Typhoon Haiyan (named 'Yolanda' in the Philippines itself) made landfall in the Philippines on Friday, November 8 and displaced an estimated 4.5 million people. Food supplies are scarce, there's massive hoarding and fuel is quickly becoming limited in the Philippines. Though the original death toll estimate of 10,000 appears to have been higher than the actual numbers now being reported, there was nonetheless massive loss of life.  

"There was no way in which people could escape the typhoon's path," said Bishop Marigza of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, a partner organization of the UCC. "Because of the extent of the damage, there are still many places that haven't been reached."

In the week following the $250,000 appeal issued by the national setting of the United Church of Christ, people across the life of United Church of Christ responded generously. As of Friday evening, Nov. 15, $113,595 had been donated online, an unprecedented amount for on-line giving in the UCC, with an additional $6,243 sent to denominational offices. The UCC has sent $50,000 in grants, funded by One Great Hour of Sharing, to the ACT Alliance, the UCCP and Church World Service (CWS) to assist relief efforts. The money will fund early response and initial recovery work of the UCCP, ACT Alliance and CWS to provide provisioning supplies, emergency shelter items, drinking water and money - items desperately needed as people fight to stay alive.

The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) expressed gratitude for the church's generosity in the early stages of the recovery process. "We thank you for responding to our cry for help," Marigza said. "This shows that in Christ, there is no East or West, no North or South."

For more detailed information about recovery efforts and challenges underway in the Philippines, read a very recent report from a Global Mission Intern of the UCC's Common Global Ministries Board:  globalministries.org/news/eap/update-on-uccp-response-to.html.  

More recently, massive tornadoes cut a wide swath of destruction across several states in the United States. Once again, the United Church of Christ will respond... and if your congregation has taken the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering, you have already responded to these recent disasters quickly and meaningfully. When disaster strikes, OGHS dollars are immediately deployed to bring a swift response to those impacted by the disaster. Even more important, the UCC takes a long-term view of recovery in disaster-impacted areas, understanding that recovery is a slow and unfolding process that can often take years. Through our partners and giving, the UCC will accompany communities in their ongoing struggle to recover and rebuild.

Our amazing response to areas and peoples devastated by natural disasters is just one reflection of how our covenantal relationships in the United Church of Christ allow us to respond to the needs of our brothers and sisters in the next state or across the globe. Together, we can do more than we could ever do alone. Together, we can bring healing and hope in the midst of loss and ruin. Together, we are the United Church of Christ.