Newsline Special: Bethany Centennial, Round Up of Disaster Relief News
NEWSROUND UP OF DISASTER RELIEF NEWS
Friday, October 14, 2005
Bethany Theological Seminary looks forward to another 100 years.
"We hope you're here for another 100 years!" Sally Hutton, mayor of Richmond, Ind., summed up the sentiments of many who were in town for the Bethany Theological Seminary Centennial Homecoming Weekend Sept. 30-Oct. 2. More than 200 people attended one or more of the centennial events over course of the weekend.
Hutton was one of several speakers at a convocation Oct. 1, addressing a colorful audience of current and former faculty in full academic garb, staff, trustees, alumni, and students. Others who joined Hutton in celebrating Bethany's presence in Richmond were Anne Reid, chair of the Board of Trustees; Stephen Breck Reid, academic dean; Annual Conference moderator Ronald Beachley; and Jay Marshall, dean of Earlham School of Religion (ESR).
Bethany's immediate neighbor at the northeast corner of the Earlham College campus, ESR is a partner in providing theological education, sharing many facilities, faculty, and staff with Bethany. Each of the schools "understands that the pursuit of truth is essential to education," Marshall said. They have provided a model of how to work together "without losing our identity which is so important to us," he added. "I too hope for another 100 years with Bethany, as we witness to our faith and we serve God."
Bethany's president Eugene Roop gave the convocation address. "For 100 years, Bethany has worked to equip the saints for the ministries of the church," he said. Roop reviewed theological and social concerns that motivated education at Bethany, from its beginnings on Hastings Street in Chicago, through the establishment of a campus on Van Buren Street on Chicago's west side, to the school's moves to Oak Brook, Ill., and Richmond, Ind.
Bethany was founded in a decade of high expectations, Roop said, hopes for a new Christian age as well as developments in science, medicine, social welfare, and world peace. A line from a hymn by A.C. Wieand, one of Bethany's founders, expressed the sentiments of the era: "On the radiant threshold of this dawning day...."
Although the mood in 2005 is quite different--Roop referred to a current culture of "blame and fear"--Roop called on the school and the church to renew anticipation for the future. As for the ancient Israelites emerging from the wilderness, on the verge of crossing the Jordan, and the disciples of Jesus, ready to follow him down from the mountaintop, "the anticipation of a new day overrides the cynicism of the day," Roop said. "The invitation of God's new day is the opportunity of life, by life, for life.... That is the quintessential teachable moment. That is when and where the church needs a seminary," he said.
In other homecoming events, a concert was given by alumni, faculty, staff, students, and a Bethany Alumni/ae Choir. Nancy Faus-Mullen directed the choir and much of the congregational singing during the weekend. An ice cream social was the venue for a surprise announcement by Lowell Flory, executive director of Institutional Advancement, that the seminary has achieved its initial goal for a fundraising campaign, receiving gifts and commitments totaling more than $15,700,000. A wide variety of "mini-classes" were offered by present and past faculty on subjects such as "Brethren Leaders" and "What's Up in Preaching?"
An evening celebration Oct. 1 began with a banquet featuring ESR faculty member and humorist Tom Mullen as master of ceremonies, leading a search for the most "Bethany-ized" person present. Former faculty member Donald Miller won the prize of an ice cream scoop, after Mullen commented on the Brethren love for ice cream. Following, Bethany sponsored a concert by the male a capella group Cantus of Minneapolis, Minn. The concert was open to the public and the student body at Earlham as a gift to the Richmond community.
Added to the schedule was a memorial service for Donald Durnbaugh, former faculty member who had been scheduled to help teach one of the homecoming's mini-classes. At the service, memories of Durnbaugh were shared by Roop and Donald Miller, who had taught with Durnbaugh.
Planning for the centennial celebration began in 1999 with the formation of a steering committee coordinated by Earle and Jean Fike. Other committee members are Tim Binkley, Nancy Faus-Mullen, Jay and June Gibble, Michelle Grimm, Mary Jessup, Donald Miller, Barb Sayler, Ken Shaffer, Graydon Snyder, David Steele, Fred Swartz, and Janice Ruhl.
