STORIES
Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh // photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
Special Offering 2026 : A NEW WAY11/18/2025  When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door, and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-5)
Whether rebuilding after a flood, finding safety after conflict, or recovering from economic hardship, Week of Compassion is finding A NEW WAY – a way rooted in relationship, equity, and hope. Together, we are strengthening the church’s long-term capacity to respond and accompany, wherever people are displaced or in need.  In recent weeks, a series of catastrophic storms has devastated communities across the globe — from the Caribbean to the Pacific — testing residents’ resilience and faith, and the strength of our shared compassion.
Hurricane Melissa10/30/2025 Week of Compassion partners respond in the CaribbeanWeek of Compassion continues to monitor the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm—among the most powerful ever recorded in the Caribbean. After battering Jamaica and Haiti, the hurricane brought catastrophic winds, flooding, and storm surge to Cuba before moving north into the Atlantic.
an immersion in international disaster response For many years, Week of Compassion has partnered with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, serving the Filipino people especially through the Program Unit on Faith, Witness, and Service, and its Humanitarian Response Program. This summer, two Disciples seminarians deepened that partnership as part of Week of Compassion’s Disciples Seminarians Immersion Program in International Disaster Response. Katie Varon and Grace Dearhamer, both scholars at the Disciples Divinity House at the University of Chicago, had the opportunity to explore cultural difference, community resilience, and ecumenical partnership in unique and life-changing ways.
Generations of Partnership in Palestine10/7/2025 "history didn't start October 7, 2023"Every day, the news from the Middle East is more horrifying and heartbreaking. More than 67,000 Palestinians are confirmed dead in what international authorities and humanitarian leaders – and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) have termed a genocide. Attacks and bombings, as well as a growing refugee crisis, is affecting not only Gaza and the West Bank, but Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. In this moment of devastation, Week of Compassion is supporting trusted partners on the ground, ensuring that families in crisis receive care, dignity, and hope.
Dr. Peter Makari, Global Relations Minister for the Middle East and Europe with Global Ministries, recently returned from a visit to Lebanon and the partners meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC), a long-standing Disciples partner through Global Ministries and ACT Alliance. We are grateful for Peter’s work and witness, and for the partnership impact update he offered. From Helene to Hope9/30/2025 1 year past Hurricane Helene, shared values strengthen recovery At a national disaster recovery summit in February, CEO Stephan Kline spoke simply about NECHAMA’s mission. His words resonated with Rev. Caroline Hamilton-Arnold, Week of Compassion’s Associate Director for Domestic Disaster Response; she felt an immediate kinship with that clear and descriptive purpose and recognized her Disciples colleagues and ecumenical partners in it as well.
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