Updates

Fires in Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas Update, and Celebrating at General Assembly

Week of Compassion — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 15:44:08 +0000

Wildfires in Colorado

Week of Compassion is continuing to monitor the wildfires that are raging in Colorado. About 9,000 people in more than 3,400 households covering a 55 square mile area have been evacuated. We are in touch with the Regional Office and with pastors in the affected areas, and will respond as needs emerge. We urge you to keep the communities impacted by the fire in your prayers. As the fires subside and more information emerges about needs, we will respond, as needed.

Responding in Oklahoma and Texas

Over the last two weeks, Week of Compassion and Disciples Volunteering staff members have made pastoral visits to communities impacted by several headline-making disasters: the greater Oklahoma City area, struck by a series of tornados in May; West, Texas, site of a chemical explosion; and the towns of Cleburne and Granbury, impacted by tornados, as well. We were able to meet with local pastors, tour impacted areas, and discuss opportunities for collaboration with our partners in the United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministry. In some communities, we were able to make contact with local long-term recovery committees, representatives of FEMA, and other agencies and organizations involved in long-term recovery.

While recovery is not an overnight process, it was heartening to see how quickly churches and communities were organizing around the long-term recovery process. Week of Compassion and Disciples Volunteering are continuing to strategize around the needs of these communities and will continue to keep you informed as to how we are working to partner with you to put our Compassion into Action.

Sharing Brings Joy! Week of Compassion Worship Celebration at General Assembly

Week of Compassion would like to invite you to a special Sunday morning worship service at Pershing Avenue Christian Church in Orlando, Florida. We will celebrate the ways your gifts enable Week of Compassion to support partners from all over the world to live into Christ's compassion for the vulnerable, the hurting, and the otherwise forgotten.

Our friends at Green Chalice and Equal Exchange are also partnering with us to host a Fair Trade Coffee Hour with delicious fair trade coffee and tea from our very own Disciples Coffee Project. Worship begins at 8:30 am on July 14th. Pershing Avenue Christian Church is located on 2000 Pershing Ave in Orlando. Shuttle buses will provide transportation between the church and the convention center. More details are available here.

This event is free but tickets are required. Tickets are available through online registration. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office, weekofcompassion@woc.disciples.org or (317) 713-2442. We look forward to meeting you in Orlando, where we will worship, celebrate, and share joy together!

Thanks be to God, the one who gives birth to hope and who brings healing to the hurting!

This Week's Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:
Missouri, Tornado Relief (2)
Oklahoma, Tornado Relief (29)

Partnering in Oklahoma

Week of Compassion — Thu, 30 May 2013 17:54:28 +0000

Photo Credit: Brandon Gilvin

The dust is still settling in Oklahoma. Massive tornados struck several communities, large and small, on May 19th and 20th, and the damage has been devastating. Communities like Shawnee, Carney, New Castle, Little Axe, and Moore have been featured in national news segments, and stories of resilience and survival continue to resonate throughout the world.

Through your partnership with Week of Compassion, you have been there. Your generosity has already provided support to families who have been displaced, provided clean-up and other supplies to folks whose neighborhoods have been destroyed, and is bolstering the formation of long term recovery groups across the area.

This week, staff from Week of Compassion joined Disciples Volunteering, the Disaster Ministry of the United Church of Christ, General Minister and President Sharon Watkins, Transitional Regional Minister Dean Phelps, and UCC Conference Minister Edith Guffey in Oklahoma City. Together we have been on the ground checking in with those affected, identifying potential partners and resources, and imagining along with the community what recovery and a post-tornado "new normal" might look like.

Along with touring the damage, the delegation was able to meet with a group of 65 pastors and church leaders from Oklahoma Disciples churches, a group of interfaith leaders convened by local UCC pastors, representatives from FEMA, and visit with the pastoral staff of First Christian Church, Moore, which--though not damaged by the storm--has been at the forefront of caring for the community, providing care and resources to those affected.

According to many reports, the storm impacted just under 4,000 homes, businesses and non-residential buildings in Cleveland, Lincoln, McClain, Oklahoma and Pottawatomie counties. Of those, 1,248 were destroyed, 452 sustained major damage, and 640 sustained minor damage. Communities from across the socioeconomic spectrum were impacted in many ways, and will need ongoing support in terms of long term recovery.

