WOC on Pace for Unprecedented Year of Disaster Responses

Thursday, June 12, A.D. 2008

From the escalating global food crisis to a record-setting weather-related disaster season in the U.S., Week of Compassion is being called upon to respond to disasters and emergencies in the world at an unprecedented pace. As of today, June 12, WOC has responded from its Compassion Response Fund and various designated disaster accounts 135 times - or an average of once every 1.2 days - thus far in 2008.

Last month’s cyclone in Myanmar and earthquake in China remain two of our most pressing concerns, along with the ongoing tragedy in Darfur and a growing number of requests in response to rapidly rising food costs in the world. Tornadoes, storms, floods and wildfires have brought destruction to scores of communities across the U.S., and numerous Disciples congregations have been impacted and are responding to needs within their respective memberships and wider communities. Earlier this week, WOC provided more than $32,000 in emergency grants to ten congregations in central Indiana in the aftermath of some of the worst flooding in decades to hit the Hoosier state. Tim Staker, Disciples chaplain at Columbus (IN) Regional Hospital, which was evacuated due to the flooding, has set up a website with pictures of the flooding. Click here to view them.

Because of the incredibly generous support from congregations, members and friends across the whole church to this year’s WOC offering observance and a tremendous outpouring of designated gifts online and by regular mail, WOC is making sure that Disciples are providing help and hope to hurting people around the world and around the year. Accounts have been set up for directed gifts to the Myanmar cyclone, the China earthquake, the Darfur crisis, and now the floods – or for “where most needed”. All designated contributions go in their entirety as the donor directs. We are grateful here, but many, many more elsewhere are grateful and will be grateful because of Disciples caring and sharing. Thank you! Gifts can be made online or sent to WOC, PO Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

Disciples Seminarians Head to Bosnia

Today, WOC Directors Amy Gopp and Johnny Wray are being joined by another group of Disciples seminary students on a ten day mission trip to the Balkans. This is the fourth such trip WOC has offered Disciples seminarians; it is an excellent opportunity to give up-and-coming pastors and church leaders a firsthand look at how Disciples dollars respond to disasters, assist the uprooted, support invaluable community-based development projects, and strengthen vital peace-building and reconciliation efforts as part of post-war reconstruction – all done through a remarkable network of ecumenical and local partners.

Under the auspices of the Church World Service Balkans Office, the delegation will visit WOC/Disciples-supported programs and projects of CWS and its local partner, the Foods Resource Bank, as well as the “Build A Village” project in Grahovo, Bosnia – a project, strongly supported by Disciples, that may well serve as a model for future CWS development work throughout the world.

Members of the delegation include Fay Barnes, Lexington Theological Seminary; Clint Collins, Phillips Theological Seminary; Bekah Cypert, Brite Divinity School; Adam Frieberg, University of Chicago Divinity School; Nona Hodder, Christian Theological Seminary; and Ryan Motter, Vanderbilt Divinity School. The delegation will return home on June 23.

WOC Map/Poster

Click here for the latest additions to the WOC interactive map/poster. For a complimentary copy of the map/poster for your congregation, call the office at 317.713.2442 or send an e-mail to ecleveland@woc.disciples.org.