23 April 2012
£10,000 grant to Methodist Church in storm-battered Fiji
A solidarity grant of £10,000 has been sent to the Methodist
Church in Fiji, which has been helping communities affected by
flooding after a tropical storm hit the islands.
A powerful tropical storm hit Fiji in early April, of a severity
not known for years. It is proving difficult to assess the full
extent of the damage, but it is clear that so far at least seven
people have lost their lives and the livelihoods and homes of
thousands have been destroyed. The Fijian Church is providing
support for flood affected families, offering them clothes, food,
kitchenwares and utensils, as well as other donations made by
church members.
"In the western region of Fiji, this flooding was the third time
this year that devastating heavy rain has taken lives and left
thousands of families homeless," said mission partner Julia
Edwards. "Once again, the Church has acted quickly to help those
most in need. We are very thankful for the generous support that
will enable people to start to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Relief efforts have been ongoing and the youth of the Church have
been especially active."
The grant, which has been provided by the British Church's World
Mission Fund, will help the Church's ministers to exercise their
pastoral role in their communities.
The Church's ministers themselves have been effected, as the crops
that would have paid their stipends have been lost. This has left
them worried about how to feed their own families as well as serve
the needs of their communities.
"The Methodist Church in Fiji is already showing its great
generosity to those whose lives and livelihoods have been
devastated by the flooding," said Christine Elliott, Secretary for
External relationships for the Methodist Church in Britain "We hope
that this grant helps them as they live out their call to clothe
the vulnerable and feed the hungry."
People can donate to the World Mission Fund online here,
or by sending cheques made payable to 'Methodist Church World
Mission Fund' to Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London
NW1 5JR.