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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
Dear Friends, When people hear “Week of Compassion,” many immediately think of the phrase “around the world, around the year.” As you know, Week of Compassion is more than a week. As the relief, refugee, and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Week of Compassion works with partners to alleviate suffering throughout the world. Any time we respond to disaster, welcome a refugee, or empower a community to provide for its needs, we fulfill our mission--which is a mission of the wider church. This is an exciting time for the Church, and for Week of Compassion. 75 years ago, the Church first took up a compassion offering to help rebuild Europe from the devastation of World War II, and our church came together to respond to the needs of the world in ways that it had not done before. That means that this year, we celebrate 75 years of Disciples’ presence and compassionate response around the globe. Just as our church was called to respond to great human need 75 years ago, so we are called today. As natural disasters occur with increasing frequency and severity-- and with more refugees and displaced people in the world than at any other time in history-- our work is needed now more than ever. Building on a long history of service, Week of Compassion is positioned to face the unique challenges of our time. Today is World Refugee Day: an opportunity for the global community to recognize the strength and resilience of displaced people, and to celebrate the human capacity to claim new life. In that spirit, we launch our new logo today-- a new look to represent the rich history of our tremendous impact, and also our hope for the future. The new logo incorporates the Chalice as part of the word “compassion.” When I travel around the world and visit communities where people have received our support, I hear gratitude for our work. I often see our logo etched into the water well, or on the wall of a school for young children, and in other places where our support has made a difference. I want those communities to connect Week of Compassion with the Chalice; and to the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) it represents. As we look ahead to a new season of serving and connecting, we also launch a new website this week. Its primary purpose is to share stories of our presence around the world, and engage congregations in the work that we do together. The new layout allows for better navigation, easier online giving, and more opportunities to engage. We hope that you will take some time to explore the new site and learn more about how you and your congregation can take part in this vital ministry. Even as the “new look” celebrates our long history and celebrates a spirit of looking ahead, our mission, vision and core values remain the same. Building on the story of our past uniquely positions us to meet the challenges of the future. We are energized for the work ahead, and excited to be a part of what God is doing in the world. We encourage you to share our new logo and website with friends, colleagues and church family. We also hope that you will visit our booth at General Assembly, and gather with us for the Week of Compassion dinner on Tuesday night, where the celebration of our 75 years of service will continue. Thank you for being part of the journey thus far; we look forward to the next 75 years of ministry together! Peace, Vy Nguyen, Executive Director Download PDF Version Comments are closed.
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