Our Minister- Jean Wallenfang
Dear Friends in Faith,
My heart is aching these days for our sister and brothers in Haiti.
It is difficult for me to grasp the magnitude of this disaster – the
images and numbers are overwhelming. One of my friends, who is
involved in the relief efforts, wisely said, “No one can do it all
yet all together we can do what is needed.” So I offer my prayers
and along with many of you have given to the UCC Haiti Relief
Efforts through our church. We know that these gifts are needed now
and more will be needed in the future. So we will continue to place
in the pews, these next weeks, the envelopes for your special giving
to the UCC Haiti Relief. We may not be able to give a big gift each
week but then a dollar here and there from each of us – all of us –
becomes a critical mass.
I share with you some info from our United Church of Christ church
house in Cleveland:
Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund and Response
Frequently asked Questions
1. What is the United Church of Christ doing in Haiti?
One Great Hour of Sharing and Haiti Earthquake Relief funds are
being used to help with basic humanitarian relief in providing
temporary shelter, food and health assistance. Funds are also being
used to provide water and sanitation engineers, and equipment to
construct water purification systems. Resources for building
latrines are also being provided, as the sanitation situation is
critical. The UCC will be supporting communities in the long
struggle to rebuild from this disaster - the worst earthquake to
strike Haiti in 200 years.
Since the earthquake, the UCC has reached out to its partners in
Haiti to coordinate a swift response. Funds have been dispersed to
several partners including Church World Service, ACT Alliance, IMA
World Health and Global Ministries (CONASPEH and House of Hope).
2. How much of my donation will be used in the relief effort?
100% of gifts received for UCC Haiti Earthquake relief will be used
for relief and rehabilitation initiatives. The administrative costs
related to receiving and processing gifts is covered by UCC members'
generous contributions to Our Churches Wider Mission (OCWM).
3. How much money has the United Church of Christ raised for Haiti?
In the wake of this disaster, the response of UCC members and
friends has been overwhelming. As a result of this generosity, new
gifts are received daily. As of Monday, January 25, 2010, over
$500,000 has been received. Please be assured that your
contributions are being used to meet both immediate needs in Haiti
and will be utilized for long-term recovery initiatives
4. How can we respond with material resources?
Donations of clothing and other materials are generally not
appropriate for disaster response. Warehouse space and
transportation costs must be focused on critically needed supplies.
At this point, the best way to help people in Haiti is by continuing
to hold them in prayer making a donation to the UCC's Haiti
Earthquake Relief fund.
5. Can I volunteer?
Volunteer opportunities on-site are rare immediately following a
disaster of this magnitude. The only call we have received so far is
for experienced trauma and orthopedic surgeons and anesthesiologists
from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For more
information on international disaster volunteers visit the Center
for International Disaster Information's Web site or read about
Volunteers for Prosperity, a volunteer program managed by USAID.
We have begun initial conversations with ecumenical partners here in
the U.S. to explore the possibility of offering mission work trip
opportunities some time in the future. As information becomes
available, we will post it to our website: www.ucc.org/disaster
Global Ministries has suspended People-to-People trips to Haiti for
the time being as our partner CONASPEH is responding directly to the
disaster and is not in a position to host groups.
6. Have Global Ministries mission personnel been affected?
Information on Global Ministries mission personnel can be found on
the Global Ministries website.
7. How can I stay informed?
Please continue to check the UCC Disaster and Global Ministries
sites for current and updated information. Sign up to receive the
PDA-RIN information in your email inbox.
As more information is forwarded and more opportunities for us to be
involved I will pass them along. Until then let us pray for the
people of Haiti as they grieve and mourn, heal and recover. Let us
pray for those who are in Haiti offering their skills and bringing
aid and relief. Let us pray that our giving will bring hope and be a
sign of God’s presence with us all.
Blessings,
Rev. Jean
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