Moravian Disaster Response (MDR) enables us to coordinate and focus our efforts to bring relief to those who are suffering from natural disasters. What follows is an update on how we are currently extending God's love and how you can help with our future efforts.
The summer of 2018 saw work crews extending God's love by traveling to St. Thomas to help get the school at Memorial Moravian Church ready for students. Church leaders on St. Thomas are asking for more volunteer help during the months of February, March, and April concluding the week before Holy Week. They are looking for groups of 6-8 persons who can help to restore homes of their church members. There are opportunities to work both on St. Thomas and the island of Tortola.
November 4-17 saw over 25 individuals from North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania extending God's love by providing cleanup and construction assistance to Hurricane Florence victims in Wilmington, NC. A very special thank you goes to the Covenant Moravian Church for hosting the work groups. In nearby Lumberton, NC Moravians are organizing a series of work crews to help restore homes that were also damaged by Hurricane Florence flooding. Dates for crews to either Lumberton or Wilmington are being planned for 2019 at this time so please check the Board of World Mission website for the latest details on opportunities to serve.
We are happy to report that our Moravian brothers and sisters at the Morongo Moravian Congregation have not been impacted by the recent California wildfires. We have sent money to assist our Presbyterian and Lutheran partners in their effort at extending God's love to those who have suffered losses from these devastating fires. These funds are helping to purchase grocery store gift cards so that families can have access to the food and supplies that they need. We anticipate that there will be volunteer opportunities for those willing to help with recovery efforts once first responders have completed their work.
If you are interested in extending God's love by joining a mission crew to Wilmington, Lumberton, California, or St. Thomas, please fill out the registration form found on the Board of World Mission website at MoravianMission.org/MDR. Questions can be directed to the Rt. Rev. Chris Giesler by email at chris@moravianmission.org, or by calling 610-868-1732.
You can help in extending God's love by sending your donations to: Board of World Mission, 1021 Center Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. Those living in Canada may send donations to: The Moravian Church in Canada, 600 Acadia Drive SE, Calgary, AB, T2J 0B8. You may also make your donation online at http://moravianmission.org/give/ and click on the green “Donate Now” link at the top of the page (please note that Canadians may give through the online option, but if you do so you will not get tax credit for your gift). Please do mark your donation with "MDR". 100% of your gift goes directly to our relief efforts. Your support changes lives.