CRWRC to Fund Emergency Response in Chile

CRWRC Newsroom | March 2, 2010

The government of Chile is working to restore order after a catastrophic earthquake that hit on February 27.  The quake measured 8.8 on the Richter scale and is rumored to have been so strong that it shifted the earth’s axis and shorted our days by 1.26 microseconds.  Reports also indicate that at least 700 people are dead and many more are still missing.  The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee is responding.

While CRWRC does not have staff in Chile or on-going partnerships there, its sister organization, Back to God Ministries International (BTGMI), does.  The Christian Reformed Church reported that BTGMI Spanish Ministries leader, Rev. Guillermo Serrano, who was born and raised in Chile, was attending a conference in Nashville at the time of the quake.  His family members in Chile are all safe. 

Because CRWRC does not have a presence in Chile to carry out its relief operations, funds will instead be channeled through Actions By Churches Together (ACT) to another Christian organization. ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies who work to save lives and restore communities following disaster.  CRWRC is a member and has received donations from other ACT members for its response to earthquakes in Indonesia and most recently for its Haiti earthquake response.

In the case of the Chile earthquake, ACT members have established an Inter-Church Emergency Committee to create a response that is coordinated and reaches the worst affected communities.  CRWRC’s donations will likely be used by ACT members, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and Church World Service, for emergency supplies such as food and hygiene kits.

To make a donation, please give online: US | Canada

 

Checks marked "Chile Earthquake 2010" can be sent to

 

CRWRC-US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560
Ph: 1-800-55-CRWRC

CRWRC-Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD 1
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8
Ph: 1-800-730-3490

- by Kristen deRoo VanderBerg, CRWRC Communications