Disciples Support Healing Efforts at Virginia Tech

Thursday, May 3, A.D. 2007

Students, faculty and staff at Virginia Tech continue to struggle to make sense of the horrific events visited upon their campus on Monday, April 16, when a lone gunman killed 32 people, then took his own life. On behalf of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Week of Compassion has made solidarity grants to two specials funds – the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund and the United in Caring Fund for the Victims of the Virginia Tech Tragedy. The funds are working together to provide grief counseling, mental health services, funeral expenses, transportation for family members and other related expenses. WOC is grateful to the Reverend Gina Rhea, pastor of First Christian Church, Radford, VA, for keeping us abreast of developments at VT, and to the Reverend Jonathan Webster, pastor of Snowville Christian Church, Hiwassee, VA, and Chaplain of Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, for his care of injured students and their families.

WOC Responds to Record Cyclone Season in Madagascar

Since Christmas Day 2006, six cyclones have hit the impoverished African island nation of Madagascar. Heavy rains and floods from the storms have affected 89% of the country’s housing units and destroyed thousands of acres of cropland, including 70-80% of the important rice harvest. As a result, a severe food crisis now seems imminent.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Madagascar (FJKM), long time Action by Churches Together local partner, has targeted 3,750 of the most vulnerable families (10,000 persons). FJKM services include basic food relief through a Food for Work program, provision of seeds and tools to restore agricultural activities, medicines, water purification and materials for temporary shelter.

In response to an appeal to ACT alliance members, Week of Compassion has provided an emergency grant from the Compassion Response Fund.

Disciples Pass Halfway Point

Has your congregation been thinking about a hurricane recovery work trip to the Gulf South? Or, if you’ve already gone, perhaps you are thinking about another one. 385 groups have already participated, or are scheduled to participate, since Week of Compassion and Disciples Home Missions launched the Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative September 1, 2006. An important part of the initiative includes sending 750 work groups to hurricane-stricken communities along the Gulf of Mexico – from Florida to Texas – by August 31, 2008. We’re now over halfway there!

Next month, Southwest Good Samaritan Ministries in Los Fresnos, TX, will become the newest Disciples Mission Station, as it begins the Los Casitas project to build simple, secure houses for impoverished Mexican families who lost their homes during Hurricane Emily. Open dates for volunteers are now available. Also, the Office of Disciples Volunteering continues to schedule groups for work in our other mission stations in Gulfport, MS; Slidell/Covington, LA; Westside, New Orleans; Lake Charles, LA; and Beaumont/Port Arthur, TX. Groups are especially needed for the upcoming fall and winter as well as the summer of 2008. Contact Tod Iseminger at tiseminger@dhm.disciples.org for details. A limited number of WOC work trip grants are available for Disciples work groups. Click here to download an application.

WOC Map/Poster

Click here for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the WOC map/poster for your congregation, call the office at 317.713.2442 or send an e-mail to ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.