News & Updates | Posted Saturday, March 15, 2014
I headed west last Sunday on the New York State Thruway to Fredonia, NY, to speak to the Fredonia Presbyterian Church. They asked if I would speak about the work of CWS as they have supported our efforts for years and would be in the midst of working on CWS Hygiene Kits at for the Upstate NY Spring Kit Drive. …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, March 3, 2014
One evening a month I lead volunteer orientation here at CWS in Durham, N.C. College students, retirees, moms with young children, immigrants and many others surround the table to learn about refugees. I am always impressed by the incredible enthusiasm of our volunteers to get involved with refugees – people they’ve never met, whose languages they don’t speak. Before the …
News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, February 25, 2014
To date, CWS has supplied $1,224,874 in material goods donated by its member communions and their congregations including CWS Blankets, Cleanup Buckets and other CWS Kits for Sandy survivors up and down the East Coast. It has approved grants for 18 long-term recovery groups; conducted more two dozen “Recovery Tools and Training,” safety and other workshops, and is providing ongoing …
News & Updates | Posted Friday, February 14, 2014
Situation: Mount Kelud, one of the active volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia, erupted Thursday (Feb. 13), with eight continuous explosions. The eruptions forced at least 201,228 people from 35 villages to evacuate their homes, and airports throughout the country are closed due to thick, hazardous ash fall and limited visibility. Lava flows are also affecting nearby rivers. Officials are worried …
News & Updates | Posted Sunday, February 2, 2014
In my twelve years on staff with CWS I have had the opportunity to really get to know and understand this organization. I have had the pleasure of personally visiting CWS partners and projects in Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic and most recently in Kenya and Tanzania. These partners and projects vary widely in their location, language, culture and focus, but …
News & Updates | Posted Thursday, 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 …
News & Updates | Posted Monday, December 23, 2013
Christmas can be a profoundly joy-filled holiday. Beyond all of the gift giving, and gift getting, it is a celebration, for Christians, of the birth of Jesus. The meaning of Christmas can be understood as the incarnation of God’s Kingdom on earth; there is something new born into the world that has the power to redeem us. This is an …
News & Updates | Posted Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Thankfully, the United States didn’t suffer a Katrina- or Sandy-scale disaster in 2013. Or did it? An incessant string of regional disasters has affected thousands of households. There was not a neat “spring storms” or “fall tornadoes” season this year. Instead, since the spring, the disasters have just kept on coming and the toll has mounted in deaths, injuries and …
News & Updates | Posted Friday, November 22, 2013
APPEAL CODE: #700-M APPEAL GOAL: $750,000 SITUATION: Recovery efforts in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines are ongoing with continued needs that remain staggering. According to the United Nations, 13.2 million were affected; 4.33 million people were displaced; and 1 million homes were damaged. In addition, 2.5 million people require urgent food assistance. CWS RESPONSE: CWS continues supporting …
News & Updates | Posted Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Church World Service is actively involved with all entities engaged in the relief and recovery efforts following severe weather Sunday, Nov. 17, that battered hundreds of households in 14 US. Midwestern states. The first 200 CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets are on their way now to Illinois, the state hardest hit by Sunday’s devastating string of tornadoes, hail and high-wind events. …