"The future of Bethany will probably be different than any we can anticipate," said Roop when he preached for the weekend's closing worship service at Bethany's Nicarry Chapel. To face that future, Roop said, Bethany brings "an incredible adaptability in seminary education."
For more about Bethany Theological Seminary see www.brethren.org/bethany/.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
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"We hope you're here for another 100 years!" Sally Hutton, mayor of Richmond, Ind., summed up the sentiments of many who were in town for the Bethany Theological Seminary Centennial Homecoming Weekend Sept. 30-Oct. 2. More than 200 people attended one or more of the centennial events over course of the weekend.
Hutton was one of several speakers at a convocation Oct. 1, addressing a colorful audience of current and former faculty in full academic garb, staff, trustees, alumni, and students. Others who joined Hutton in celebrating Bethany's presence in Richmond were Anne Reid, chair of the Board of Trustees; Stephen Breck Reid, academic dean; Annual Conference moderator Ronald Beachley; and Jay Marshall, dean of Earlham School of Religion (ESR).
Bethany's immediate neighbor at the northeast corner of the Earlham College campus, ESR is a partner in providing theological education, sharing many facilities, faculty, and staff with Bethany. Each of the schools "understands that the pursuit of truth is essential to education," Marshall said. They have provided a model of how to work together "without losing our identity which is so important to us," he added. "I too hope for another 100 years with Bethany, as we witness to our faith and we serve God."
Bethany's president Eugene Roop gave the convocation address. "For 100 years, Bethany has worked to equip the saints for the ministries of the church," he said. Roop reviewed theological and social concerns that motivated education at Bethany, from its beginnings on Hastings Street in Chicago, through the establishment of a campus on Van Buren Street on Chicago's west side, to the school's moves to Oak Brook, Ill., and Richmond, Ind.
Bethany was founded in a decade of high expectations, Roop said, hopes for a new Christian age as well as developments in science, medicine, social welfare, and world peace. A line from a hymn by A.C. Wieand, one of Bethany's founders, expressed the sentiments of the era: "On the radiant threshold of this dawning day...."
Although the mood in 2005 is quite different--Roop referred to a current culture of "blame and fear"--Roop called on the school and the church to renew anticipation for the future. As for the ancient Israelites emerging from the wilderness, on the verge of crossing the Jordan, and the disciples of Jesus, ready to follow him down from the mountaintop, "the anticipation of a new day overrides the cynicism of the day," Roop said. "The invitation of God's new day is the opportunity of life, by life, for life.... That is the quintessential teachable moment. That is when and where the church needs a seminary," he said.
In other homecoming events, a concert was given by alumni, faculty, staff, students, and a Bethany Alumni/ae Choir. Nancy Faus-Mullen directed the choir and much of the congregational singing during the weekend. An ice cream social was the venue for a surprise announcement by Lowell Flory, executive director of Institutional Advancement, that the seminary has achieved its initial goal for a fundraising campaign, receiving gifts and commitments totaling more than $15,700,000. A wide variety of "mini-classes" were offered by present and past faculty on subjects such as "Brethren Leaders" and "What's Up in Preaching?"
An evening celebration Oct. 1 began with a banquet featuring ESR faculty member and humorist Tom Mullen as master of ceremonies, leading a search for the most "Bethany-ized" person present. Former faculty member Donald Miller won the prize of an ice cream scoop, after Mullen commented on the Brethren love for ice cream. Following, Bethany sponsored a concert by the male a capella group Cantus of Minneapolis, Minn. The concert was open to the public and the student body at Earlham as a gift to the Richmond community.
Added to the schedule was a memorial service for Donald Durnbaugh, former faculty member who had been scheduled to help teach one of the homecoming's mini-classes. At the service, memories of Durnbaugh were shared by Roop and Donald Miller, who had taught with Durnbaugh.
Planning for the centennial celebration began in 1999 with the formation of a steering committee coordinated by Earle and Jean Fike. Other committee members are Tim Binkley, Nancy Faus-Mullen, Jay and June Gibble, Michelle Grimm, Mary Jessup, Donald Miller, Barb Sayler, Ken Shaffer, Graydon Snyder, David Steele, Fred Swartz, and Janice Ruhl.
