Special Offering for Haiti This Sunday

News media outlets continue to share more information about the devastating effect Tuesday’s earthquake has had on the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area. Due to the mass chaos in the aftermath, specific information is still scanty, but reports are that the casualty rate is high and the damage extensive. The need for disaster relief is expected to be significant. To respond to this immediate need and help alleviate the suffering, Church of God Ministries is coordinating the advancement of $10,000 in Disaster Relief funds. These funds will be provided to Phyllis Newby, national leader of the Haitian Church of God, and to John and Jodie Ackerman, our career missionaries in Haiti, to respond to the immediate needs within the Church of God there.

The scope of the disaster and its impact on the Church of God work in Haiti will take some time to be fully assessed. Communication and electrical lines are down, and many roads are impassible due to landslides. Sketchy reports are coming into CGM from various sources. Here is what we know about the situation on the ground at this point.

· The Ackermans are unharmed and safe at home (as per their Web site)

· The orphans at the House of Blessing are also unharmed. The home sustained no damage, but the school at the orphanage did receive some damage. The home of the director sustained serious damage and is likely to crumble completely.

· Phyllis Newby is all right as are the people at the Church of God compound in the town of Archaie.

· The hospital located on the Church of God compound sustained some damage, but no injuries or loss of life. It is some distance from Port-of-Prince. However, many of the doctors who work at the hospital live in Port-au-Prince and have not been heard from yet.

· Children of Promise sponsors 26 children in Haiti, but has been only able to confirm that six are unharmed. The status of the other children has yet to be determined.

The Church of God (Anderson) has a significant presence in the country, with 233 congregations and 32,000 constituents. Church of God Ministries will continue to monitor the situation and assess the need in order to determine how best to respond as more information becomes available from national leaders and missionaries.

We will take a special offering this Sunday to assist the Church of God relief efforts in Haiti. Please continue to pray for the devastating situation there.