 Hello Disciples!
Week of Compassion is in our Special Offering season and we want to say THANK YOU. Your gifts to Week of Compassion continue to serve the most vulnerable people across the world. Every day, we witness weather-related disasters in the United States and Canada, an ongoing immigration and refugee crisis, and international conflicts that continue to disrupt nations and lives. The impacts are profound and long-lasting, and recovery will last for years to come. We are grateful for every one of you – those who take the long view, who know that God’s goodness is a constant presence and guide, and who understand that the work of compassion is work we do together. Global Interconnectedness2/13/2025 + Special Offering 2025 : Mission Moment (Middle East) Dear Friends, In 2023, I traveled to Juba, South Sudan – the world’s newest country, formed in 2011 after the decades long North-South conflict ended. South Sudan remains one of the world’s poorest nations, where access to clean water, food, and healthcare is scarce. As a young country, its infrastructure is fragile, and its people continue to bear the weight of poverty and instability.
I visited South Sudan to witness the work we support at a hospital providing life-changing surgeries for women suffering from obstetric fistula – a painful childbirth injury that often leads to isolation and rejection from their families and communities. These surgeries, performed in a clinic built by our ecumenical partners, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, restore dignity and hope. Each year, women travel hundreds of miles seeking this care, and because of the dedication of our partners, thousands receive the medical attention they desperately need. None of this would be possible without a network of collaboration. "Building More Than Houses" Nearly 20 years ago, in 2005, Hurricane Katrina made an indelible mark on the city of New Orleans and her people. The storm shed light on the overwhelming vulnerabilities within structural systems that disproportionately affect marginalized persons, particularly Black and brown communities, and indigenous tribes and lands. In the decades since the catastrophic 2005 hurricane season, communities across southeast Louisiana remain disconnected from structures that could and should provide assistance and resources.
Special Offering 2025 : HEARD AND SEEN1/14/2025  For more than a week, massive wildfires have been burning in Southern California, scarring thousands of acres, destroying thousands of homes and structures, and displacing hundreds of thousands of people under evacuation orders. Week of Compassion remains in frequent contact with pastors and regional leaders, responding as needs emerge and joining partners in conversation about the long-term recovery ahead.
This disaster is just one of many – including hurricanes, war, and famine – to which Week of Compassion is still responding. Increasingly severe and frequent weather-related and human-caused disasters continue to fragment communities around the world. Adding to the destructive impact of disasters in these regions, political unrest and climate change continue to increase the number of displaced persons worldwide and complicate the work of recovery. Special Offering 202511/12/2024 HEARD AND SEEN Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. (Phil 4:8-9)
In our 2025 Special Offering Resources, we are sharing the stories, images, and art of hope. a Special Offering 2024 Mission Moment photo: Judi Frost/Week of Compassion When gale-force winds rushed along the mountains of Maui, they brought down power lines, ignited grasslands, and contributed to what has become “America’s deadliest wildfire in more than a century.” An extremely dry summer, strain on the island’s water resources, and winds as a result of the simultaneous Hurricane Dora, exacerbated the flames, and the toll on land and people continued to mount.
a Special Offering 2024 Mission Moment South Sudan is a new country and there have been major conflicts since it became its own nation in 2011. One of the side effects of the ongoing conflict is the impact on the health systems, particularly on women and girls, who are especially vulnerable given the limited health care in the country. There is little infrastructure to support women and their health, leaving NGOs (non-governmental organizations) to deliver 80% of services like prenatal and postnatal care, along with family planning counseling and HIV screening and treatment.
Providing such care is hard, and many women have to walk for miles to the health clinics. Truly amazing are the nurses and doctors and the care they provide – as important is the community space they create for women to support one another and empower one another to move forward. The impact is incredible. |
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