Presbyterians are responding extremely generously to the Moderator's Appeal to aid victims of the Earthquake Tsunami with the final total expected to be far in excess of the initial donation of £100,000 given by the Church to Tearfund and Christian Aid in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Presbyterian Moderator Dr Ken Newell had asked congregations to arrange retiring collections for both last Sunday and next Sunday, 16 January, to give people the opportunity to contribute.
"The response has been so generous," commented the Moderator. "Belfast congregations have been telling me of offerings of between £4,000 and £25,000 last Sunday and all expect that generosity to continue next Sunday as well."
In one Belfast Presbyterian Church the congregation have already given double what they have contributed to previous emergency appeals in the last years including the famine in Darfur and the earthquake in Gujarat, North India.
However in the midst of this generosity the Moderator has been continuing to urge people to pray for the people caught up in this catastrophe, whether that be as victims or as those bringing relief.
"As well as giving generously financially I want people to continue to give generously of their time in prayer," added Dr Newell.
"In particular we should be remembering the people of various cultures and creeds who have survived the trauma and now have physical, emotional and spiritual scars to heal; people of all ages grieving the loss of relatives and friends, and those who still live with uncertainty about the people they love; people at all levels in governments, aid agencies and other non-governmental organizations engaged in emergency and relief work who must now overcome unprecedented challenges to coordinate creative and effective action; people in our own land who are responding with such generosity to this tragedy; and our partner Churches as they minister the compassion of the Servant King and strive to live a life of love amongst their neighbours."
Issued by Stephen Lynas, Presbyterian Information Services. Info@PresbyterianIreland.org
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