I have been enormously touched and saddened by the news and images coming out of Haiti over the past two days. Our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ, who were already enduring difficult conditions in their country, have been devastated by the recent earthquake. We have received word through Dr. Butler, and various other sources, that the hospital and eye clinic that First Presbyterian has been a part of for so many years has been destroyed. We are continuing to gather information about this situation and the most urgent needs of the people in Haiti.
Many of you have been calling the church asking, "What can we do?" Our congregation can respond to this disaster in the following ways:
· Pray for the people of Haiti and all those involved in mobilizing aid and participating in the rescue efforts.
· Contribute money to the relief effort. If you feel led to contribute, you may send money into the church office. We will collect it and transfer it to one of the relief organizations, such as Presbyterian Disaster Assistance or The Outreach Foundation, where it can be used most effectively for immediate assistance of those in need. Please write "Disaster Assistance" on your checks when contributing to this fund.
· Many have asked about the eye clinic founded by Dr. Butler and supported by this church for so long. We will also receive funds for the reconstruction and equipping of this eye clinic. It is not clear at this time when or how this may happen, but we will keep the congregation informed of this project. Please write "Eye Clinic" on your checks when contributing to this fund.
There are no plans to travel to Haiti at the moment. However, this will be a disaster that this country will be dealing with for some time, so we will keep the congregation informed if any mission trips to Haiti form over the coming months or years.
If you would like to learn more about how the Presbyterian Church is responding to the disaster you can go to www.pcusa.org/pda/
Your Pastor,
Charlie Lee
Associate Pastor for Youth and Mission