15 March 2011
Church responds to cries for help from Japan
The Methodist Church's World Mission Fund has launched an appeal
on behalf of its partner church in Japan following the catastrophic
earthquake and tsunami that struck on Friday (March 11).
Reports from the United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ) reveal
that the 8.9 magnitude earthquake, which has left more than 10,000
people missing, has damaged at least 36 churches in the affected
Sendai region.
Teruki Takada, a representative for the UCCJ, reported that the
UCCJ established a relief planning team on March 12. The team
arrived in Sendai on March 13 and visited the sites of the local
churches in the area.
Steve Pearce, Partnership Coordinator for Asia and the Pacific,
said: "It is not possible to comprehend the scale of this disaster.
Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters there. Our Mission
Partners in Japan are safe and well, but they are worried about
people they know in the north and on the coast. I have assured my
colleagues at UCCJ that Methodists in Britain and Ireland are
praying for them and that we will respond to their financial
appeal."
Revd Makoto Kato, the Executive Secretary for Ecumenical Ministries
at UCCJ, said: "We truly appreciate your deep concern and
encouraging prayer following the gigantic earthquake which we have
never ever experienced before. Churches in Tokyo are okay, but we
are still not able to get contact with people in Sendai where the
earthquake hit most severely. Please keep on praying for us".
People can donate to the World Mission Fund appeal via the
Methodist Church Just Giving page or by sending a cheque payable to
the World Mission Fund to Steve Pearce, World Church Relationships,
at Methodist Church House, 25 Marylebone Road, London, NW1 5JR.
Postal donations should be labelled 'Japan Appeal'. If you are a UK
taxpayer, you can Gift Aid your donation, which allows us to
reclaim the tax you have already paid. Just include a completed
Gift Aid form with your donation.