Called to Help Rebuild, We Became Part of a New Family

When we watched the news in 2005 that Hurricane Katrina had hit the Gulf Coast, we were pretty sure that Brethren Disaster Ministries would be available to help with the rebuilding. We had no idea that it would mean a major change for us, that it would bring us into an experience that we now consider to be one of the highlights of our lives.

Brethren Disaster Ministries Begins New Partnership for ‘Disaster Recovery Support Initiative’

Brethren Disaster Ministries has begun a new partnership for a Disaster Recovery Support Initiative, joining in with disaster programs of other Christian denominations. The ministry has requested an allocation of $5,000 from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to help fund this pilot program to more quickly and effectively support the formation of Long Term Recovery Groups (LTRGs) in communities affected by disaster.

Food, Aid Distributions Reach Thousands of People in Remote Districts in Nigeria

The EYN Crisis Management Team of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) has been very busy with food distributions. In the last few weeks, your donations have provided food for more than 988 families (about 6,000 individuals). Food was distributed to three remote districts that had never received help because they were still in dangerous and unsafe areas.

Nigeria Crisis Response Staff Provide Details of the Relief Effort

Church of the Brethren staff working with the Nigeria Crisis Response have provided financial details and accounting of the relief effort in Nigeria, which responds to needs of those affected by the violent Islamist insurgency in the northeast of the country. The crisis response is a cooperative effort of the Church of the Brethren and Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria).

Armenian Genocide Sparked 100 Years of Brethren Response to Disaster and Conflict

The commemoration of 100 years since the beginning of the Armenian genocide in 1915 also marks nearly a century of Church of the Brethren compassionate response to those affected by disasters and conflicts. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turks in the genocide that occurred from 1915 to 1923. Brethren began responding to the needs of Armenian survivors and refugees beginning in 1917.

Chiques Church of the Brethren Is a Giving Church

In mid-April, Chiques Church of the Brethren in Manheim, Pa., sponsored a dinner and silent auction to help support the Nigeria Crisis Fund. Jennifer Cox, one of the event organizers, said, “Church of the Brethren in the United States has responded to the crisis with an outpouring of resources to bring relief and hope to our brothers and sisters in Nigeria who are living daily with the threat of violence.”

Responding to the Nepal Earthquake

“Through the heartbreak of so much destruction and death, Brethren Disaster Ministries is organizing a multilevel response” to the Nepal earthquake, reported Roy Winter, associate executive director of Global Mission and Service and Brethren Disaster Ministries.

Grants from EDF Support Brethren Disaster Ministries Projects in New Jersey, Colorado

Two Brethren Disaster Ministries project sites in the United States are receiving support through grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF), totaling $75,000. Brethren Disaster Ministries also has directed an EDF grant to the island nation of Vanuatu after it was hit by Tropical Cyclone Pam.

[gt-link lang="en" label="English" widget_look="flags_name"]