Joy To The World: Your Compassion At Work12/18/2019 
Dear Friends,
It’s that time of year again: in church, you hear words of hope and peace, comfort and joy. But outside of the sanctuary, life feels anything BUT peaceful. The traffic, the crowds, and the very long to-do list make for added stress in a time that is supposed to be about family and celebration. One of the things that can make the season feel hectic is the expectation of gift-giving. Many are feeling the final push to do last minute shopping, getting every item crossed off the list.
Here’s the good news-- whatever holiday stress might be pulling you in a hundred directions, and whatever gifts you may still need to find--you have already given the most important gift. Through your support of Week of Compassion this year, our wider Church has responded to needs around the world. Through your gifts to Week of Compassion, families find new opportunities; communities grow stronger; and there is much to celebrate.
Look at the map below, and you’ll get a glimpse of the places where our Church has responded through Week of Compassion in 2019. You will see that the sheer number of responses is overwhelming; and you will see that they cover a wide geographical range, spanning many cultures, climates and types of terrain. What you may not be able to see on the map is the number of lives that have been transformed by this ministry--which is your ministry. What you may not quite be able to hear are the powerful stories of life, love and hope that people tell after having received support from Week of Compassion. In the past year, our Church has responded to flooding in the Midwest and drought in India; to families separated at the Southwest border and to families in refugee camps in the Middle East. Disciples presence has been known in agriculture projects from Central America to Africa. Women have been empowered through vocational opportunities from Haiti to Iraq, and children have received education from South America to Eastern Europe. You’ve also given the gift of clean water to families in Indonesia as they recover from a devastating tsunami and to families in Mozambique following a terrible cyclone. Your gifts have gone to support mental health for survivors of wildfires in Northern California and for children traumatized by storms and displacement in South Texas. And you helped churches rebuild following a hurricane in Puerto Rico, and a tornado in Missouri. Through your compassion, you have given life and light in so many places, and transformed so many lives. In this season of joy, there is much to celebrate in work that we have already done, together. As many of us gather around tables this season with our loved ones, I am grateful for you and your partnership. I am grateful for the ways in which we create tables of peace and reconciliation all over the world, each and every day. There is much to celebrate, and there is much work ahead to do together. This season, and all through the year, know that together, our Church is bringing joy to the world. With Gratitude, Rev. Vy Nguyen Executive Director
2019 RESPONSES
Alaska - Earthquake Response Angola - Vocational Training Arizona - Flood Relief Arizona - Keeping Families and Children Together Arkansas - Fire Relief Bangladesh - Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Building for the Rohingya Population and Host Communities in Cox’s Bazar California - Storm Relief California - Flood Relief California (4) - Long-Term Fire Recovery California - Storm Relief California (2) - Wildfire Relief Camoroon - Life-saving Assistance and Resilience-Building for IDPs in the Anglophone Regions of Cameroon Colorado - Storm Relief Colorado - Wildfire Relief Congo - Emergency Flood Relief DR Congo - Emergency Ebola Response Florida (3) - Hurricane Irma Long-Term Recovery Florida - Hurricane Barry Relief Florida - Hurricane Michael Long-term recovery Gaza - Emergency Relief Ghana - Girls Empowerment Club Haiti - Earthquake Rebuilding of Schools Honduras and Guatemala - Food Security and Risk Reduction support in Honduras, ffood security and nutrition support in Guatemala Hungary - Refugee Support Illinois - Tornado Long-Term Recovery Illinois & Wisconsin - Tornado Long-Term Recovery India - Drought Relief Indiana - Relief Indiana - Fire Relief Iowa - Tornado Recovery Japan - Typhoon Hagibis Jordan, Iraq & Syria - Refugees Support Jordan, Syria, Iraq Jordan - Syrian and Iraqi Refugees emerency support Kansas - Refugee Fly in Support Kansas - Tornado Relief Kansas - Storm Relief Kentucky - Hurricane Michael Relief Kentucky - Fire Relief Kenya - Flood Relief Lake Chad Basin - Humanitarian Response Lebanon - Syrian Refugee Support Liberia and Sierra Leone - Youth Empowerment Program Louisiana - Long-Term Flood Recovery Louisiana - Hurricane Barry Relief Missouri - Flood Mitigation and Relief Missouri (5) - Flood Relief Missouri (10) - Tornado Relief Missouri - Tornado Relief - Food Supplies Missouri (2) - Storm Relief Missouri - Long-Term Flood Recovery Mozambique (2) - Cyclone Relief Mozambique - Cyclone Kenneth Mozambique, Malawi & Zimbabwe - Cyclone Idai Myanmar - Livelihood Support Nebraska - Flood Relief Nebraska (2) - Long term Flood Recovery New York - Long-Term Hurricane Recovery New York - Hurricanes Irma and Maria Long-Term Recovery, PR and USVI Hurricane Evacuees Living in New York New York (2) - Hurricanes Irma and Maria Long-Tem Recovery North Carolina - Hurricane Florence Long-Term recovery North Carolina (5) - Hurricane Florence Long-Term recovery North Carolina - Fire Relief Ohio (3) - Tornado Relief Ohio (2) -Flood Relief Oklahoma - Fire Relief Oklahoma - Flood Relief Oklahoma - Storm Relief Oklahoma - Wildfire Relief Oregon - Flood Relief Pakistan - Drought Relief Palestine - Agricultural Support Palestine Territory - Humanitarian Response Phillipines - Typhoon Response Phillipines - Earthquake Relief Puerto Rico - Hurricane Maria Long-Term Recovery Puerto Rico (2) - Hurricanes Irma and Maria Long-Term Recovery Serbia, West Timor, Indonesia, Moldova, Republic of George, Bosnia - Children and Education, Food and Nutritional Suport, Women Empowerment Support Sierre Leone, South Africa, Middle East - Women Empwerment Support, Livelihood support, Conflict resolution and Peace building South Sudan - Response to Flooding Crisis Syria - Emergency Winter Relief Syria - Emergency Water Relief Tanzania - Women Health Support Tennessee (3) - Flood Relief Tennessee - Food Security Tennessee (2) - Storm Relief Texas - Storm Relief Texas - Flooding Recovery Texas (3) - Tornado Relief Texas - Hurricane Harvey Texas (2) - Storm Relief Texas - Hurricane Harvey Long-Term Recovery Texas (7) - Tropical Storm Imelda Relief Texas - Fire Relief Texas - Hurricane Harvey Long-Term Recovery Texas - Tropical Storm Imelda Long-Term Recovery Venezuela - Clean Water Vietnam - Improving Health through Safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Zimbabwe - Cyclone Reliefs Download PDF Version Comments are closed.
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