 1986, Indpls, IN, or made online. WOC will continue to post updates and personal stories as the appeal is implemented.