Giving to UMCOR tsunami relief exceeds $4 million
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose
Bishop Joel Martinez (right) prays over a shipment of medicine presented by a United Methodist delegation to Indonesia.
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United
Methodist Bishop Joel Martinez (right) prays over a shipment of
medicine presented by a delegation of leaders from the United Methodist
Church to aid tsunami victims in Bireuen, Indonesia. At left is
delegation member Kyung Za Yim, president of the denomination's Women's
Division. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose.
Photo #05-094. Accompanies UMNS #049, 1/20/05 |
Jan. 20, 2005By Elliott Wright* NEW
YORK (UMNS) — Contributions to the United Methodist Committee on Relief
for Asian tsunami relief passed the $4 million mark during the Martin
Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. "We
are still opening checks," said Roland Fernandes, treasurer of the
United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, the parent organization of
UMCOR. The death toll from the tidal waves that swept the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas reached 220,000 on Jan. 19. "The
outpouring of love and concern in the form of dollars is deeply
touching," said the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the mission
board. Two days earlier, he had returned from Indonesia, the hardest hit
of the 12 countries swept by the gigantic waves. Contributions
included in the $4 million figure are primarily from telephone and
online credit-card donations and checks sent directly to UMCOR.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose
Dr.
Charles Yeh from a Chinese Christian relief group will use medicine
provided by United Methodists to aid tsunami victims in Indonesia.
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| Dr.
Charles Yeh from the Chinese Christian Relief Association in Taiwan and
Indonesian Methodists will use medications presented by a delegation of
leaders from the United Methodist Church to aid tsunami victims in
Bireuen, Indonesia. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-093.
Accompanies UMNS #049, 1/20/05 |
Fernandes said this
included some but by no means all of the money given through local
church collections and forwarded through denominational channels. He
noted a significant slowdown in online contributions in recent days.
"This is quite natural as we move away from the immediate emotional
impact of the tragedy," he said.Day
and a delegation of United Methodist mission and communications leaders
visited the island of Sumatra, near the epicenter of the earthquake
that caused the tsunamis, on Jan. 11-16. The group took more than
100,000 doses of medicine for tsunami survivors. UMCOR
is engaged in both immediate and long-term relief and rehabilitation in
the affected area. Its work is coordinated with that of other Methodist
and humanitarian agencies, and it puts a high priority on collaboration
with local efforts and personnel. Donations
to UMCOR’s "South Asia Emergency" relief efforts can be placed in local
church offering plates or sent directly to UMCOR, 475 Riverside Drive,
Room 330, New York, NY 10115. Designate checks for UMCOR Advance #274305
and "South Asia Emergency." Online donations can be made at www.methodistrelief.org. Those making credit-card donations can call (800) 554-8583. *Wright is the information officer of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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