As you know, a catastrophic natural disaster slammed south Texas and Louisiana as Hurricane Harvey made landfall last weekend and continued to pummel these areas for several days as a tropical storm. Houston, Texas, the fourth largest city in the U.S., has been the most severely impacted, with over 50 inches of rain and a death toll beginning to rise.
It now appears this will become the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history, and it will no doubt take years for a full recovery. Those so adversely affected have many needs, and the Adventist Church wants to do its part.
Adventist Community Services (ACS) and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) have partnered to provide clothing, personal care kits, cleaning supplies, and emotional and spiritual care as an immediate response. ACS Disaster Response volunteers, in partnership with various local and federal agencies, will also be active in impacted areas for some time to come through warehouse distribution and donation management.
On September 9, churches across North-America will have the opportunity to take up a special offering to support these relief efforts. Churches interested in participating can download this bulletin insert (2 per sheet) and let their members know about this opportunity.
There are several ways to donate for those also wanting to make a contribution before or after September 9. These include:
- Marking your tithe envelope “ACS Hurricane Relief”
- Making an online donation marked “ACS Hurricane Relief” through your church’s website, imsda.org, or www.communityservices.org
- Calling 1-800-381-7171
- Mailing a donation to: Adventist Community Services, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904
Please consider making a donation, and please keep the people of Texas and Louisiana in your prayers.
