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| The Cathedral May 2009 before the earthquake, photo C.Brennan Lee |
The Episcopal Church Foundation is heading up the drive to "Rebuild our Church In Haiti," and the ECF President Donald V. Romanik sent this message to the House of Bishops/ House of Deputies list by way of a member who gave the OK for it to be reprinted here :
Dear Friends,
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the wonderful progress we are all making on this appeal and thank everyone involved for their great work.
Since Terri' Mathes' well received update to Executive Council during their February, 2011 meeting, session, there have been several new developments:
* The total number of bishops who have now committed to participating stands at 57 and six campaigns are in progress.
* A major gifts leadership team gathered during the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes' annual conference last week where they identified specific action steps. Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and Trinity Wall St. announced a joint matching gift of $500,000.
* The enhanced web pages supporting the appeal went live last week, with the help and support of the Church Center's communications team, and include more than 50 resources for congregations and dioceses to use at the local level. (See the Rebuild Our Church in Haiti web pages HERE.)
* The New York Times ran an article featuring the destroyed and historic murals at Holy Trinity Cathedral - Neva Rae Fox was instrumental in helping to coordinate this high profile piece. (See the article HERE.)
ECF is grateful for all the help and support we are receiving, and we are eager to continue to do all we can to move this important effort forward.
I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the wonderful progress we are all making on this appeal and thank everyone involved for their great work.
Since Terri' Mathes' well received update to Executive Council during their February, 2011 meeting, session, there have been several new developments:
* The total number of bishops who have now committed to participating stands at 57 and six campaigns are in progress.
* A major gifts leadership team gathered during the Consortium of Endowed Episcopal Parishes' annual conference last week where they identified specific action steps. Christ Church Cathedral in Indianapolis and Trinity Wall St. announced a joint matching gift of $500,000.
* The enhanced web pages supporting the appeal went live last week, with the help and support of the Church Center's communications team, and include more than 50 resources for congregations and dioceses to use at the local level. (See the Rebuild Our Church in Haiti web pages HERE.)
* The New York Times ran an article featuring the destroyed and historic murals at Holy Trinity Cathedral - Neva Rae Fox was instrumental in helping to coordinate this high profile piece. (See the article HERE.)
ECF is grateful for all the help and support we are receiving, and we are eager to continue to do all we can to move this important effort forward.
Faithfully,
Donald
Donald V. Romanik
Donald
Donald V. Romanik
President, Episcopal Church Foundation
"Empowering Congregations to do God's Work"
"Empowering Congregations to do God's Work"
All of this is wonderful news, but the best news is as always that each of us can make a contribution to the Rebuild our Church in Haiti effort and if every Episcopalians does so, there will be an outpouring so great that they will say, "See what love they have for one another."
Please make your contribution by going to the website and contributing online. Start HERE.
Today the Diocese of Connecticut will receive the mailing with all the info we need to rally our congregations to this cause. It helps to have a bishop who served in and knows Haiti. The "kit" includes a pastoral from our bishops, to be read out on March 13 in all our churches. Earlier this week I cross-posted your blog post so I hope some of my congregation have already given. Thanks, Mark, for keeping this ever before us.
ReplyDeleteHaving written the 8:09 a.m. comment, I have been challenged by a friend to say what TEC or my diocese is saying is the theological and formational underpinning for this appeal, whilst there is still plenty to be done here at home. I'm hoping the pastoral letter from my bishops will help with that.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, I have gone back and read the original post hoping maybe what my friend is seeking is there. I fear that, for him, the result of "See how they love one another" will not be enough. Suddenly, I was ticked. I am delighted there has been such a response to the request to rebuild our own church in Haiti, and at the same time, I want to know why such an effort TEC-wide was not, or is not being, made to fund the full budget, why we do not care so much for those here at home as we do for those far away.
My first husband's big complaint about me was that I think too much. I shall put this before God. Maybe She will help.