VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 3/3/10)—An additional $21,600 in One Great Hour of Sharing funds has been sent to an International Ministries’ (IM) partner in Haiti. This amount is in addition to the $105,000 already provided to IM’s various Christian partners in Haiti in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, the capital of this Caribbean nation, and the surrounding area.
This latest support is designated specifically to the Convention of Baptists in Haiti (CBH) for its Feeding the Hungry project, which will provide food to families who have lost a loved one as a result of the earthquake. The project is slated to help these families with daily food provisions for the next three months.
Many children have become orphans, and many widowed women are now single parents. A great number of men who did survive have no means of providing food for their families since there are no available employment opportunities.
Among CBH churches, 30 members lost their lives to the earthquake, 306 were severely injured and another 107 people were wounded. Structural damage among the homes of congregational members included the total destruction of 438 houses and the partial destruction of 673.
José Norat Rodríguez, IM area director of Iberoamerica and the Caribbean, said, “This type of assistance is critical for families who are already struggling because of the loss of family members or homes. We join the leaders and members of CBH in giving thanks to God for this tangible demonstration of love, which is but one expression of our important partnership.”
Donations to One Great Hour of Sharing continue to be needed for further projects. Donors can give through the IM website: www.internationalministries.org/items/80, or by check to: “OGHS – Haiti Earthquake Relief” and mailed to: International Ministries, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851. Support can also be given by American Baptists through their church by making checks payable to the church with “One Great Hour of Sharing – Haiti Earthquake Relief” written in the memo section. Donations are also accepted on the American Baptist Churches website, at: http://www.abc-usa.org/Give.aspx.
One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the General Board. The Committee facilitates American Baptist emergency relief, disaster rehabilitation, refugee work, and development assistance by establishing policy guidelines and overseeing distribution of the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering.
American Baptist Churches is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with 5,500 local congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.