Philippines Response

The pictures that have been released showing the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are hard to comprehend. I am sure, like me, you have watched the news with a sense of shock and huge sadness. Thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have been made homeless. Entire communities need to be rebuilt from scratch. How do we respond to such a crisis?

1. Pray

Sometimes we do not know how to respond or what to do, but we can all pray. We can pray for the families who have lost members in the tragedy. Pray for the organisations bringing much needed relief. Pray for those making decisions about the use of resources. Pray for energy for those working on the ground to care for people. We can all pray.  

For news and updates to fuel your prayers why not check out the Tearfund webpage dedicated to the Philippines response: 

http://www.tearfund.org/en/news/philippines_typhoon/ 

2. Personal Response

I know many of you will have already given to the response fund but if you have not and want to make a financial donation there are great organisations you can give to who will ensure that your money is used in the best possible way. Here are a couple of recommendations:

Disaster Emergecy Committee - http://www.dec.org.uk/appeals/philippines-typhoon-appeal

Tearfund - http://www.tearfund.org/en/news/philippines_typhoon/

3. Christmas Appeal 

We have decided that at TKC we will take up a special offering at our Christmas celebrations that are taking place on the 15th and the 22nd December specifically for the Philippines. We are working out the best route through which to channel this money but everything given on those Sundays will go the Philippines.

4. Autumn Gift days

We also plan to put aside a portion of what has been given at our recent Autumn Gift Days. We have links with a Newfrontiers church in the Philippines. In fact the leaders, Eden and Fe, have visited our church and stayed with members of TKC. They are in a part of the Philippines that did not experience the devastation of some places, however, they are on the ground supporting people across the nation who are seeking to rebuild their lives. We want to be able to support this church in the efforts they are making to respond to the crisis so will be sending a gift their way.

If you were away over the last two weekend and still want to give to our Autumn Gift Days it is not too late. You can do a bank transfer, or send a cheque to the TKC office. For more info please visit 

http://www.tkc.org.uk/Groups/197785/The_Kings_Church/Get_Involved/Giving/Giving.aspx

Jim