The WELS Committee on Relief (COR) has authorized the release of $25,000 to the international relief agency CARE for immediate disaster relief supplies for Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake.
The decision was made at the COR’s meeting in Chicago on Jan. 16.
According to Mr. Mark Vance, COR director of operations, working with CARE allows money donated by WELS members to be put into immediate use for relief efforts in Haiti. “Being an international group, [CARE] always seems to have people on the ground in areas where we can’t get into,” he says.
“Please know that we at CARE in the United States as well as in Haiti greatly appreciate the support of WELS and its partners and parishioners,” says Tom Hanschman, senior director of CARE Chicago. “This is going to be such a long-term recovery and rehabilitation process, and this support will go a long way to alleviating the suffering occurring in Haiti.”
Vance reports that additional donations to COR will support any potential efforts undertaken by WELS contacts in the region and continue to support CARE’s efforts as appropriate.
WELS has no resident missionaries or congregations in Haiti, but Rev. Philip Strackbein, a member of the Latin American Traveling Theological Educators team, is based in the Dominican Republic. Strackbein reports that no members of the Dominican Republic churches were hurt in the 7.0 magnitude quake, although some members have relatives in Haiti that they have been unable to contact. National pastor Rona Abraham—from Haiti but now residing in the Dominican Republic—traveled to Haiti this past weekend to contact his relatives and assess the situation firsthand. Strackbein and the COR are waiting to hear what he discovered. “He very much needs everyone’s continued prayers because he is entering into a very dangerous situation even for him as a Haitian going to look for relatives,” says Strackbein.
At its meeting, the COR also approved a possible assessment trip for COR and WELS World Missions representatives to the Dominican Republic in the next few weeks to meet with Strackbein and Haitian members of the Dominican churches. “The purpose of this meeting would be to begin assessing the physical needs of affected members’ families, friends, and communities in Haiti as well as to look at opportunities to provide spiritual aid and gospel comfort,” says Vance.
Donations to the earthquake relief effort can be made online. Checks can be made out to WELS Committee on Relief. Designate Haiti earthquake and mail to:WELS Committee on Relief, 2929 N Mayfair Road, Milwaukee WI, 53222-4398.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans is matching donations from its members to WELS Committee on Relief and other Lutheran relief agencies one dollar for every two dollars donated—up to $1 million. To benefit WELS COR, checks should be made payable to WELS Committee on Relief. Make sure the memo line of the check reads “Helping Haiti” and mail it to Thrivent’s home office: 4321 N Ballard Road, Appleton WI, 54919. Gifts can also be made online or by phone; go to www.thrivent.com/helpinghaiti or call 800-236-3736 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday. When prompted, say “directory” then enter extension 83003.
Read Strackbein’s full account on the WELS blogs.