As Josh Baird, director of Disciples Volunteering, noted, "From the stories that were shared and the things that we witnessed, it is clear that folks do not need bottled water (cases are dropped on the sidewalk for passersby on nearly every block in some communities), nor are they ready for 'spontaneous volunteers' (one affected community of 650 people had 1,000 folks show up to help last Sunday alone). They do need prayers, financial gifts, and patient partnering as they look toward a recovery that will last several years."

Photo Credit: Brandon Gilvin

Conversation after conversation was marked by an infectious hope. "Just you watch," one pastor reflected. "We're going to recover."

It will take prayers, resources, coordination, the work of many volunteers, and right now, patience and time for these communities to recover. With the support of so many who want to put their Compassion into Action, we will be able to do more than just watch. We will be able to bring healing and hope over the long haul.

--Brandon

This Week's Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:
Oklahoma, Tornado Damage (2)
Development and Long-Term Recovery and Rehabilitation:
Palestine, Peacebuilding

Responding in Oklahoma and Relief and Recovery Webinar

Week of Compassion — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:22:45 +0000

The Response Continues in Oklahoma

Photo Credit: FEMA/Andrea Booher

Thanks to your gifts and generosity, Week of Compassion immediately responded to the tornadoes that struck the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on Sunday and Monday. We are in regular contact with the Oklahoma Regional Office and are working with Disciples Volunteering to assess needs affecting Disciples and the wider community. Initial solidarity grants supporting Disciples who have lost their homes or sustained significant damage have been delivered as a sign of care on behalf of the entire church. We are also supporting Church World Service's emergency response efforts to deliver material resources and the develop Long Term Recovery Teams.

Currently, only first-responders are permitted to enter affected areas. We encourage you to pray, pay, and stay: pray for those affected, contribute to immediate needs by reaching out through Week of Compassion, and stay where you are. The time for volunteers will come, but it is not today! In our deep desire to help and reach out to those in such great need, we strive always to help in ways that are most supportive, effective, and efficient.

We cannot thank you enough for your faithful stewardship, gifts, trust, and partnership. For the most up-to-date information about our response, please continue to check in on our website and via Facebook and Twitter.

Webinar on Disaster Relief and Recovery

In the wake of the Oklahoma Tornados, plenty of questions have emerged concerning how communities affected by disaster respond and recover. On Tuesday, June 4, at 2 pm EST, Church World Service (CWS) Emergency Response Specialists will present key organizations and people that play a significant role from preparedness to long-term recovery. This webinar will also be a great way for participants to network, learn, and share their own experience and expertise. Register by clicking here.

This Week’s Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:
Oklahoma, Tornado Damage (16)
North America, 2013 Tornadoes
Development and Long Term Recovery and Rehabilitation:
West Africa, Food Security
New York, Poverty Reduction
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Women’s Income Generation Project
Bolivia, Empowering Guarani Youth
Georgia, Vocational and Educational Opportunities for Youth
Uganda, Karamoja Education and Youth Empowerment
Serbia, Roma Women’s Empowerment
Georgia, Children and Youth Development
Kenya, School Safe Zone
Vietnam, Cleaner Villages
Ghana, Environmental Climate Change
Swaziland, Food Security
Ghana, Domestic and Gender Based Violence
South Africa, Girl's Empowerment
Ecuador, Community Development
Sierra Leone, Enhancing Welfare for Children
Middle East, Muslim/Christian Dialogue
Laos, Community Development
Tanzania, Combatting Burkitts Lymphoma

Responding to Tornados in Oklahoma

Week of Compassion — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:37:32 +0000

Week of Compassion is responding to the tornados that struck the Oklahoma City metropolitan area on Sunday and Monday. Our staff has been in touch with the Oklahoma Regional Office, and is currently working with them to assess needs affecting Disciples, and will-as always-work with our churches and Disciples Volunteering to discern the best way to contribute to the long-term recovery of affected communities across Oklahoma City and beyond.

At this point, only skilled first-responders are permitted to enter affected areas. If you would like to help out, the best thing you can do is to Pray, Pay, and Stay: pray for those affected, contribute to immediate needs by reaching out through Week of Compassion, and stay where you are. The time for volunteers will come, but it is not today!

We continue to keep Moore and all areas affected by disasters in our prayers. Thank you for all of the ways you partner with us and support those in need.

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This Week's Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:

Texas, Tornado Damage (2)

Supporting Partners As Tornado Strikes North Texas

Week of Compassion — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:15:14 +0000

Volunteers work tirelessly in the shelter at First Christian Church, Granbury, Texas. Photo Credit: Don TatlockAccording to reports, at least 10 tornadoes touched down in North Texas overnight. In the wake of these storms, more than a hundred people have been injured, and at least six people have been killed. Several homes have been leveled in the communities of Granbury and Cleburne, and others have sustained significant damage.

