The Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed two recent grants from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support continued rebuilding work at a project site in Colorado, and a response by PAG to flooding in Honduras.
Emergency Disaster Fund
EDF Grants Go to Families in Myanmar and Haitians in the DR, CDS Receives UMCOR Grant
The staff of Brethren Disaster Ministries have directed grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to aid families in Myanmar (Burma) who were affected by Cyclone Komen, and to help people of Haitian descent who are living in the Dominican Republic.
Denomination Records Stellar Giving, but Core Ministries Giving Suffers
The Church of the Brethren is recording exceptionally generous giving to its denominational ministries this year, the Mission and Ministry Board learned at its Fall meeting. The financial reporting was given by treasurer Brian Bultman and assistant treasurer Ed Woolf. For a full report from the meeting, and a report of the 2016 budget decision, see the story below.
Brethren Disaster Ministries Directs $50,000 in Grants to Refugee and Migrant Crisis
Brethren Disaster Ministries staff have directed $50,000 from the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) to support ecumenical partners who are serving people affected by the refugee and migrant crisis. Other recent EDF grants include the allocation of $30,000 to continue the Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project in Spotswood, N.J.
Brethren Bits: A Focus on the Refugee and Migrant Crisis
In this issue: A focus on the refugee and migrant crisis, plus news of Children’s Disaster Services response to California wildfires, Sept. 20’s Mission Offering Emphasis, the 39th annual Brethren Disaster Relief Auction, personnel notes and job openings, prayer requests from Global Mission, a “March for Peace” in Haiti, church anniversaries, Brethren in the news, and more.
Newsline for Aug. 26, 2015
1) Called to help rebuild, we became part of a new family
2) Brethren Disaster Ministries notes accomplishments of Hurricane Katrina response
3) Children’s Disaster Services changed the lives of children and families after Katrina
4) On the road to Damascus: When the scales fall from our eyes
5) Christian leaders urge Congress to vote for diplomatic agreement with Iran
6) Prayer is requested for those affected by wildfires in western states
7) Brethren volunteers in Nigeria renew wedding vows after 48 years of marriage
8) Brethren Disaster Ministries restructures, makes personnel changes
9) Brethren Volunteer Service unit begins work at project sites
10) Congregations invited to plan special prayers, events for Peace Day
11) Covenant Bible Studies shed light on 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Peter, Jude
12) Brethren bits
Children’s Disaster Services Changed the Lives of Children and Families After Katrina
Hurricane Katrina changed the lives of children and families. They were profoundly affected throughout the evacuation process, as they moved into new states and communities or returned to rebuild, and as their families created a way forward over the past 10 years.
Brethren Disaster Ministries Notes Accomplishments of Hurricane Katrina Response
The largest and longest domestic response in Brethren Disaster Ministries history ended when the work at its sixth and final Hurricane Katrina recovery project, in St. Bernard Parish, La., was completed in June 2011. During the nearly 6-year response, Brethren Disaster Ministries volunteers repaired or rebuilt homes for 531 families in 6 communities along the Gulf Coast, giving an estimated value of $6,776,416.80 in labor (2010 dollar value). Project consultants John and Mary Mueller oversaw this project for more than four years.
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.