PRESS
RELEASE
USPG
Asks Churches to Respond Twice
to
Asia Tsunami Appeal
News coming in from mission agency USPG’s
partner
churches across the area affected by Boxing Day’s tsunami demonstrates
the
sheer scale of the immediate and long-term work being faced by the
local
Christian communities.
USPG today urged the Church in Britain and
Ireland
to make a two-fold response to the Asia Emergency, firstly
through the
international emergency appeal and then secondly through Britain’s
mission
agencies.
Canon Edgar Ruddock, International Relations
Director at USPG said, “The local Christian communities in the affected
areas
will want to ensure their care goes beyond the headlines and horror
stories. Here at home, mission agencies
like USPG have a crucial and unique role to play – there will be a huge
need
for church-to-church support in the coming weeks and months, as the
true
picture of the disaster emerges.”
USPG has an Asia Emergency Appeal which is
open as
of today to receive gifts and support.
Monies will be held until Church Leaders on the ground are able
to
assess their most urgent needs. Canon
Ruddock said, “ We will then seek to direct as much longer-term support
as
possible to where it will be most effective in supporting the
continuing ministry
of the churches to their local communities.”
USPG’s Julie Lipp-Nathaniel, Desk Officer for
South
Asia commented “I believe it is a challenge to churches and mission
agencies to
be seen to be quick, unbureaucratic and unpartisan in offering aid and
rehabilitation. With God's help we can multiply the little we have to
make a
big difference.”
Gifts to USPG’s Asia
Emergency
Appeal will be used to respond to the evaluations of the situations
facing
church communities as they seek to put in place a measured, effective
and
pastoral response to this global catastrophe.
Please make cheques payable to “USPG” and
earmark
them “Asia Emergency”. The address to send them to is:
USPG
(Asia Emergency)
Partnership
House,
157
Waterloo Road,
LONDON
SE1
8XA
Donations
can also be made online at www.uspg.org.uk
Donor
Forms can be downloaded here
(.pdf format)
page 3/3