Statement from the United Church of Christ
Says 'extravagant welcome' must be matched by 'extravagant generosity'
CLEVELAND -- Saying its outspoken commitment to "extravagant welcome" must be matched equally with an outpouring of "extravagant generosity," the United Church of Christ announced today (Jan. 4) that it is pledging $300,000 to assist victims of the disastrous Dec. 26 tsunami that has left millions homeless, injured or dead throughout southern Asia.
In addition to $93,000 in assistance shared within hours of the tragedy, the 1.3-million-member United Church of Christ is raising an additional $207,000 from church members and friends to support the denomination's long-established ecumenical partners in the affected regions.
"The fact that we were able to wire funding on Monday, Dec. 27, within hours of the disaster, is because UCC people had given generously last year to One Great Hour of Sharing [the UCC's special mission offering that supports disaster response]," says Susan M. Sanders, the UCC's Minister for the Global Sharing of Resources. "Now we turn to our members and friends to expand our response and to express the UCC's commitment to extravagant generosity."
The UCC has established the Asia Tsunami Relief Fund to supplement its relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts in the region, Sanders said, with almost 600 UCC members and friends already contributing nearly $70,000 through the church's initial, online appeal.
In the past week, Sanders said, the UCC has relied on additional staff assistance at its national offices in Cleveland to process church members' extra contributions, offered online and through the mail.
On Sunday, Jan. 2, many of the UCC's 6,000 congregations received special offerings in support of the denomination's efforts, Sanders said, and several congregations were preparing "health kits" for the ecumenical Church World Service (CWS), of which the UCC is a founding member. CWS already has airlifted 40,000 health kits to serve tsunami victims.
"In the UCC, there is a long-standing, ecumenical value that affirms that we can better serve by joining with others rather than believing we can do it all by ourselves," Sanders said. "We are able to share the love of Christ far further."
The UCC is also a founding member of Action by Churches Together, an international entity that is working with dozens of denominations to coordinate and expedite faith-based disaster response.
As part of its recovery plan, the UCC is partnering with church bodies in Southern Asia with long ties to the U.S. denomination: the Church of North India, Church of South India, the Jaffna Diocese in the Church of South India (Sri Lanka), the Church of Christ in Thailand and the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action in India.
"We weren't trying to find out last Sunday who to call," Sanders said. "We work with long-term, established partners. The system is there, and it's well developed."
Global Ministries -- the joint mission board of the UCC and Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) -- has two foreign missionaries serving in affected regions of Sri Lanka. As part of the two denomination's relief efforts, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has pledged $250,000 in disaster recovery assistance, in addition to the UCC's $300,000 commitment.
"Anyone who is in need is who we serve," Sanders said. "In our eyes, when it comes to need, there is no race, creed or caste. If you are in need, we stand willing to respond."
Sanders said church members are praying for tsunami victims, but also providing much-needed financial resources that will provide food, clothing, shelter, clean water, medicine, medical care, trauma counseling and housing reconstruction for those struggling to recover from the disaster.
The United Church of Christ was formed in 1957 by the union of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church.