"The future of Bethany will probably be different than any we can anticipate," said Roop when he preached for the weekend's closing worship service at Bethany's Nicarry Chapel. To face that future, Roop said, Bethany brings "an incredible adaptability in seminary education."
For more about Bethany Theological Seminary see www.brethren.org/bethany/.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
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Emergency Disaster Fund tops $2 million in 2005.
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the General Board has received more than $2 million in donations for disaster relief in 2005--five or six times the regular annual rate of giving to the fund. The church's generous response to the needs of survivors of the South Asia tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, and the needs generated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is credited for this increase in giving.
As of Oct. 12, the fund had received $2,109,925 from Jan. 1 through Oct. 12, 2005, as compared to $345,406 in the same period last year.
"Our ministries and our donors have had the opportunity to do good for a great many more people than the norm this year," said Ken Neher, director of Funding and Donor Development for the General Board, referring to Galatians 6:10.
The Emergency Disaster Fund supports the work of Church World Service through grants to disaster appeals, longterm recovery groups, and refugee services. It also supports Church of the Brethren disaster relief work including the Emergency Response/Service Ministries of the General Board, Disaster Child Care, and Brethren Disaster Response.
The generous giving received in 2005 for disaster relief are making it possible for Emergency Response/Service Ministries to field more Disaster Child Care teams and train more child care volunteers--a necessity this year because of the scope of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Also, the Church of the Brethren has been able to contribute more funds to the Church World Service work related to the tsunami in Indonesia, and the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
About one third of the giving designated for tsunami relief is being held for the two-to-five-year response phase of the recovery effort, said Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. "It's important to support the longterm work since the church had such a great response" in giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund, he said. The higher level of giving also will make it possible for the church to give to revised appeals from CWS related to the tsunami, after new estimates are made following the end of the first phase of response.
And the Brethren generosity makes it possible for the church to contribute immediately to CWS work for survivors of last weekend's earthquake in Pakistan and India. A new grant from the Emergency Disaster Fund sends $50,000 to CWS' work in Pakistan following last weekend's earthquake, where three assessment teams are deployed and CWS is providing food, shelter, reconstruction supplies, and medical assistance. Another new grant gives $5,000 for the Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in the area of Lake Charles, La., following Hurricane Rita.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
The Emergency Disaster Fund of the General Board has received more than $2 million in donations for disaster relief in 2005--five or six times the regular annual rate of giving to the fund. The church's generous response to the needs of survivors of the South Asia tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004, and the needs generated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, is credited for this increase in giving.
As of Oct. 12, the fund had received $2,109,925 from Jan. 1 through Oct. 12, 2005, as compared to $345,406 in the same period last year.
"Our ministries and our donors have had the opportunity to do good for a great many more people than the norm this year," said Ken Neher, director of Funding and Donor Development for the General Board, referring to Galatians 6:10.
The Emergency Disaster Fund supports the work of Church World Service through grants to disaster appeals, longterm recovery groups, and refugee services. It also supports Church of the Brethren disaster relief work including the Emergency Response/Service Ministries of the General Board, Disaster Child Care, and Brethren Disaster Response.
The generous giving received in 2005 for disaster relief are making it possible for Emergency Response/Service Ministries to field more Disaster Child Care teams and train more child care volunteers--a necessity this year because of the scope of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Also, the Church of the Brethren has been able to contribute more funds to the Church World Service work related to the tsunami in Indonesia, and the Gulf Coast hurricanes.
About one third of the giving designated for tsunami relief is being held for the two-to-five-year response phase of the recovery effort, said Roy Winter, director of Emergency Response. "It's important to support the longterm work since the church had such a great response" in giving to the Emergency Disaster Fund, he said. The higher level of giving also will make it possible for the church to give to revised appeals from CWS related to the tsunami, after new estimates are made following the end of the first phase of response.
