Clean Up Begins in Midwest

Thursday, July 3, A.D. 2008
Across the U.S. Midwest thousands of families and scores of communities face major cleanup and recovery work from the worst flooding to hit the nation's midsection since the record floods of 1993. Especially hard hit have been the states of Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin. This is also strong "Disciples" country, and a good number of our congregations have members who have suffered major damage to their homes, farms, and businesses. One of our congregations, Cedar Christian Church, Cedar Rapids, IA has significant damage to its facilities.

The Needs are Many, but Take Heart

Thursday, June 26, A.D. 2008
The aftermath of the floods and storms in the Midwest continues to be a burden for many. The needs are great. Churches and regional offices are still gathering information about their members, and Week of Compassion is in regular contact with them. As always, in times of disaster and crisis, there are also acts of tremendous kindness and generosity. Week of Compassion is pleased to have witnessed many such acts in the past days and weeks. We, as Disciples, are family, and it is in these moments that we see that, perhaps, most clearly. We come to each other’s rescue when we need it most. For that we praise God!

Fire Destroys Oklahoma Church

Monday, June 23, A.D. 2008
Lightning struck First Christian Church, Altus, OK, early Thursday morning, June 19, igniting a fire that completely destroyed the single-story building. The congregation celebrated its 100th anniversary last September. Pastor Jim Brown said, “We’re looking at a lot of destruction – a lot of history that’s gone, a lot of things that can’t be replaced - but those things are temporal. The congregation is a resilient group of people. We’ll handle the future with God at our side doing the things we believe we’re supposed to do.”

Flood Relief Continues

To date Week of Compassion has sent a total of $41,000 to the Christian Church in the Upper Midwest for flood relief to churches and members affected in at least 11 different congregations, and the list of persons needing assistance seems to be ever-increasing.

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