Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath have literally left a wave of destruction in the Caribbean and the East Coast of the U.S. Recovery efforts are underway and Michigan Conference congregations are invited to respond through the United Church of Christ and/or Church World Service.

Here are some specific ways to respond:

The United Church of Christ is actively responding to the hurricane damage through One Great Hour of Sharing grants. Since so many are still without power along the eastern seaboard damage assessments are slow to arrive. Please follow this link for up-to-date information about the damage and specific ways that you can donate:

http://www.ucc.org/disaster/hurricane-sandy-update.html

Church World Service has already donated thousands of blankets in Cuba and the United States. Representatives of CWS have said that right now blankets are their greatest need. To make a monetary donation for blankets, please check out this CWS link:

http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=blankets_main

As clean-up begins there will be an increasing demand for Church World Service hygiene kits and clean-up buckets. Church World Service representatives in Lansing have told us that sending the kits and buckets directly to the CWS depot in Maryland will ensure that they get deployed much more quickly. For information about how to make and send CWS kits, please follow this link:

http://www.churchworldservice.org/site/PageServer?pagename=kits_main

As more information about the disaster response reaches the Conference Office, we will forward it to our churches. For now, pray for the victims of Hurricane Sandy and discern ways that you and your church can help financially or by assembling kits,

Thank you in advance for your prayerful response during this time of need.

With you on the journey,

Campbell Lovett

Conference Minister