A friend posted this unbelievable picture of what looks like a stormy sea or lake. It’s actually a shot of I-10 near Beaumont, Texas, where Harvey victims have no water supply now and may not for a long time to come. Lord hear our cries and prayers for the people of Southeast Texas and Louisiana.
It’s long been fashionable to bad-mouth or dismiss “organized religion.” At one level, I understand that sentiment. On a deeper level, churches, denominations and big faith organizations of all kinds–i.e., “organized religion”–can, and do, do a world of good.
UMCOR provides all kinds of relief for victims of disasters around the world, including various kinds of “relief kits” stored in the church agency’s huge depots and volunteer centers.
Here are reasons to consider a donation to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) — an efficient relief agency that serves every part of the world — which is currently taking donations for Hurricane Harvey relief.
1. Every dollar you donate to the Hurricane Harvey Advance (see here) will go directly to aid for the victims in Southeast Texas.
I repeat — every dollar. That’s because UMCOR’s administrative and overhead costs are paid by donations given throughout the year in a systematic way by the people of the United Methodist Church in America and other nations.
2. Rebuilding in Houston, Beaumont and others areas ravaged by this god-awful disaster will take years and many years.
In the years ahead, experienced UMCOR staff members and church volunteer teams will be down there, on the ground, directly involved in rebuilding efforts.
Dollars will also keep flowing as future UMCOR contributions to the Advance Fund stream in.
I could cite more good reasons, but I’ll let those two good reasons stand.
I’m making a plea to my always generous blog readers to consider a donation–and to keep the people of my beloved homeland in Southeast Texas and in neighboring Louisiana in your thoughts and prayers.
Again, here is the site for UMCOR’s Harvey funding, complete with other links and a video about the agency’s long-term commitment to Harvey relief.
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Holy God, the source of all life, out of the depths of sorrow we call to you.
In the face of incomprehensible anguish and sorrow, we lift the cries of our distress.
We implore you the God of mercy to hold up the masses of people suffering from the destruction of Hurricane Harvey.
We pray for those who have died and ask you to hold those in grief in your loving arms.
Strengthen the weary hands and hearts of all those assisting in search-and-rescue and relief efforts. Grant them the resolve to stand with their neighbors, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen
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