print   email


One Great Hour of Sharing


enlarge>>

Written: 3/9/2010

And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. - Micah 6:8 (NIV).

 

 

 

 

 

For 70 years, the United Methodist Church has responded to the Micah challenge through the United Methodist Committee on Relief. With the recent major earthquakes in Haiti and Chile combined with the losses of Sam Dixon and Clint Rabb, the General Board of Global Ministries, and specifically, UMCOR have weathered quite the storm this year. I am thankful to you for your outpouring of prayers and gifts while encouraging the church to respond in a powerful way to the needs of those most affected throughout the world.

The gifts to UMCOR supporting Haiti relief efforts is expected to be more than $25 million, with the people of West Ohio contributing $709,000 of that total as of the end of February. 100% of the donations made to the UMCOR Haiti Emergency advance will benefit God's most vulnerable children in Haiti. The same will be true of gifts for the Chile Earthquake response.  As you know, UMCOR is able to make this promise because administrative expenses are covered through the One Great Hour of Sharing.

Because UMCOR does not receive World Service funds or any other apportionments, the costs of doing business are underwritten by One Great Hour of Sharing. I encourage you to receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering in your church this Sunday, March 14 and to lay the foundation for UMCOR to seek justice and mercy for suffering people everywhere.

Thanks be to God for the people of the United Methodist Church in West Ohio who continue to answer the call to be the hands, the heart and the hope of the church wherever people are suffering.

 

Resources and a downloadable video are available at One Great Hour of Sharing.

 

Grace and peace,
Bishop Bruce R. Ough

West Ohio ConferencePresident, General Board of Global Ministries