$3 Million for Hurricane Katrina Relief
We extend our prayers to all of those who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Please continue to keep them, their loved ones, and all of the emergency and relief personnel in your prayers.
Christ Church is providing assistance directly to hurricane victims. You can read more about our Mission Trip to Florida in 2006 by clicking on the link to the left Mission Trip - Hurricane Relief.
In September 2005, Christ Church sent over 1,000 diapers, 25 cases of water, and other infant care items for hurricane relief.
Christ Church is continuing to send relief aid through our "Hope Shall Bloom" special offering. To contribute to this offering, you may make funds payable to "Christ Church UCC" with "Hope Shall Bloom" written on the memo line and/or on the envelope. Even though the disaster is no longer front page news, we realize that the needs continue, and so we continue to provide support.
We've Adopted a Church
The Pennsylvania Southeast Conference (PSEC) Consistory has voted to adopt St. Matthew UCC in New Orleans to help in the long-term recovery effort following Hurricane Katrina. Christ Church is a member of the PSEC.
The request to adopt the church came from the South Central Conference (which covers the UCC churches in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). In response the PSEC sent a fact-finding team to visit St. Matthew UCC. By clicking on the following PSEC link you can read more about our Partnership with St. Matthew UCC.
To help support this effort in New Orleans, you can make a donation payable to "Christ Church UCC" with "Adopted Church - Hurricane Relief" written in the memo line. Thank you for the love, support, and care.
Additional Information About the UCC's Relief Efforts
The Rev. John Thomas, UCC General Minister and President invites all UCC churches and members to share in a Prayer after Katrina.
You can read the most up to date UCC Hurricane Katrina relief efforts by going to the UCC's Huricane Katrina Disaster Response page.
The following are some brief highlights of the UCC relief efforts found on that page. You can read more about each topic by clicking on the links, which will take you to another article.
On Monday, August 29, the UCC Begins Disaster Response by giving an intial $25,000 in relief support through Church World Service (CWS).
"At this point we pray and wait. We are grateful to have One Great Hour of Sharing offering funds and UCC Disaster Network in place so we are able to respond as soon as it becomes safe to do so," said Susan Sanders, Minister for Global Sharing of Resources.
Also, on Monday, August 29, the UCC National Disaster Ministries' staff were immediately in contact with Conference Disaster Coordinators, Alan Coe from South Central Conference; Will Rabert from Southeast Conference; Bill Wealand from Florida Conference and Shari Prestemon, Executive Director of Back Bay Mission, Biloxi, Mississippi to express concern and offer One Great Hour of Sharing financial support for clean up and recovery in aftermath of this storm.
On Tuesday, August 30 Relief Funds Were Disbursed.
On Thursday, September 1, the UCC National Office Announced a $1 Million Relief Goal.
"We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe," said Susan M. Sanders, the UCC's minister for the global sharing of resources. "In a 'normal' disaster, we would be well into the relief operation by now. Instead, we are still in a search and rescue mode which is complicated by security concerns. New Orleans is now being evacuated, and some 80% of the city is flooded. The Gulf Coast area of Mississippi has simply been obliterated."
Already, donations from UCC congregations, members and supporters are pouring in from across the country and beyond, according to the Rev. Craig Hoffman of the UCC's financial development ministry in Cleveland.
A Letter to Congregations was shared with UCC churches to provide hurricane relief updates.
The UCC provided additional relief funds and CWS sent blankets and Gifts of the Hear Kits.
By Monday, September 5 the UCC had received over $100,000 in online contributions from UCC members and friends.
On Tuesday, September 6, we Increased our Goal to $3 Million for Hurricane Relief.
UCC leaders announced that its members and congregations will need to raise at least $3 million to support longterm hurricane relief and recovery. "As this tragedy continues to unfold, we see the need for resources for longterm recovery," said Susan Sanders, the UCC's minister for the global sharing of resources. "Knowing the generosity of UCC members and friends, we are confident that we will meet our goal."
How to Help
First of all, we invite you to pray for all of those who have been efffected by the hurricane, as well as pray for those who are offering relief aid. If you have a specific prayer request or person you would like to be added to our prayer list, you may do so by checking "Prayer Request" on our Guest Book page.
For tax-deductible monetary contributions for relief aid:
(1) You may send a check or money order made payable to "Christ Church UCC" with "Hope Shall Bloom" written in the memo line and place it in the offering plate, bring it to the church office or mail it to Christ Church UCC; PO Box 205; Temple, PA 19560.
or
(2) You may make a Secure Donation Online at the UCC Hurricane Katrina Relief web page. In the field for church name and address put "Christ Church UCC; Temple, PA."
Why Give Relief Aid Through the UCC?
(1) 100% of your donations goes to relief aid.
None of your donation goes towards administration, solicitation, advertising, or any other costs. 100% goes to relief aid.
(2) Your funds are used well. The UCC is very experienced in offering relief assistance and works with other religious, secular, and government agencies to provide aid where, when, and how it is most needed. On average, the UCC responds to a disaster every 2.5 days. We are very experienced in providing help.
(3) By sending monetary donations rather than items, relief workers can get exactly what is needed when it is needed. Sometimes when sending items: too much of one thing and not enough of another are sent; or it was needed when it was sent, but is no longer needed when it arrives; or the items are innappropriate. This presents an additional problem for relief workers of trying to figure out what to do with items that are not needed. Perhaps more importantly, when you send funds through the UCC, when we are able to do so, we purchase needed items in the communities hit by the disaster, which provides jobs and other economic assitance to those communities to help them to become self-sustaining more quickly.
(4) Most importantly, by giving through the church we are sharing the love of God with those who we are assisting. We allow people to know that the aid that they are recieving is not coming from some institution, but through God working through our loving and compassionate hands.
Additional Hurricane Katrina Links
A Pastoral Letter from the Rev. Dr. F. Russell Mitman, Pennsylvania Southeast Conference (PSEC) Minister and President.
Responding to Those in Crisis - PSEC article on providing relief aid
CWS Relief Aid Recommendation - Church World Service's recommendation for providing relief aid for Katrina and other disasters.
World Missions
