As originally published by Huffington Post, 01/10/2014, 3:02 p.m. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-herlinger/make-2014-a-year-of-recom_b_4576834.html A few years back, I was in Haiti on assignment and had the honor of spending Easter morning with a Haitian colleague, the Reverend Herode Guillomettre, high up in the hills overlooking the capital of Port-au-Prince. Guillomettre heads the Christian Center for Integrated Development, known in Creole as SKDE, one …
Haiti: 4 Years After the Earthquake
Rev. John L. McCullough | January 10, 2014
It is easy to forget that this Sunday – January 12 – marks four years since Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake. With crises in Syria, Africa and Asia, and this year’s record- breaking winter temperatures affecting Europe and North America, the world’s focus has – understandably – long since moved on from Haiti. But four years later, hundreds of thousands of …
On My Retirement from CWS
Tom Hampson |
“We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” Thich Nhat Hanh My colleague Angela, who coordinates this blog, asked me to reflect on my 30+ years with CWS in light of my January 2014 retirement. While that sounds like a long time, it doesn’t feel that way – until Angela reminds me that she wasn’t born when …
CWS: “World must fulfill the promise to Haiti earthquake survivors”
NEW YORK — Four years after the devastating Haiti earthquake, “nearly every Haitian family struggles to overcome the travails of Haiti’s worst moment, and more than 145,000 remain without permanent shelter,” notes CWS President and CEO John McCullough prior to the fourth anniversary of the Jan. 12, 2010 quake. McCullough joined a CWS local partner agency in Haiti in urging …
When a Blanket Counts
Carol Fouke-Mpoyo | January 9, 2014
I just got a little taste of what it’s like to be affected by a disaster and suddenly in need of a CWS Blanket. It was just for one night. But it was enough to remind me that disaster and need can hit anyone. And it was enough to make me proud of CWS and all who support our Blanket …
39 Days Out of Africa
Kathy Dodson | January 7, 2014
New Years Day. Number one resolution: “Extend the gratitude and graciousness of the African people who are the recipients of the goodwill and support of Church World Service back to their generous donors.” The Sunday before Thanksgiving I arrived home into a whirlwind of activity in preparation for the holiday season. I just hadn’t done enough before I left on …
CWS School Kits and Our Indian Mission
Jeanne Jacoby Smith | January 3, 2014
If anyone has wondered what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a CWS School Kit, my husband and I recently had that experience. Two years ago, we were assigned to do short-term teaching at our seminary in Gujarat, India. One evening we were taken out in the country to the Church of North India orphanage – the …
Bringing Experience Back Home
Sandra Kennedy-Owes | January 2, 2014
I’ve lived most of my life in Mobile, Ala., where the last thing we expected last Christmas was a tornado. But that’s what we got. What’s more, we got hit twice. On Dec. 20, 2012, Mobile was in full Christmas preparations mode when an EF-1 tornado struck the downtown area. It damaged more than 100 homes along with the office …