Bishop Lowry calls for Haiti response

1/14/2010

 

The New York Times reports that, “The earthquake, with a magnitude estimated at 7.0, struck just before 5 p.m. about 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince," the United States Geological Survey (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/) said. Many aftershocks followed and more were expected, said David Wald, a Geological Survey seismologist. “The earthquake, the worst in the region in more than 200 years, left the country in a shambles.”
 
Sam Dixon, Clint Rabb and Jim Gulley from UMCOR were already in Haiti as part of an UMCOR team visit with the Church in Haiti.  While UMCOR and the Council of Bishops have not heard from them yet, we are hopeful that we will hear from them by day’s end and will certainly send out a communication as soon as we do hear from them. (For more details on the missing UMCOR workers, see http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=1752979&ct=7804425)
The Texas and New Jersey conferences had Volunteers in Mission (UMVIMs) in Haiti at the time of the earthquake who have not yet been heard from.  We are also informed that the Michigan, Western North Carolina and Dakotas conferences all had Volunteers in Mission in Haiti at the time of the earthquake but all of their VIMs have reported in and are fine. 
 
Events such as these can challenge both our faith and sense of security.  As a church we know that the heart of our ministry is continuing and extending Jesus Christ’s ministry of outreaching love.  The work that we all do at Global Ministries extends that love in a particular way in situations such as these.  For the most current information about this work, please go to the UMCOR website found at:
 http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/newsroom/releases/archives2010/prayeraidforhaiti/

We encourage you to hold off sending volunteers at this time to Haiti as additional people without appropriate coordination will not have a positive impact on the situation.  If your congregations are looking to assist in addition to contributing to the Advance project, you can find information about building health kits on the UMCOR website.

We invite you to hold in prayer the UMCOR staff on the ground in Haiti as well as the rest of the UMCOR staff who will be tasked with coordinating UMCOR’s relief efforts in Haiti.  We also encourage you to keep in your prayers members of the GBGM staff who have relatives in Haiti, our VIMs as well as our Church in Haiti and the people of the nation who have been affected by this earthquake. Our United Methodist Church and people are generous and resourceful in times of crises.  I am confident that the full resources of UMCOR and The General Board of Global Ministries will save lives and restore communities with the prayerful support of our United Methodist connection.

At 3:15 pm, (Central Time), the Council of Bishops staff and friends will gather for a time of intercessory prayer in the Chapel. I invite the people of the Central Texas Conference to join them in prayer at that time or whenever you are able. Elsewhere on our website (Help for Haiti) are the links for those who wish to begin assembling the much needed health kits. CTC Disaster Response Task Force Chair Rev. Laraine Waughtal will be identifying collection points. Pastors will be notified by email and on the website.

Support for relief efforts can be made to Haiti Emergency, UMCOR Advance # 418325.