United Methodists use ‘USA Today’ ad to help tsunami victims Dec. 30, 2004  NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (UMNS) — The United Methodist Church will use a full-page
advertisement in USA Today to offer a message of healing and encourage
support for relief efforts following the Dec. 26 earthquake in the
Indian Ocean. The
advertisement is scheduled to appear in USA Today’s Jan. 3 edition in
the United States and in its international editions on Tuesday, Jan. 4,
said Bishop Peter D. Weaver, president of the denomination’s Council of
Bishops. The
ad is a major element of the church’s effort to assist victims of the
disaster, Weaver said. The undersea earthquake caused tidal waves that
struck at least 12 countries from Southeast Asia to Africa, killing at
least 117,000 people. “We
are called to respond to a loss of life and human suffering that is
nearly beyond our ability to comprehend,” Weaver said. “The United
Methodist Church has a long history of responding to those in need. For
more than 60 years the United Methodist Committee on Relief has offered
long-term assistance to victims of disaster around the globe.”
|
|
Bishop Peter D. Weaver |
The ad focuses on
weathered hands folded in prayer, with the headline: “In eleven
countries, hands folded in prayer are already at work.” The text asks
people to join in giving “to those who have lost so much. … Through
whatever means that comfort you, let your prayers and generosity be felt
across the world.” The
ad is sponsored by United Methodist Communications, the denomination’s
communications agency. UMCom is responsible for the denomination’s
advertising campaign, “Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. The People
of The United Methodist Church.” “The
struggle of those affected by this disaster is our struggle as well,”
Weaver said. “As we keep those persons in our prayers, we are getting to
work to help them for as long as it takes to rebuild lives and
communities.” News media contact: Stephen Drachler, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5411 or (615) 456-4710, or sdrachler@umcom.org.
| 
Korean News
