STORIES
Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
Hurricane Fiona and Puerto Rico9/20/2022 Two days after Hurricane Fiona (September 18) made landfall in Puerto Rico, updates are beginning to come in, especially from the south and west of the island, with reports of damage to homes, some damage to churches, and many roads still unpassable. Week of Compassion is in conversation with Iglesia Cristiana (Discipulos de Cristo) and with Puerto Rico VOAD (Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster) for a coordinated response. Caring for Children4/19/2022 After Trauma: Children's Disaster Services & the local churchAny tragic event - war, famine, natural disaster, community violence - seems to tear at us a little bit more when it affects a child. Our church nursery and Bible school walls are adorned with drawings and scripted verses: Let the little children come to me … for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. (Matthew 19:14) We are tender-hearted for society’s youngest members.
Since 1980 Children’s Disaster Services (CDS), a program of Brethren Disaster Ministries, has been meeting the needs of children by setting up child care spaces in shelters and disaster assistance centers across the nation. Specially trained to respond to traumatized children, volunteers provide a calm, safe and reassuring presence in the midst of the chaos created by tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and other natural or human-caused disasters. Behind the Scenes4/5/2022 Between winter’s severe weather, the Special Offering in February, and the crisis continuing to unfold in Ukraine, you have heard a lot from and about Week of Compassion. We’re grateful for every chance to stay connected - through these emails, at our website, in social media, and with your congregations. Sometimes we talk about things as if everyone knows what we mean. From time to time, alongside stories of Week of Compassion working with partners to alleviate suffering throughout the world, we want to tell you a little about the ‘behind the scenes’ commitments that make that ministry happen. Willing to Respond3/22/2022 We are excited to be part of the launch of a new tool for networking congregations for disaster preparedness and response: Willing to Respond! As a registry of willing congregations and a library of vetted resources, this tool will help us connect with you and introduce you to other congregations and organizations in your area. It also provides your congregation with training, tips, and tools to reduce your risk and be ready to help your neighbors when disaster strikes. Love Brings You Home2/23/2022 Recently we lifted up the Stephens family and the hope - and new home - they found through Week of Compassion’s partners, the Miami Valley Long-Term Recovery Operations Group and Brethren Disaster Ministries.
Many of the images and stories featuring prominently in this year's Special Offering materials are from Dayton, Ohio, and many include the Stephenses. This video - Love brings you home - highlights their story, and their joy. What an absolute joy to share photos from their recent home blessing! The Stephenses have a beautiful and secure home, with personal touches like a handmade quilt. (Brethren Disaster Ministries’ long-term project leader Sammy Deacon joined the Stephens family for their celebration day.) The Week of Compassion Special Offering, received in most congregations this Sunday February 27, brings home the power of community, and the deep truth that faith, hope, and love remain. Thank you for your gifts, this week and all year long. Cascading Compassion2/22/2022 When Hurricane Harvey parked itself over Texas and the Gulf Coast in 2017, the wind and water damage left in its wake were widespread and significant. Damage left unrepaired, or poorly done, only got worse as time and further storms - including the week long ice storm and freeze last February - carried on. With funds from a Week of Compassion grant, partners at Mosaic in Action have been hard at work helping families find solutions - and the results are a ripple effect of recovery. Year in Review 20211/6/2022 Your ongoing prayerful and generous support of Week of Compassion has brought hope and healing to so many, embodying the love of Christ in the world. Here you can see how your compassion has shared light and life, responding to needs in 2021. We hope you’ll see what compassion looks like, and join us in a prayer today, on Epiphany, as we renew our commitment to the Light that guides us toward a future filled with hope, peace, joy, and love. Blessings in your New Year. Star of Wonder, Light of Life,
in you we find hope and meaning, and so we fix our gaze on you. Reveal to us the hurts of the world -- great and small, elaborate and simple -- and help us discern where can offer the Life and Wonder your people crave. Star of Night, Light of Wisdom, in you we find grace and direction, and so we fix our gaze on you. Reveal to us the path that needs clearing -- where hate has caused harm, and disaster wreaks havoc -- that we may follow your Wisdom through the Night, to reach the heralded Good News. Star of Beauty, Light of Love, in you we find energy and inspiration, and so we fix our gaze on you. As the star comes to rest, may you see great faithfulness revealed in us that we might shine with the Light of your Love. Amen. |
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