VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 8/28/17)—American Baptists are urged to lift up those affected in both Texas and Louisiana by Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that made landfall Friday on the Texas coast. Bringing 130 mph winds and an unprecedented amount of torrential rainfall in some areas, the hurricane has resulted in flooding, power outages, downed trees and signs, major property damage, displaced residents, injuries and fatalities.
“American Baptist Home Mission Societies [ABHMS] grieves with the rest of the nation at the relentless weather pounding the Houston region right now,” says ABHMS Executive Director Dr. Jeffrey Haggray. “Our disaster-recovery office has been in communication with American Baptist Churches of the South since Friday, before the weather hit.
“As soon as we receive damage assessments, we will consider how we can best assist on the long road to rebuilding homes, churches and lives, and then begin distributing relief grants,” Haggray continues. “In the meantime, let us all seek comfort in the words of the age-old hymn penned by Martin Luther: ‘A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.’”
American Baptist Churches USA General Secretary the Rev. Dr. Lee B. Spitzer invites all congregations to donate generously to One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) in response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana.
“American Baptists across the country are a generous people, and our hearts are grieved by the human suffering we have seen since the storm made landfall,” Spitzer says. “I ask that every church dedicate time this week to pray for the safety and well-being of all affected by the storm, and to express our love for them by giving sacrificially to One Great Hour of Sharing.”
Donations designated to “OGHS-Hurricane Harvey” can be made through your church; by visiting www.abc-usa.org and clicking “Give Online” at the top right of the page. In the “Comments” section, type “OGHS-Hurricane Harvey.” Or, mailed to the attention of Kim Wilkins at American Baptist Home Mission Societies, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA, 19482-0851. One hundred percent of donations go to relief efforts; no dollars are retained for administrative costs. For more information, contact Wilkins at 1-800-222-3872, x2413, or kim.wilkins@abhms.org.
One Great Hour of Sharing is administered by the World Relief Committee of the Board of General Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA. 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 received by churches.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.