ABC/USA World Relief Officer, Lisa Rothenberger Answers Questions Regarding the Haiti Relief Effort

Q:  People want to know how they can help.  Tell me how people can help today.  

A:  At this time there are 3 primary ways that people can help.

 

1.   PRAY for the people of Haiti---and I mean all of the people of Haiti.  With the loss of life so great and destruction so vast it is hard to imagine any Haitian not being affected by this tragedy.

 

2.   GIVE to One Great Hour of Sharing.  100% of the gifts given for “Haiti Relief” will go to the relief and rehabilitation of those affected.  You can give through your local church or online at www.internationalministries.org

Many people have asked me if there are supplies or material goods that they can gather.  I would encourage people who want to do something in addition to giving money to make hygiene or baby kits that are distributed by Church World Service.  You can find the details on what are in these kits at http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_main

For those who want to provide medicines, I encourage supporting IMA World Health.  They specialize in the IMA Medicine Box which provides 2-3 months worth of medicines for approximately 1,000 people.  Their website is www.imaworldhealth.org.

 

3.   PLAN TO GO in future weeks or months.  Right now there is need for people with specialized training—doctors, nurses, and search and rescue professionals.  We need to wait until the situation stabilizes to send teams to assist with the rebuilding.  This time will come, but it’s not in the first weeks after a disaster of this magnitude.  Contact Angela Sudermann at angela.sudermann@abc-usa.org  for information on how to volunteer.

Haiti Updates

Two Royal Oak Congregations Merge

The American Baptist Churches of Michigan (ABC-MI) welcomes Genesis--The Church into our fellowship following the joyful affirmation of the First Baptist Church of Royal Oak and Genesis the Church congregations voting to come together as one body. As Pastor Beau McCarthy stated in a letter to the congregations, "This is truly a work of God!" He goes on to state, "This transition will give us all an opportunity to obey the royal law: to love our neighbor as ourselves. And, we are more than neighbor; we ar family, co-heirs in Christ. As Genesis the Church, we together are setting a course to magnify the name of God in Royal Oak and beyond." The merger became effective January 1, 2010. In just the first few Sundays, more that 350 adults have gathered for the 10:30 a.m. worship with more than 100 preschool through fifth grade children attending "The Garden." The merged congregation is using the facilities of the former FBCRO. Plans are already underway for significant facility renovations to happen later this year.

ABC-MI Pastors Encouraged to Fan the Flame at Upcoming Conference

ABC-MI pastors are encouraged to take advantage of a life-transforming opportunity as they are ministered to at the Fanning the Flame Pastors' Renewal Conference May 24-27 at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, Wisconsin. Come for a time of spiritual renewal, relaxation and relating to colleagues in ministry from all over the country. Click here for details.

Conversation Café Final Report

by Patricia Hernandez

2009 Annual Equipping Event: Renewable Energy, that which sustains us

Hope for the church is dependent upon the quality of our conversations. Conversations build relationships and relationships build hope. Jesus said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” The key to our future is as simple as welcoming Jesus in our midst; it is as complicated as tending to our conversations. -- Bishop John Hopkins, UMC

The 2009 Annual Equipping Event featured a unique process known as the Conversation Café, an innovative yet simple method for hosting conversations about questions that matter. The goal of the Café model is to help to unearth the wisdom and common interests that exist among a diverse group of people. The questions which formed our Café process were:

Central Area Annual Meeting

Central Area Annual Meeting will be held on January 30, 2010 from 9:30 a.m. until noon at the First Baptist Church of Stockbridge located at 950 S. Clinton Street. Every Central Area Church is invited to send delegates.

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