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Gaza – Preparing for humanitarian response
Photo by Paul Jeffrey.
More than 300 people have been killed in the recent Israeli Palestinian conflict in Gaza. Action by Churches Together (ACT) has warned of a dramatic escalation of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza if current hostilities do not cease.
PDA is in communication with ACT and other partners and will assist in responding to humanitarian needs as possible.
[Read more]
Some 250,000 people have fled their homes in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo to escape fighting between the army and rebels. Congo is striving to recover from a long civil war that reportedly killed some 5 million people. As the newly internally displaced people join 1 million already displaced, fears of a humanitarian disaster are rising.
Presbyterians in the United States are among those seeking to end the fighting and suffering. They are praying for peace and calling for increased international efforts to stop the violence.
Learn how you can respond to the situation in Congo through prayer, financial support and advocacy.
Give where it’s needed most
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has responded to an unprecedented number of crises in 2008. Hurricanes Ike and Gustav destroyed entire cities. Summer floods left extensive damage to communities in Iowa. A season of crops was wiped away by the cyclone in Myanmar. The Chinese earthquake leveled homes and schools.
We say, who are you calling "mysterious?"
PDA staff and volunteers are often some of the first people on the scene to help with the initial assessment phase. Our commitment to long-term recovery keeps us on the ground long after the initial crisis has passed. We are still providing financial, spiritual and volunteer assistance in communities washed away by Katrina more than three years ago. And, working in tandem with our local congregations and regional bodies, we have made a similar commitment to the people along the Texas Gulf coast who suffered the wrath of Hurricane Ike. PDA is currently working to set up a volunteer village to serve the Galveston and coastal areas, and another in the Port Neches, Louisiana area.
Send a volunteer work team or make a donation today and help deliver physical, emotional and spiritual assistance to those people who continue to be affected by the storms.
Resources
Use these resources as a minute for mission with your congregation. Watch a video  to learn more about how PDA is responding and how you can help. Download, print and share the bulletin inserts below.
Residents wade through a flooded street after heavy rains in Gonaives, Haiti, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. Hurricane Ike damaged most of the homes on Grand Turk island as it roared onto the Bahamas and raked Haiti's flooded cities with rain. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos) Prayer in times of trouble
God of wind and water, stillness and storm,
your Spirit sweeps over the surface of the sea.
Give us faith to seek you in times of trouble.
Reach out your hand to us when we are sinking
so that we may believe and worship you;
through Jesus Christ, Sovereign and Savior.
(Matthew 14:22-33)
Find more resources for worship. |
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