Week of Compassion has been in touch with congregations providing important, compassionate leadership in the midst of this disaster. First Christian Church in Granbury is working with the Red Cross to provide shelter for those displaced by last night's storm, and First Christian Church in Cleburne is also providing support to folks displaced by the storm in their community. We are working with the pastoral leadership of congregations, as well as the area and regional ministers, to coordinate support for those affected by the storm.

We will continue to monitor the situation and coordinate our response through the region and our faithful partners at CWS. Please keep the communities affected in your prayers, and if you would like to respond with Courageous Compassion, please follow this link .

We give thanks for all of those faithful ways you provide support and relief through partnership. Your generosity brings hope--even in the midst of frightening, overwhelming devastation.

This Week's Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:
Jordan, Syrian Refugees
Ohio, Emergency Refugee Assistance
Texas, Tornado Damage (11)

Cleanup Buckets, Opportunities in Joplin, and General Assembly

Week of Compassion — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:24:12 +0000

CWS APPEALS URGENTLY FOR EMERGENCY CLEANUP BUCKETS

As the 2,500th CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket arrived on May 7 in flood-ravaged Illinois, Week of Compassion joins our partner CWS in appealing urgently for people to replenish its rapidly dwindling supply.

Heavy precipitation from early 2013 storms and floods has resulted in widespread and severe flooding in Illinois and other states.

“The CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are giving hope and help to survivors,” said Barry Shade, CWS associate director for U.S. disaster response. “With needs assessment ongoing, CWS expects to respond to additional requests from Illinois and other states for buckets. When we do, we hope to be able to respond without delay.”

Only about 2,600 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets remain in the agency’s warehouse in New Windsor, Md., Shade said.

Church World Service, a global humanitarian agency and sponsor of CROP Hunger Walks, emphasizes the importance of faith community involvement in long-term recovery from disaster. Week of Compassion’s partnership helps supply thousands of CWS Blankets, CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets and other CWS Kits for shipment to disaster survivors every year.

In addition, we work together to help flood survivors access the material, emotional, spiritual and human resources they need to get back on their feet and go on with their lives by helping communities to start their own long-term recovery groups.

Putting together a CWS Emergency Cleanup Bucket is easy! It’s a great project for a youth group or anyone looking for a hands-on activity that makes a real difference. Instructions are available here.

Help Rebuild Joplin at “The Station”!

Disciples Volunteering, Week of Compassion, and the Disaster Ministry of the United Church of Christ invite you to spend a week this autumn at the mission station at South Joplin Christian Church and contribute to the ongoing post-tornado recovery of Joplin, MO. Our partners on the ground have reported that there is a critical need for volunteers from August-November. This is a great time to take a mission trip, whether it’s your church’s first or fortieth. For more information, including registration, follow this link.

Don’t Forget! Week of Compassion Worship Celebration at General Assembly

Week of Compassion would like to invite you to a special Sunday morning worship service at Pershing Avenue Christian Church in Orlando, Florida. We will celebrate the ways your gifts enable Week of Compassion to support partners from all over the world to live into Christ’s compassion for the vulnerable, the hurting, and the otherwise forgotten.

We look forward to meeting you in Orlando, where we will worship, celebrate, and share joy together!

A Simple Prayer

From flooding in Illinois and Indiana to ongoing violence in Syria, people all over the world are facing significant uncertainty, overwhelming destruction, and are longing for a sense of hope.

For all those who suffer; those who feel so intimately what it is like to live in world filled with as much devastation as it is grace, we pray. For those who put their compassion into action so that those who suffer might feel solidarity, hope, and peace, we give thanks.

To partner with Week of Compassion and put your compassion into action, click here.

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This Week’s Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:

Pakistan, Displacement

NAPAD, Emergency Request

Indiana, Flood Assistance (2)

Week of Compassion and the Week That Was

Week of Compassion — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:23:45 +0000

Last week’s news was filled with reports of disasters. From flooding across a couple of Midwestern states to explosions in Texas and Boston to Friday’s report of a devastating earthquake in China, it seemed like one couldn’t turn on the news without another report of tragedy.

As always, the faithful support of congregations and individuals across North America and the faithful partnership of our partners both here and around the globe have allowed Week of Compassion to respond.

