Relief for Tsunami Victims
MESSAGE
FROM THE MINISTER AND PRESIDENT, December 28, 2004
I
have come into deep waters,
and
the flood sweeps over me .
Rescue
me ...
let
me be delivered .
Do
not let the flood sweep over me,
or
the deep swallow me up
or
the Pit close its mouth over me. (Psalm 69. vv. 2, 14-15)
The
Psalmist gives voice to some 43,000 people in South and Southeast
Asia who have been swept away by tsunamis, as well as to mothers
and fathers who have lost children, to children who have lost
parents, to those who have lost everything. "Rescue me,"
the Psalmist pleads. But for many, there will be no rescue
. only horror and death. The proportions of the disaster are
so deep and wide and high, that terror, grief and suffering
are inescapable.
Numb
and disbelieving, with tears streaming down our cheeks, let
us be in prayer for the lost and grieving: for children and
grandparents, working fishermen and holiday snorkelers, villagers
and whole villages, rescue workers and responsible officials.
Let us pray for the faces we glimpse in the newspapers and
evening news, for lives and stories we can only imagine, for
those who cling to life and still hope for rescue. Let us
pray for those who have lost everything and everyone. Let
us pray . for in the act of prayer we hold these sisters
and brothers on our hearts. Through our prayers we refuse
to let them drown alone, or suffer alone, or grieve alone,
or rescue alone. Through our prayers, we engage in an act
of remembering and empathy, of vigil and intercession that
accords with the pathos of our God.
Additionally,
through the UCC you are an arm extended, a gift of food, a
warm blanket. The United Church of Christ is a founding member
of ACT International (Action by Churches Together), a global
alliance of churches and related agencies working to save
lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide. The
UCC has already committed tens of thousands of dollars to
South and Southeast Asia for disaster relief efforts through
ACT and Church World Service. Our dollars, given through special
appeals and One Great Hour of Sharing, are already at work,
bringing comfort, material assistance and food.
As
the people of South and Southeast Asia plead for rescue and
deliverance, let us answer their cries by weeping with those
who weep; praying for them and remembering them; and acting
with the strength of our numbers, with the generosity our
material abundance allows, and with the charity of our Christian
calling.
How
you can help
1.
Pray for the people of South and Southeast Asia , or
2. Make gifts payable to Massachusetts Conference, UCC, marked
for "Asia Tidal Waves", and send to the Massachusetts
Conference, One Badger Road, Framingham, MA 01702 . This gift
will be forwarded to Wider Church Ministries, or
3.
Make gifts payable directly to Wider Church Ministries, marked
in the memo portion "Asia Tidal Waves" and send
to Wider Church Ministries; 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland,
OH 44115, or
4.
Make a secure on-line donation now by visiting www.ucc.org
and click on "Asia Tidal Waves."
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