ACN Highlights Urgent Needs Both at Home and Abroad
The Anglican Communion Network encourages all its members to consider supporting two urgent appeals for relief, one at home and one abroad. The domestic appeal is for cold-weather clothing and financial assistance for the ongoing hurricane disaster relief work of Network parish Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans. The foreign appeal is for financial assistance for the Province of Burundi which is suffering from extreme famine and flooding.
Father Jerry Kramer, rector of Annunciation, alerted the Network to the urgent need for coats, hats, gloves and other warm clothing for the people of New Orleans surrounding his parish. “Many people are still exposed to the elements, either living outside or in inadequate housing,” said Kramer. “We give these coats out as soon as we get them in. It’s been a cold winter so far down here.”
Although most of the donations will be distributed in the area of Annunciation’s new church plant in the Lower Ninth Ward, clothing and financial donations can be sent directly to Church of the Annunciation at 4505 S. Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70125. “We really don’t have much of an address down in the Lower Ninth, just the abandoned parking lot,” said Kramer. “We haul whatever comes in straight there, but keep some clothes in reserve on campus for drop-ins.”
Cash donations can also be made through Pay Pal on Annunciation’s website. Father Phil Fleming, Emergency Coordinator in the Diocese of Quincy, has worked extensively with Kramer in the ongoing relief efforts in New Orleans and can be contacted for further information about how you and your parish can get involved in this appeal and the continuing hurricane relief efforts. Fr. Fleming can be contacted by email or by phone 309–696–4089.
Internationally, the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi, headed by the Most Rev. Bernard Ntahoturi, has joined with the Government of Burundi in declaring the famine and flood situation there a national disaster. Prolonged and heavy rains have caused severe destruction of homes, schools, churches and buildings; roads and bridges; and, the majority of crops. Diseases such as cholera and malnutrition increase dramatically in these conditions and those already suffering with HIV/AIDS are made even more vulnerable.
Two Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF) projects have already been established to address the urgent needs in Burundi. One project distributes food to starving people in the newly-formed diocese of Muyinga and the other provides grinding mills for cassava and corn in the diocese of Kakamba. Further details of these projects can be found in the Delta reports (food project click here or mill project click here). Lent & Beyond, an Anglican prayer blog that is spearheading a major prayer campaign for all the Primates in preparation for their meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in February, added special prayers for Burundi to its campaign and encouraged people to give through ARDF.
“ARDF has an amazing track record,” said Jill Woodliff of Lent & Beyond. “After each of their projects is funded and completed, follow-up reports show that 90% of the projects meet or exceed the expectations that are given in the initial Delta reports.”
Donations can be sent to ARDF at 535 Smithfield Street, Suite 910, Pittsburgh, PA 15222 or made through Pay Pal at ACN designating the funds for the Burundi appeal. “Whether near or far away, our brothers and sisters in Christ need whatever assistance we can give them,” said Daryl Fenton, ACN chief operating officer. “We are also grateful to those who are coordinating these relief efforts on the ground so that this assistance can quickly reach those in these dire situations.”
Posted 1/24/07