Week of Compassion has been in touch with the Northeast Region and several ecumenical partners to see if there are needs emerging as a result of the Boston Marathon explosion. Likewise, we are currently working with the Southwest Region and Central Christian Church, Waco, Texas, to respond to needs emerging from last week’s explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. In addition, we will continue to monitor the situation so that we might support long-term recovery efforts in West.

We have also responded to churches and church members affected by flood damage in Indiana and Illinois, and through our partners in Global Ministries, to needs emerging from a devastating earthquake, measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale, that rattled the Sichuan region in western China on Friday.

If you would like to help bring comfort to communities facing tragedy, be part of relief efforts all over the world, and join our movement of Courageous Compassion, click here.

Thank you for all the ways you have expressed concern over the past week. Your care, hope, and commitment inspire and effect change all over the world.

This Week’s Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:

Illinois-Wisconsin, Flood Response (12)

Southwest Region, Relief Efforts in West, Texas

China, Earthquake Relief

Indiana, Flood Damage (2)

Sharing Brings Joy! A Worship Celebration with Week of Compassion

Week of Compassion — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:58:04 +0000

Will you be in Orlando for the Disciples General Assembly? We’d love to see you!

Week of Compassion would like to invite you to a special Sunday morning worship service at Pershing Avenue Christian Church in Orlando, Florida. We will celebrate the ways your gifts enable Week of Compassion to support partners from all over the world to live into Christ’s compassion for the vulnerable, the hurting, and the otherwise forgotten.

Worship will include stories shared from across the globe by people whose lives were changed by Week of Compassion partnerships with Global Ministries, Foods Resource Bank, IMA World Health, and Prosperity Candle-just to name a few. You’ll hear how the ministry of Week of Compassion has impacted lives from Immokalee, FL to Joplin, Missouri and beyond. Our friends at Green Chalice and Equal Exchange are also partnering with us to host a Fair Trade Coffee Hour with delicious fair trade coffee and tea from our very own Disciples Coffee Project.

Leslie Lee and Steve Gretz, the dynamic musical duo who wrote “One Great Hour to Share,” a song featured during this year’s Week of Compassion special offering season, will be offering music both before the service and during the worship celebration. For more information about Leslie and Steve, you can visit their website.

Worship begins at 8:30 am on July 14^th. Pershing Avenue Christian Church is located on 2000 Pershing Ave in Orlando. Shuttle buses will provide transportation between the church and the convention center. The service is early Sunday morning so that those who want to attend “Sunday School” or other events at the convention center will have plenty of time to do so.

We look forward to meeting you in Orlando, where we will worship, celebrate, and share joy together!

This Week’s Responses:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:

Madagascar, Tropical Cyclone “Haruna” Relief

Ghana, Severe Rain Storm Relief

Haiti, Villier Family Emergency

Thailand, Thai-Burma Border Refugee Camp Fire

Palestine, Palestinian Refugee Relief

Compassion in Action Fund: 1st Quarter Report 2013

Week of Compassion — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:48:37 +0000

Compassion in Action. To describe not only what Week of Compassion does but also who we are in one phrase, it would be that: Compassion in Action. For 69 years we’ve demonstrated compassion’s power, and we’ve challenged and enabled the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) to respond compassionately to human need and suffering. The “Compassion in Action Fund” is an allocation the Week of Compassion Advisory Committee makes each year to enable WoC to respond quickly to requests for emergencies and disasters as well as longer-term sustainable development needs. For 2013 the WoC Committee has allocated $750,000 for the Compassion in Action Fund; it is the single largest item in the WoC program budget. In addition to what is budgeted for the Compassion in Action Fund, WoC receives designated gifts for the Fund and for specific disasters, countries and situations that further enhance our capacity to respond immediately and efficiently to emergency needs and appeals.

Below is a brief report of grants made from the Compassion in Action Fund and other designated disaster response accounts through March 31, 2013. Contributions for the Fund are needed and always welcomed and will be used for humanitarian needs in the world. For as many needs as there are in the world, there are that many ways to respond to those needs. Thanks for putting your compassion into action.