And the Brethren generosity makes it possible for the church to contribute immediately to CWS work for survivors of last weekend's earthquake in Pakistan and India. A new grant from the Emergency Disaster Fund sends $50,000 to CWS' work in Pakistan following last weekend's earthquake, where three assessment teams are deployed and CWS is providing food, shelter, reconstruction supplies, and medical assistance. Another new grant gives $5,000 for the Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in the area of Lake Charles, La., following Hurricane Rita.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
New Brethren Disaster Response project begins in Louisiana.
Brethren Disaster Response is starting a new clean up project next week in the area of Lake Charles, La., following destruction by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Emergency Response director Roy Winter is returning today from an assessment tour of areas of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, where he visited Disaster Child Care projects, the Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in Citronelle, Ala., and two Church of the Brethren congregations in southern Louisiana.
The new Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in Louisiana is in cooperation with the Brethren congregations in the area: Lake Charles Community Church of the Brethren and Roanoke Church of the Brethren. Winter visited with pastor Jim Balmer and his wife, Jackie, of Roanoke, and with members of the Lake Charles congregation.
Lake Charles and surrounding communities were hit hard by the storm, suffering extensive damage from wind and fallen trees on homes, reported Emergency Response staff. Many elderly residents were affected who require assistance to clear the debris. Lake Charles Church of the Brethren members were affected as well, but suffered for the most only minor damage to homes, Winter said. While visiting the area, Winter helped remove a fallen log off of one member's home. Elsewhere he saw mostly minor roof damage and lots of fallen trees, he said. In a neighborhood of mobile homes, he did see homes "cut in half" by big trees, he added.
Volunteer work teams will begin arriving to start the new clean up project on Oct. 16, based out of a United Methodist Church parsonage in Roanoke. A tool trailer will be supplied from Western Plains District, Winter said, and Missouri and Arkansas District will provide the first team of volunteers.
Brethren Disaster Response already has experienced a decrease in the number of people interested in volunteering following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, Winter said. He asked the church not to lose track of the needs in the Gulf Coast--and needs still lingering following hurricanes and flooding last year. Florida still has 47,000 homes to be rebuilt following the four hurricanes that hit the state in 2004, Winter said. "In many ways their recovery is just starting. We're going to need some longterm volunteer help to keep this going," he said.
Winter emphasized that "we need immediate volunteers to help with the clean up efforts in Alabama and Louisiana, which tends to be physically demanding work." Winter also called for volunteers to consider going to the Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding projects in Florida and Ohio. "We don't want to forget our longterm projects," he said.
"The other great need right now is clean-up buckets," Winter added. "We're totally out of clean-up buckets."
To volunteer for a Brethren Disaster Response clean up or rebuilding project, call your district disaster coordinator or the Emergency Response office at 800-451-4407. For information on assembling and shipping Gift of the Heart Clean-Up Buckets, see the Sept. 28 Newsline Update or go to www.churchworldservice.org, click on "Tools, Kits, and Blankets," then click on "Gift of the Heart Kits."
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
Brethren Disaster Response is starting a new clean up project next week in the area of Lake Charles, La., following destruction by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Emergency Response director Roy Winter is returning today from an assessment tour of areas of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama, where he visited Disaster Child Care projects, the Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in Citronelle, Ala., and two Church of the Brethren congregations in southern Louisiana.
The new Brethren Disaster Response clean up project in Louisiana is in cooperation with the Brethren congregations in the area: Lake Charles Community Church of the Brethren and Roanoke Church of the Brethren. Winter visited with pastor Jim Balmer and his wife, Jackie, of Roanoke, and with members of the Lake Charles congregation.
Lake Charles and surrounding communities were hit hard by the storm, suffering extensive damage from wind and fallen trees on homes, reported Emergency Response staff. Many elderly residents were affected who require assistance to clear the debris. Lake Charles Church of the Brethren members were affected as well, but suffered for the most only minor damage to homes, Winter said. While visiting the area, Winter helped remove a fallen log off of one member's home. Elsewhere he saw mostly minor roof damage and lots of fallen trees, he said. In a neighborhood of mobile homes, he did see homes "cut in half" by big trees, he added.
