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Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance
Still ... the Light.12/22/2023 a Christmas Letter and prayer from Week of Compassion![]() Advent is a season of waiting, watching, preparing. It often arrives sparkling and bright, but for others it is less so. It is sometimes uplifting and joyous, and yet some hearts are weighed down and heavy. Advent waiting is balancing the concerns of a world in need with the anticipated promise of a world that sees its needs fully met. Advent waiting is a spiritual practice of peering through the shadows, each year, to find that even through the gloom, still … the Light of the World comes. New Week of Compassion Staff12/19/2023 Week of Compassion welcomes Alexis Vaughan to new staff role![]() The Rev. Alexis Vaughan joins Week of Compassion as Managing Director, Domestic Operations. Alexis will play a crucial role in furthering the mission of Week of Compassion, overseeing the day-to-day activities, serving as team leader and strategist for operations to deepen Week of Compassion’s commitment to efficient response and faithful stewardship. Alexis comes to Week of Compassion as the Managing Director with a breadth of experience working for wholeness in a fragmented world. She holds a BA in Biological Anthropology from Duke University and a Master of Divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School as a Disciples Divinity House Scholar. An ordained Disciples minister, Alexis has pastored congregations in the Washington, DC area and is one of the founding clergy of the Congregation Action Network, an interfaith organization dedicated to building community and political power for immigrant and refugee communities in the greater Washington DC area. Prior to joining Week of Compassion, Alexis served as the inaugural Director of Racial Equity Initiatives at Interfaith America, where she developed programs that amplified the stories of interfaith cooperation within communities of color that have shaped American culture and policy. She also served as the social justice coordinator for the National Benevolent Association, where she convened one of the Peer Learning & Wellness Groups for Disciples leaders of color involved in contemporary ministry and social justice movements. Alexis lives in Chicago and enjoys watching tennis and Duke basketball, discussing television, walking outside, and being wherever exotic animals are. news from MECC12/14/2023 an update from the Middle East Council of Churches![]() Our Disciples & UCC colleagues at Global Ministries (Disciples of Christ and United Church of Christ) have shared recent updates from the Middle East Council of Churches, one of our primary partners responding to the ongoing war in Gaza. As violence has continued, MECC's Department of Service for Palestinian Refugees has continued its focus on those forcibly displaced to the southern area of Gaza. Their attention is especially on women and children, providing psychological first aid, health/nutrition and medical supplies, and cash distributions where possible for those still on the move. We remain in close contact with Global Ministries, MECC, and other ecumenical partners in the region, and hold close in daily prayer those who are placing themselves at great risk to care for these most vulnerable individuals and communities. Shalom. Salaam. Peace. Rebuilding A House - and HOME12/13/2023 a story of resilience and partnershipIn the wake of frequent hurricanes across Florida and the Gulf Coast, Week of Compassion has maintained a long-standing partnership with VIND (Volusia Interfaiths/Agencies Networking in Disaster), working together to meet the long-term recovery needs of Volusia County residents as they rebuild after storms.
A recent project following Hurricane Ian last year, funded with a grant from the Lowe’s Reconstruction Grant through National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), is just one example of survivor resilience and the power of strong partnerships. Bringing Hope12/12/2023 site leaders help make recovery possible![]() “Week of Compassion is here for the long haul.” “There are partners who will be the first in. Disciples will be the last to leave.” “It’s been years since the storm, and your groups are still here, doing the work that needs to be done.” Long-term recovery is easy to overlook – once the cameras are gone, and the urgency of storm relief subsides, it is the long, slow, careful completion of each step that helps families really recover, that moves families into safe and secure houses, where they can make true homes. Disaster Site Leaders are the foundation of disaster recovery volunteering. Modern Miracles11/28/2023 providing health care in Pakistan
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