Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes to ever appear in the Caribbean Sea. It caused extensive damage in Haiti before making landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 27 as an extremely powerful and destructive Category 5 hurricane. Melissa passed over the island nation heading north to make landfall in Cuba on Oct. 29 as a weaker hurricane with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour.
A number of grants have been made recently from Church of the Brethren denominational funds including the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) for disaster relief, the Global Food Initiative fund (GFI) for food security, and the Brethren Faith in Action fund (BFIA) to support congregational outreach projects.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed two $10,000 grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to a flood relief program of ASIGLEH (the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela) and to the work of partner organization Child Life Disaster Relief.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to fund planning for increased humanitarian needs in South Sudan; an aid program by l’Eglise des Freres au Congo (Church of the Brethren in the DR Congo) for displaced families and refugees in Burundi who have fled the M23 violence; and purchase of medicines and medical equipment for hospitals and clinics serving Palestinians displaced in Gaza City due to the Israel-Hamas war.
Brethren Disaster Ministries has directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to continued support for the Nigeria Crisis Response, to aid those affected in three central African countries by the warfare in Goma and the surrounding area, to aid those affected by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and to aid those affected by the war in Ukraine, among others.
“Give now to support California wildfire response through Brethren Disaster Ministries,” said an appeal shared by denominational staff this week. “Children’s Disaster Services is already responding to the needs of children and families. Working with the Pacific Southwest District and partner organizations, Brethren Disaster Ministries is planning to address short- and long-term needs of vulnerable people impacted by the fires.”
Recent grants made from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) have been directed by Brethren Disaster Ministries to extend aid to organizations working in response to humanitarian needs created by the war between Israel and Hamas, with the violence now extended beyond Gaza into the West Bank and Lebanon
Recent grants made from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) have been directed by Brethren Disaster Ministries
Staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries continue to work with district leaders to help coordinate response efforts including the collection and distribution of relief materials and donations for emergency funding–especially for the hardest-hit areas in Southeastern District. Another conference call with district leaders is planned for Friday afternoon, Oct. 11. Brethren Disaster Ministries urges church members
As media report that the death toll from Hurricane Helene has topped 200–with more than half of the deaths in western North Carolina–Brethren Disaster Ministries and Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) have begun active responses to aid survivors of the storm and its aftermath.