VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 9/20/12)—$7,000 in One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) funds has been released by American Baptist International Ministries (IM) to help Christians who are displaced by ethnic violence in western Assam, India.
Hundreds of people forced to move to relief camps started to receive relief supplies on September 4-5, including bathing soap, detergent, baby food and mosquito netting, according to the Council of Baptist Churches in N.E. India (CBCNEI), an IM partner.
In addition to the $7,000 OGHS contribution, CBCNEI received funds through Campus Christian Fellowship, Kohima Science College, Thahekhu Baptist Church, Guwahati Baptist Church, Guwahati Satsang Church and CBCNEI itself.
According to an official CBCNEI report, “The communal violence in Kokrajhar district of Assam has left many homeless and lives were lost. At present most of these affected people are living in relief camps set up in secure places. They are afraid to go back to their own homes, fearing that bloodsheds and violence may occur any time.”
Violence erupted in July between two ethnic groups in western Assam, India, according to Taku and Katie Longkumer, IM development workers in NE India. “Over 200,000 people were displaced as dozens of villages were burned to the ground and over 70 people hacked to death,” described the Longkumers at that time. They characterize the scene as “tense” and “violent” and began requesting prayer from U.S. and Puerto Rico churches a month ago.
Says Katie and Taku Longkumer, “Only the grace of God can bring healing to the myriads of people whose lives have been disrupted or uprooted. Please pray for wisdom that the authorities could bring the situation to a just and compassionate resolution with no further loss of life.”
Emergency donations can be made by writing a check payable to “One Great Hour of Sharing – Assam Relief” and give to your church, or mailed to: International Ministries, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482
One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the Board of General Ministries. 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 International Ministries (IM) was organized in 1814 as the first Baptist international mission agency in America. It began its pioneer mission work in Burma and today works in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas serving more than 1,800 long-term and short-term missionaries. Its central mission is to help people come to faith in Jesus, grow in their relationship with God, and change their worlds through the power of the Spirit. It works with respected partners in over 70 countries in ministries that meet human need.
American Baptist Churches USA 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.