Newsline: Church of the Brethren gives $70,000 to disaster response

[COBNews Newsline]

Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- May 16, 2008
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director
800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews at brethren.org

CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN GRANTS TOTALING $70,000 SUPPORT 
ECUMENICAL RELIEF EFFORT FOR MYANMAR AND CHINA

(May 16, 2008) Elgin, IL -- The Church of the Brethren has given
$40,000 for relief efforts in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis. The
sum of $30,000 has been given for disaster relief following the China
earthquake. The grants were requested by Brethren Disaster Ministries, 
and are given from the denomination's Emergency Disaster Fund.

The grants support the work of Church World Service (CWS) and its
partners in Myanmar and China. In Myanmar, the money supports relief 
work being carried out by local groups to provide safe water and 
temporary shelters, with a more detailed longterm response being 
planned by CWS. In China, the grant supports a coordinated response 
through CWS with long-time partner Amity Foundation as the primary 
implementing agency.

Donations are being received to the Emergency Disaster Fund in
anticipation of further grants responding to these disasters.
Congregations and individuals may contribute to Church of the Brethren
disaster relief work by sending donations to the Emergency Disaster
Fund, 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120.

Brethren Disaster Ministries is a program of the Church of the Brethren.
In addition to its support to ecumenical partners responding to
international disasters, the program also continues rebuilding homes
following domestic disasters of the last few years. In early April,
Brethren Disaster Ministries opened a new Hurricane Katrina rebuilding
site in East New Orleans (Arabi), La., and another Hurricane Katrina
rebuilding site is located in Chalmette, La. A third longterm project site
in Rushford, Minn., is rebuilding homes following flooding. 

Go to www.brethren.org/genbd/BDM for more information.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to
continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its
faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and
Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It
celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts almost 130,000
members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and
sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and
India.

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For more information contact:

Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford
Director of News Services
Church of the Brethren General Board
1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120
800-323-8039 ext. 260
cobnews at brethren.org

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