Helping the Victims of the Tsunami in the Indian Ocean
On Sunday, December 26, a devastating tsunami caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people in south and southeast Asia. When last reviewed the death toll was at least 55,000 and climbing (depending on the source of the information, as some list the amount much higher).
To see how the UCC responds to disasters go to: http://ucc.org/disaster/index.html. There are currently two articles with pictures on this disaster at that site, and we expect more as the week continues and more information becomes available. Other UCC disaster relief is also listed at this site, as the UCC responds to disasters on an average of once every 2.5 days.
For an update on the Tsunami relief effort, check out:
There have been requests of how individual members and visitors can help those victims through Christ Church United Church of Christ. Below are a few of those ways.
How to Help
1. Pray for the people of south and south east Asia. As the Apostle James, the brother of Jesus writes, "The prayers of the faithful are powerful and effective."
2. To assist those affected, send a check payable to Christ Church UCC, marked for "Asia Tsunami" in the memo portion, and mail to Christ Church UCC; PO Box 205; Temple, PA 19560. The amount will be sent through our Pennsylvania Southeast Conference Office to the national Wider Church Ministries in Cleveland, Ohio (which is the standard way we handle such donations). Please note that unlike many other organizations that will be requesting funds, we will not take any portion of your gifts for administration costs. 100% of your funds will be used to help the people of Asia, and none of your gift will be used by our congregation, our conference, or our denomination for administrative costs. Our ability to help in this way is made possible through our regular contributions to "Our Church's Wider Mission" (OCWM). Your contributions made through the church are tax deductible.
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3. Enclose funds in an envelope marked "Asia Tsunami", and place it in the offering plate on Sunday morning.
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4. Make a secure on-line by going to http://ucc.org/disaster/index.html. Click on "OGHS Contribute", then click on "contribute" under International Disaster Fund, and note in the Comments section: "Asia Tsunami." A receipt for tax purposes will be e-mailed to you from the United Church of Christ. Pastor Ben made a donation earlier this week using this method to ensure that it worked well and so that he could answer questions our members may have regarding on line contributions, and everything went very smoothly with his donation.
Thank you to all those who have been asking for more information about how they can help the people of south and southeast Asia through Christ Church.
World Missions