Volunteer work teams will begin arriving to start the new clean up project on Oct. 16, based out of a United Methodist Church parsonage in Roanoke. A tool trailer will be supplied from Western Plains District, Winter said, and Missouri and Arkansas District will provide the first team of volunteers.
Brethren Disaster Response already has experienced a decrease in the number of people interested in volunteering following the Gulf Coast hurricanes, Winter said. He asked the church not to lose track of the needs in the Gulf Coast--and needs still lingering following hurricanes and flooding last year. Florida still has 47,000 homes to be rebuilt following the four hurricanes that hit the state in 2004, Winter said. "In many ways their recovery is just starting. We're going to need some longterm volunteer help to keep this going," he said.
Winter emphasized that "we need immediate volunteers to help with the clean up efforts in Alabama and Louisiana, which tends to be physically demanding work." Winter also called for volunteers to consider going to the Brethren Disaster Response rebuilding projects in Florida and Ohio. "We don't want to forget our longterm projects," he said.
"The other great need right now is clean-up buckets," Winter added. "We're totally out of clean-up buckets."
To volunteer for a Brethren Disaster Response clean up or rebuilding project, call your district disaster coordinator or the Emergency Response office at 800-451-4407. For information on assembling and shipping Gift of the Heart Clean-Up Buckets, see the Sept. 28 Newsline Update or go to www.churchworldservice.org, click on "Tools, Kits, and Blankets," then click on "Gift of the Heart Kits."
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
Guatemala village homeless following hurricane and mud slides.
The village of Union Victoria in Guatemala, which has had a strong relationship with the Church of the Brethren for the past five years, is homeless and without food following Hurricane Stan and resulting mud slides. Union Victoria is the placement site for mission worker Rebecca Allen since the fall of 2004, working through the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships and Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS). Allen was away from the village when the five days of hurricane-related rains began, but returned on Oct. 11 to continue accompanying the villagers as they await aid.
General Board staff are working on ways to respond to the needs in Union Victoria, including grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund for immediate food and shelter needs and other responses.
Other Guatemalan communities with Brethren connections were not hit so hard, according to Tom Benevento, Latin America/Caribbean staff for Global Mission Partnerships. Another mission worker in Guatemala, Todd Bauer, reported by e-mail to the BVS office that in other areas of the country there is great damage. "There are whole villages that have been lost. There are major damages to the transportation infrastructure of the country," he wrote.
"The response of the Guatemalans to help their neighbors has been quick and effective," Bauer added. "People that haven't been affected directly are sending canned goods, clothes, and medicine to the affected zones. The affected families are being taken care of for the moment. The big question will be the reconstruction of the lost homes. This is a cost the Guatemalan people and unfortunately the government can't afford. This is where foreign governments, international agencies, solidarity groups, and sympathetic individuals are needed to help."
Reporting by satellite telephone to Benevento, Allen said that the 86 or 87 families that make up the village of Union Victoria are camped out on a hillside, sheltering in plastic sheets and tents. The community was evacuated, and rain and mud slides have destroyed some homes and the village crops, Allen said. No one in Union Victoria died in the disaster--one woman was saved after she was trapped by the slides.
The villagers had no food as of the time Allen called, and feared that it will be difficult for aid to reach them as the road and bridge to the community have been destroyed. The villagers asked Allen to pass on a request for help.
The Church of the Brethren has supported the village of Union Victoria for about the last five years through the accompaniment of mission and BVS workers and a variety of development projects, said Benevento. The village is made up of refugees who have returned from 15 years of hiding out in the mountains during Guatemala's time of armed conflict. The Church of the Brethren was the first group to help accompany the villagers after they settled, "so there's a strong connection," Benevento said.
In Union Victoria, "for every one person that's alive, one has died from those 15 years of starvation and attacks from the military," Benevento said. For the past five years the community has done "pretty well," he said, as it established a school and built homes. Now a number of those homes are washed out as well as all of the community's crops. "Some people are saying they're not sure they want to stay," Benevento reported from his conversation with Allen. "They're pretty frightened."
