A huge tornado tore through Moore, Oklahoma, yesterday and earlier tornadoes devastated communities across the Central U.S. As I was watching the news last night and today, scanning my Twitter feed for the latest information, all I can think is, “How can I help?” First off, you can help the most by staying put. Don’t get in the way of …
Marie Antoinette: Empowerment in Haiti
Amy Porter | May 20, 2013
In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, CWS supports the Haitian Christian Service (Service Chretien d’Haiti), which was founded by CWS in 1954. Working with CWS, SCH helps people in times of disaster and provides vocational training, agricultural assistance and economic opportunities to help people to climb out of poverty. Two years before the January 12, 2010, earthquake, CWS also started working with churches …
CWS readying to respond to massive Oklahoma tornado disaster
NEW YORK – Disaster relief and recovery agency Church World Service has announced that it will respond to the extensive damage caused by this afternoon’s tornadoes in the Oklahoma City and Moore, Okla. area, including provision of emergency supplies as needed. Whole neighborhoods have been decimated in the path of a massive EF-4 tornado initially estimated to have been a …
Three Decades of Service
Matt Hackworth | May 17, 2013
One of the things I love about CWS is its history, and that so many of my colleagues have been around to witness it. The agency is the kind of place where people have come to spend their whole careers. Just a couple of months ago I helped celebrate the tenures of three colleagues who all have been with CWS …
Hmong House is “Good News” for Elderly Refugees
For Yer Thao, an elderly Hmong refugee living in Milwaukee, Wis., loneliness used to be all that she had to look forward to every day – until she started going to Hmong House of Good News. This innovative United Methodist ministry offers community and hope to Hmong seniors, some of whom live alone, others in families where everyone else works …
CWS Kit Challenge
Heather Dunham | May 16, 2013
A few years ago a small group of young children in a very small community decided to do something “big”. What happened was amazing; these small children gathered a community together, got busy, and presented Rev. Bert Marshall with 52 health and school kits to be sent to children to parts of the world they could hardly imagine existed. This …
Study … Play … Changed
Bert Marshall | May 15, 2013
“Hi there, how’s everyone doing?” I blurted out in a crowded room full of teenagers who were in the midst of their English class. Without missing a beat, they all responded “Fine! Nice to meet you. Come on in. Welcome.” I asked how long they’d been studying English. The answer: two weeks. Two weeks and they were speaking to a …
Clergy Urge Protection of Family Unity in Immigration Bill
Washington, DC — As the Senate Judiciary Committee begins the markup of the Immigrant Visa Title II section of the bipartisan immigration bill, prominent clergy leaders are lifting up their prophetic voices and strongly supporting amendments that would strengthen family unity. The faith community remains committed to pro-family immigration reform that unites immigrant families, and is supporting amendments offered by …
Faith Community Key to Disaster Preparedness, Long-term Recovery
Church World Service emphasizes faith community involvement in recovery following a disaster. Faith-based groups play a key role in helping survivors access the material, emotional, spiritual and human resources they need to get back on their feet and go on with their lives. A good case study can be found in Buchanan County in Northwest Missouri. The county’s western border …
WINNING Compassionate Immigration Reform
Rachel Pizatella-Haswell | May 14, 2013
Tuesday May 14, denotes the second day of the bipartisan immigration bill S. 744 mark up process, where the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering amendments concerning employment-based visas. Although I have only been interning with CWS for 5 months, this day encompasses work that has aggregated over years of advocacy efforts. I began my internship in January 2013, a …