March 15, 2011

Japan Update: Prayers and Donations Welcome

Our hearts reach out to brothers and sisters in Japan as they face what Prime Minister Naoto Kan describes as the most severe crisis since World War II.

For current news updates, visit the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, or the British Broadcasting Corporation sites.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/15_29.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/


Our immediate response is to wonder what we can do for our brothers and sisters facing this devastation.

PRAY:
Pray for all those caught in the devastation, those who grieve for families and friends dead or missing, those who struggle to respond in the face of great challenges, those first responders whose expertise and training are so essential.

Pray for those around the world whose personal connections to Japan make this situation particularly poignant and difficult.

Pray for mission partners in Japan. The international ecumenical community is an important place of solidarity and support for the Christian minority in Japan.

http://www.ari-edu.org/english/index.html

http://www.uccj.or.jp/english/

http://www.ncc-j.org/english/members.htm

http://www.oikoumene.org/member-churches/regions/asia/japan/korean-christian-church-in-japan.html

http://www18.ocn.ne.jp/~kyofukai/10English.htm

Pray for United Church of Canada overseas personnel-David and Zenora Rackham, Shinji Kawano(bio not available at this time), and Rob and Keiko Witmer. All personnel are well and safe and working within their communities to help and sustain others as they are able.

http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/global/rackham

http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/global/witmer


COMFORT:
Hundreds of thousands of people who survived the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, remain emotionally traumatized by these tragic events. This catastrophe, like similar events in New Zealand and Haiti, offers us a unique opportunity to reach out to our fellow human beings to offer solace using social media.

To do this we are inviting individuals and congregations to echo the opening words of the United Church's Creed "We are not alone", and to post prayers and messages of comfort and solidarity for our Japanese sisters and brothers living in Japan and in Canada. These prayers and messages can be posted on The United Church of Canada's Facebook page or added to the on-line discussion on WonderCafe.

Communication systems remain a challenge in Japan at this moment. Land lines are still affected and the rolling blackouts mean Internet and cell phone access are intermittent. At this point in the emergency, partners need to keep their own e-mail inboxes clear to receive communications about the emergency. But we'll let partners know where they can access these online messages.

http://www.facebook.com/UnitedChurchCda

http://www.wondercafe.ca/discussion/church-life/prayers-and-messages-japan


DONATE:
The United Church of Canada will work with partners in Japan to support on-the-ground relief and reconstruction. It is important to remember that while these immediate moments of crisis are the ones that tug at our heart strings the needs in Japan, as in any place of crisis and emergency, will continue long after relief efforts have ended and the memory of the devastation faded on the world stage. The United Church works with partners over the long term.

Any donations received at the General Council Office, designated for "Japan Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction" will be gratefully received and used to support United Church partners in this work.

Donations can be made online http://www.united-church.ca/getinvolved/donate or mailed to:

The United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON
M8X 2Y4

Donations made by United Church members, congregations, and pastoral charges to Japan Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction are considered "over and above" gifts to the United Church's wider work, so they are not recorded as part of a congregation/pastoral charge's Mission and Service Fund giving.

As part of The United Church's Emergency Response Fund, 85 percent of your donation will directly fund an emergency response in Japan. Fifteen percent will be used to support emergencies that do not receive intense media cover and response. No administration fees will be deducted from your donation.