The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and Canadian Lutheran World Relief have issued an appeal to support the work of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which has launched an immediate large-scale emergency response with its emergency team already in place in Kathmandu.
"We are asking all ELCIC members to keep the people of Nepal in their prayers, as well as those affected in Northern India and Bangladesh, and respond generously to the need for emergency assistance by donating financially to this appeal," says ELCIC National Bishop Susan C. Johnson. ""Let the words of Psalm 46 hold us together in prayer: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.""
LWF staff members on the ground are preparing to distribute immediate life-saving supplies such as water, food, shelter and medication to those affected.
As of April 27, over 3,600 people are confirmed dead after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, leaving massive destruction in its wake. The United Nations reports that people affected by the earthquake are in need of food, water, emergency shelter and healthcare, with many having slept in the open in makeshift tents in the nights following the earthquake, either because their homes were destroyed or they are afraid aftershocks would make their homes collapse.
The epicenter of the earthquake was near the capital Kathmandu but many regions have been heavily affected, among them Bhaktapur, Lamjung and Pokhara in which the LWF has been operating for years. The LWF has staff on the ground and infrastructure in place in the affected areas to offer immediate response.
The LWF is currently working together with the Nepalese government, the United Nations system and church partners in the ACT Alliance network to coordinate the response.
The Canadian government announced that for every dollar given to a registered charity for earthquake relief between April 25 and May 25, the government will put $1 into their "Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund" which they will then use to fund relief work in Nepal.
You may make a donation in one of the following ways:
1. Donate online: http://clwr.donorshops.com/product/231A84F/nepalearthquakerelief.php
2. Make a designated offering (Nepal earthquake relief) donation through any ELCIC congregation.
3. Call CLWR at 1.800.661.2597 (locally at 204.694.5602) to donate by credit card.
4. Send a cheque made payable to CLWR and mailed to CLWR, 600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W5. Please indicate that you wish to contribute to “Nepal earthquake relief.”
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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.
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For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca
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