by Katherine R. Hinck*, ELCA News Service
The homes of three staff members of the Contact and Resource
Center (CRC), Beirut, Lebanon, were destroyed as a result of air
and artillery strikes in Lebanon. CRC, an institution that
provides support for people with disabilities, is financially
supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
"These are the names of our companions in ministry, and the
conflict becomes more personal when we hear news like this," said
the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director, ELCA Global
Mission.
CRC staff members are in the process of organizing a relief point
in Byblos, Lebanon. They will be distributing first aid kits,
diapers, mattresses, sanitary supplies for wheelchair users,
drinking water, clothes and other supplies, said Dr. Agnes Wakim
Dagher, director, CRC, in an e-mail to the Rev. Said R.
Ailabouni, director of Europe and Middle East Programs, ELCA
Global Mission. CRC staff is coordinating its work with the
local municipality and with the Ministry of Social Affairs,
Lebanon.
ELCA Global Mission will be releasing $15,000 from International
Disaster Response, in addition to the $50,000 already committed
for Lebanon, to aid CRC in its relief work among the "differently
abled" persons and their families who are in crisis because of
the war, said Lita B. Johnson, associate executive director and
director for international programs, ELCA Global Mission.
*Katherine R. Hinck is a senior journalism and religion major at
Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.D. This summer she is an
intern with the ELCA News Service.
- - -
About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