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance

New York, Hurricane Recovery
Oklahoma, House Fire
Missouri, Long-term Flood Recovery
Texas, Emergency Assistance for Refugee Family
Serbia, Improving Access to Safe Drinking Water
Malawi, Flooding and Windstorms Assistance
Solomon Islands, Earthquake and Tsunami Assistance
Syria, Humanitarian Crisis
Somalia, Humanitarian Support for Somali Refugees
Sudan, Darfur, Humanitarian Assistance
Democratic Republic of Congo, Assistance to Internally Displaced People
California, Church Vandalism
Mississippi, Tornado Relief
Mozambique, Flooding
Sri Lanka, Flooding
Missouri, Kansas City Gas Explosion
Mozambique, Flooding
Indiana, House Fire
Alabama, Storm Damage
Mali, Conflict Affected
Armenia, Syrian Refugees
United States, Early 2013 Storms, Floods and Tornadoes
Taiwan, Earthquake Relief Work
Kentucky, Church Fire

Development and Long-Term Recovery and Rehabilitation

Syria, Refugee Assistance
Texas, Support of Long-Term Recovery Work for Hurricane Sandy Relief
Hurricane Isaac and US Summer Storms 2012 Assistance
Florida, Support of the Coalition of Immokalee Farmworkers
Lafayette, Indiana Growing Project, Foods Resource Bank
Balkans, Peacebuilding and Development
Chad, Sustainable Recovery
Mississippi, Solidarity Grant
Haiti, Trauma Recovery
Haiti, Recovery and Long-Term Development
Haiti, CONASPEH Projects
Indiana, Greater Indianapolis Disciples Area Association Habitat Team

Beautiful Feet: A Maundy Thursday Update

Week of Compassion — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:23:01 +0000

By: Rev. Amy Gopp
Based on John 13

“It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” (John 13:1)

Feet. Jesus took off his outer robe, tied a towel around his waist, poured water into a bowl and started to wash his friends’ and followers’ feet. Their feet, of all things! Couldn’t he have been content with the hands? Of all parts of the glorious human body that God has created, the feet are often among the least attractive. In fact, they often smell. They are more likely to have blisters and warts and corns and layers of dead skin. They collect toe jam. They’re susceptible to in-grown toenails and infections and athlete’s foot. They can be just downright embarrassing.

Felix's Feet, El Gran Chaco, Argentina. Photo Credit: Amy Gopp

Through the ministry of Week of Compassion, I’ve seen feet with blisters so bad those forced to flee could no longer walk. I’ve seen the feet of children in our streets and slums who live in such poverty that a pair of shoes remains a distant dream. I’ve seen feet calloused from walking so many kilometers each day to fetch water that they’re barely able to sustain the women who need them to get through yet another hungry, thirsty day. I’ve seen victims of war without feet because they were blown off by stepping on a landmine that we laid in our once arable fields. I’ve seen feet that are so pampered and painted that you’d get the impression they’ve never seen a day of working or walking in their lives. I’ve seen my share of feet. I know you have, too. And no matter how they look, we rely on them. We take their functionality for granted. They are, quite literally, the parts which allow us to move through this world.

Have you looked at your own in a while? I mean, really inspected your feet? Would you reveal them to just anyone? The act of washing another’s feet is extremely personal. It’s about trust. Vulnerability. Allowing someone else to touch the ugliest, dirtiest, and most sensitive parts of our body is not easy. It’s an overwhelming act of surrender. For this reason, I believe, some of the most sensual and intimate acts in the Bible involve the feet. What more loving gesture could there be than to weep at the feet of one we love so much, wipe them dry with our hair, kiss them, and then pour perfume on them to anoint them? Think of it; what an act! To affirm that which is considered untouchable, disgusting, filthy, inappropriate as beautiful and worthy of tender loving care.

Jesus has modeled for us how to wash each other’s feet. Peter reminds us how to receive the tender loving care of having our own feet washed. Both are in vulnerable positions. Loving is about opening ourselves to that vulnerability, being real with one another, and serving one another. Through Week of Compassion, we are both giver and receiver. Both are vulnerable positions. We wash and we are washed. We not only give gifts, contribute offerings and our time and talent, we receive the gifts of hearts and minds transformed knowing that we are partners, co-creators, and conspirators in this amazing project of life, giving and receiving, interdependent parts of the same body. Washing one another’s feet, whether the person sitting next to you in the pews or the sister or brother half way around the world whose feet we wash symbolically through our Week of Compassion resources, has to be one of the most sincere, beautiful, and self-less acts of love. We love by serving. We serve because we love. Let us love the ugly, stinky, dirty, embarrassing parts of one another, for this is what it means to surrender to the compassionate and transcendent love of Christ and ultimately, discover beauty. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34)

Thank you for the ways your love is expressed through your gifts of compassion and service. May your Holy Week be Holy, indeed. Lenten blessings from Week of Compassion.

This Week’s Assistance:

Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance:

United States, Early 2013 Storms, Floods and Tornadoes
Taiwan, Earthquake Relief Work
Kentucky, Church Fire