HAITI - HOW CAN WE HELP?

Give. Pray.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is responding to the major earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti on Tuesday, January 12, 2010. PDA is on the ground in Haiti and has already sent over $200,000 to help provide immediate emergency relief to the affected people. Funds are being sent through our ecumenical and local partners working in Haiti.

Give — You may give online at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance website. You may also give directly to Church World Service (CWS), with whom PDA works. Church World Service is ranked as one of the most efficient charities in the U.S. and has an A rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy. Both CWS and PDA have a proven track record of many years of effective disaster response. They are on the ground NOW and can get a high percentage of your donation to the people of Haiti NOW. Giving through PDA and CWS is the most efficient way to help the people of Haiti in this time of desperate need.

Pray — Join with others in lifting up the people of Haiti and those seeking to provide aid in this critical time. As the eyes of the world turn to Haiti, let us join our hearts in prayer:

God of compassion, please watch over the people of Haiti, and weave out of these terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Surround those who have been affected by tragedy with a sense of your present love, and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief, may they find you and be comforted; Guide us as a church to find ways ofproviding assistance that heals wounds and provides hope. Help us to remember that when one of your children suffer we all suffer. Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives and rules this world with you. Amen. (Adapted from Book of Common Worship)