GIVE
UKRAINE
EN ESPAÑOL
Week of Compassion
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board of Stewards
    • From The Executive Director
  • Action
    • Domestic Disaster Response & Preparedness >
      • How To Prepare For A Disaster
    • International Disaster Response
    • Refugee and Immigrant Response
    • Sustainable Development
    • COVID-19 Response
  • Stories
  • Resources
    • Special Offering >
      • Special Offering 2023
    • Worship Material
    • Media
    • Logos
    • Special Offering Archives
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give >
      • Circle of Compassion
      • Endowments
    • Invite Us to Your Church
    • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Stories

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance

+ SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES +

Special Offering 2023: Mission Moment

1/31/2023

Sunny Day Camp

Picture
On a dark night in early December 2021, entirely out of season, tornadoes tore across eight states, killing more than 80 people and devastating many communities. Just eight months later, on a warm Saturday in July, two Disciples churches and several community organizations made sure that dozens of children impacted by those winter storms in western Kentucky spent time outside with friends and caregivers, reveling in a bright and sunny day. ​


Read More
 

Out of Destruction, New Possibility

12/13/2022

how Dayton's tornado recovery brings
​innovative housing opportunity

Picture
When Associate Director Caroline Hamilton-Arnold was in Dayton, OH earlier this year, she rented a truck large enough to move a 14’ trailer. The Heartland Conference of the United Church of Christ was outfitting the trailer with a full set of tools and supplies for volunteer teams to use for disaster recovery, and its inaugural use was at a collaborative recovery site coordinated with Week of Compassion and the Pathway to Homeownership Project (PTHO) in response to the 2019 Memorial Day tornado outbreak. 

When Caroline picked up the truck, the staff behind the counter asked why she was in town.


Read More
 

Hard-Won Joy

12/12/2022

marking the 3rd Week of Advent,
​and the first anniversary of the western Kentucky tornadoes

Picture
Sunday December 11 marks the start of the third week of Advent, traditionally the week of JOY. For many in western Kentucky, the joy is hard-won and tinged with grief, as this weekend (December 10) also marked one year since the deadly and devastating tornado outbreak in western Kentucky. The most damaging reach of the outbreak was a long-track tornado that tore through 11 counties, destroying thousands of homes, with especially severe impacts in Mayfield and Dawson Springs. Communities across the area are in the early phases of long-term recovery, with years of rebuilding still ahead.

Disciples have a strong presence; many congregations in the area responded quickly to the needs of their neighbors, and remain in close collaboration with Week of Compassion.


Read More
 

Caring for Children

4/19/2022

After Trauma: Children's Disaster Services & the local church

Any 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.

Read More
 

"The Church Being the Church:" Disciples Leaders Visit Western Kentucky

12/15/2021

Picture
On Tuesday, December 14, Kentucky Regional Minister Rev. Dr. Don Gillett visited several communities in Kentucky that were impacted by the recent storm. Week of Compassion staff accompanied Dr. Gillett on this pastoral visit as a sign of solidarity, sharing the prayers and words of support that have been offered by so many from across the wider church. They travelled to Mayfield First Christian Church and Second Christian Church, and to Princeton, where they visited with leaders from First Christian Princeton and First Christian Dawson Springs. They also went to the site of a church member’s home that was destroyed in the storm. 


Read More
 

One Year Later: Dayton Recovery Continues, Amidst COVID-19 Restrictions

5/19/2020

PicturePrior to social distancing, members of the Miami Valley Long Term Recovery Group met to discuss immediate needs and long-term rebuilding, along with Josh Baird of Disciples Volunteering, and Week of Compassion Associate Director Caroline Hamilton-Arnold (not pictured).
On Sunday, Week of Compassion learned from our partners in the Philippines that Typhoon Vongfong had made landfall in Luzon. Evacuations were complicated on this highly populated island because of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Cyclone Amphan is rapidly gaining strength in the South Pacific and threatens many extremely vulnerable areas-- including Cox’s Bazaar, the refugee camp in Bangladesh where more than 1 million Rohingya people live. Last week, the first case of COVID-19 was reported in the camp. Clearly, this is a dangerous confluence of events in parts of the world where people are already struggling from the effects of poverty and violence. We are grateful for our partners who continue to work for the health and safety of vulnerable people, even in the most challenging circumstances. Please join us in prayer for those affected by, and in the path of, these storms. We will share more as we learn more. 
. . . 
I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:15-16)

On May 28 of 2019, a series of severe tornadoes caused widespread damage throughout Ohio, especially in and around the city of Dayton. 


Read More
 

What Do You Need? Eldon, Missouri Mission Moment

2/18/2020

PicturePhoto: Serve Eldon
​Last week, we shared a story about ongoing recovery in Jefferson City, Missouri, where First Christian Church is serving their neighbors and investing in the future of their community. The same storm system that impacted Jefferson City also spawned damaging tornadoes in nearby communities, including Eldon, Missouri. Here is how they weathered the storm. Week of Compassion is grateful to partner with Disciples who respond in times of need, taking care of church members as well as neighbors! 

On Wednesday, May 22 of 2019, an EF1 tornado went through the city of Eldon, Missouri. The storm brought winds of 104 miles-per-hour and tracked for 13 miles.


Read More
 

<<Previous

    region / focus :

    All
    Afghanistan
    Africa
    Agriculture
    Bangladesh
    Border Ministry
    Caribbean
    Central America
    COVID 19 Relief
    Cyclone
    Development
    Disaster Response
    Earthquakes
    East Asia & Pacific
    Education
    En Espanol
    Europe
    Executive Director
    Floods
    Food Security
    General Assembly
    Hurricane
    Hurricane Fiona
    Hurricane Ian
    Immigration
    International
    Long Term Recovery
    Long-term Recovery
    Middle East
    Myanmar
    Pakistan
    Prayer & Worship
    Preparedness
    Puerto Rico
    Refugees
    Southern Asia
    Special Offering
    Syria
    Tornado
    Typhoon
    Ukraine
    US Storms
    Volunteering
    Wildfires
    Women's Empowerment

Picture
Week of Compassion 
P.O. Box 1986 
Indianapolis, IN 46206
Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • History
    • Staff
    • Board of Stewards
    • From The Executive Director
  • Action
    • Domestic Disaster Response & Preparedness >
      • How To Prepare For A Disaster
    • International Disaster Response
    • Refugee and Immigrant Response
    • Sustainable Development
    • COVID-19 Response
  • Stories
  • Resources
    • Special Offering >
      • Special Offering 2023
    • Worship Material
    • Media
    • Logos
    • Special Offering Archives
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give >
      • Circle of Compassion
      • Endowments
    • Invite Us to Your Church
    • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Contact Us