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
The village of Union Victoria in Guatemala, which has had a strong relationship with the Church of the Brethren for the past five years, is homeless and without food following Hurricane Stan and resulting mud slides. Union Victoria is the placement site for mission worker Rebecca Allen since the fall of 2004, working through the General Board's Global Mission Partnerships and Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS). Allen was away from the village when the five days of hurricane-related rains began, but returned on Oct. 11 to continue accompanying the villagers as they await aid.
General Board staff are working on ways to respond to the needs in Union Victoria, including grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund for immediate food and shelter needs and other responses.
Other Guatemalan communities with Brethren connections were not hit so hard, according to Tom Benevento, Latin America/Caribbean staff for Global Mission Partnerships. Another mission worker in Guatemala, Todd Bauer, reported by e-mail to the BVS office that in other areas of the country there is great damage. "There are whole villages that have been lost. There are major damages to the transportation infrastructure of the country," he wrote.
"The response of the Guatemalans to help their neighbors has been quick and effective," Bauer added. "People that haven't been affected directly are sending canned goods, clothes, and medicine to the affected zones. The affected families are being taken care of for the moment. The big question will be the reconstruction of the lost homes. This is a cost the Guatemalan people and unfortunately the government can't afford. This is where foreign governments, international agencies, solidarity groups, and sympathetic individuals are needed to help."
Reporting by satellite telephone to Benevento, Allen said that the 86 or 87 families that make up the village of Union Victoria are camped out on a hillside, sheltering in plastic sheets and tents. The community was evacuated, and rain and mud slides have destroyed some homes and the village crops, Allen said. No one in Union Victoria died in the disaster--one woman was saved after she was trapped by the slides.
The villagers had no food as of the time Allen called, and feared that it will be difficult for aid to reach them as the road and bridge to the community have been destroyed. The villagers asked Allen to pass on a request for help.
The Church of the Brethren has supported the village of Union Victoria for about the last five years through the accompaniment of mission and BVS workers and a variety of development projects, said Benevento. The village is made up of refugees who have returned from 15 years of hiding out in the mountains during Guatemala's time of armed conflict. The Church of the Brethren was the first group to help accompany the villagers after they settled, "so there's a strong connection," Benevento said.
In Union Victoria, "for every one person that's alive, one has died from those 15 years of starvation and attacks from the military," Benevento said. For the past five years the community has done "pretty well," he said, as it established a school and built homes. Now a number of those homes are washed out as well as all of the community's crops. "Some people are saying they're not sure they want to stay," Benevento reported from his conversation with Allen. "They're pretty frightened."
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
Disaster Child Care has cared for thousands since Hurricane Katrina.
In an update on Disaster Child Care (DCC), as of Oct. 11 approximately 80 trained DCC volunteers have cared for about 2,400 children in 11 centers throughout the US, responding to Hurricane Katrina. "Hitting, biting, grabbing toys from other children are some of the behaviors exhibited by children who have been evacuated due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina," reported Stonesifer.
Only one DCC project location related to Hurricane Katrina--Lafayette, La.--continues as of today. The other locations where child care teams cared for Hurricane Katrina survivors included Mobile, Ala.; Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Calif.; Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Biloxi, Miss.; Fort Pickett and Norfolk, Va.; Denver, Colo.; and Kingwood, W.Va.
The program also has scheduled another Level I training workshop for new Disaster Child Care volunteers. The event will take place 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at United Third Methodist Church, 56 West Main St., Sodus, New York 14551. Local coordinator is Judy Bezon, 315-573-2238 or 585-787-0379. For information about DCC training workshops and registration information see www.disasterchildcare.org.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
In an update on Disaster Child Care (DCC), as of Oct. 11 approximately 80 trained DCC volunteers have cared for about 2,400 children in 11 centers throughout the US, responding to Hurricane Katrina. "Hitting, biting, grabbing toys from other children are some of the behaviors exhibited by children who have been evacuated due to the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina," reported Stonesifer.
Only one DCC project location related to Hurricane Katrina--Lafayette, La.--continues as of today. The other locations where child care teams cared for Hurricane Katrina survivors included Mobile, Ala.; Los Angeles and San Bernardino, Calif.; Pensacola and Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Biloxi, Miss.; Fort Pickett and Norfolk, Va.; Denver, Colo.; and Kingwood, W.Va.
The program also has scheduled another Level I training workshop for new Disaster Child Care volunteers. The event will take place 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at United Third Methodist Church, 56 West Main St., Sodus, New York 14551. Local coordinator is Judy Bezon, 315-573-2238 or 585-787-0379. For information about DCC training workshops and registration information see www.disasterchildcare.org.
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
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In Pakistan, 'It's a horror story that doesn't end.'
The following telephone interview with Church World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan director Marvin Parvez was written by CWS staff member Chris Herlinger on Oct. 11 in New York. The Church of the Brethren has given $50,000 to CWS for work in Pakistan following the earthquake, through a grant from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund.
"'This is going to be the one remembered as the earthquake that killed the children,' said Church World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan director Marvin Parvez.
"Parvez is on the scene helping coordinate the CWS response to the calamitous earthquake that has killed more than 20,000 persons. Parvez said one report from Pakistan on Oct. 11 estimated the toll could climb to 80,000 fatalities.
"While there are occasional bits of good news about rescued survivors--as he spoke to CWS New York staff, Parvez received 'beautiful news' of four children being rescued from a school--reports from the scene have otherwise been extremely bleak.
"'There are recovered bodies of children being set outside of schools, ready for burial. As a parent, this is very difficult to see,' Parvez said.
"He added, 'It's a horror story that doesn't end. You find yet another village that has been flattened by this earthquake.' Efforts to rescue survivors or retrieve bodies are being hampered by the inaccessibility of remote rural villages. 'These villages are in mountainous regions where there no roads,' he said.
"Parvez urged support for CWS efforts to provide shelter to earthquake survivors, saying there is 'tremendous need right now. People have lost their homes and need shelter. People are very scared and they can't afford to lose any more loved ones.'
"In addition to support, Parvez, a United Methodist, asked for prayer from US Christians and supporters of CWS efforts in Pakistan. 'We need prayers for parents who lost their children,' he said, 'and for children who lost their parents.'"
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
The following telephone interview with Church World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan director Marvin Parvez was written by CWS staff member Chris Herlinger on Oct. 11 in New York. The Church of the Brethren has given $50,000 to CWS for work in Pakistan following the earthquake, through a grant from the General Board's Emergency Disaster Fund.
"'This is going to be the one remembered as the earthquake that killed the children,' said Church World Service (CWS) Pakistan/Afghanistan director Marvin Parvez.
"Parvez is on the scene helping coordinate the CWS response to the calamitous earthquake that has killed more than 20,000 persons. Parvez said one report from Pakistan on Oct. 11 estimated the toll could climb to 80,000 fatalities.
"While there are occasional bits of good news about rescued survivors--as he spoke to CWS New York staff, Parvez received 'beautiful news' of four children being rescued from a school--reports from the scene have otherwise been extremely bleak.
"'There are recovered bodies of children being set outside of schools, ready for burial. As a parent, this is very difficult to see,' Parvez said.
"He added, 'It's a horror story that doesn't end. You find yet another village that has been flattened by this earthquake.' Efforts to rescue survivors or retrieve bodies are being hampered by the inaccessibility of remote rural villages. 'These villages are in mountainous regions where there no roads,' he said.
"Parvez urged support for CWS efforts to provide shelter to earthquake survivors, saying there is 'tremendous need right now. People have lost their homes and need shelter. People are very scared and they can't afford to lose any more loved ones.'
"In addition to support, Parvez, a United Methodist, asked for prayer from US Christians and supporters of CWS efforts in Pakistan. 'We need prayers for parents who lost their children,' he said, 'and for children who lost their parents.'"
Source: 10/14/2005 Newsline Special Report
top
Credits
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Todd Bauer, Diane Gosnell, Chris Herlinger, and Helen Stonesifer contributed to this report.
Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board, on every other Wednesday with other editions as needed. Newsline stories may be reprinted if Newsline is cited as the source. Todd Bauer, Diane Gosnell, Chris Herlinger, and Helen Stonesifer contributed to this report.
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