wfn.org | ABCUSA: World Relief Committee Approves Funding for Projects

["SCHRAMM, Richard" <Rich.Schramm@abc-usa.org>]

American Baptist News Service (Green Lake, Wis. 11/19/04)--In semiannual
session here yesterday the American Baptist Churches' World Relief Committee
voted to fund a number of new and ongoing relief and development programs and
projects in the U.S and overseas. 
       
The committee establishes policy for distribution of funds from the One Great
Hour of Sharing Offering.  Projects presented were undertaken by American
Baptist International Ministries, American Baptist National Ministries and
Baptist World Aid of the Baptist World Alliance, and included ongoing support
of Church World Service programs.
       
Projects funded for mission in the U.S. are: The Springfield Equity Project,
an interfaith initiative to deal with economic and poverty issues in
Springfield, Mass. ($45,000 over three years); the Justice-Action-Mercy
community outreach (to hold social, economic and political systems
accountable to do justice) in Springfield, Ohio, supported by area ABC
congregations ($10,000); and the Bob Burdette Center, Inc. Charleston, W.V.,
a community center sponsored by Emmanuel Baptist Church ($15,000).
       
Overseas projects funded include: a preventive health care/literacy program
for indigenous tribes on the Peru/Brazil border ($30,000 over three years); a
small business development project involving IM missionaries in Bulgaria
($30,000 over three years); an Amity Foundation program to support AIDS
orphans in China ($20,000 over three years); a preventive medical program
involving Baptist churches in Dominican Republic ($21,000 over three years);
support of post-earthquake rebuilding efforts of the Baptist Federation of El
Salvador ($51,000 over three years); the multipurpose Beteli Center operated
by the Evangelical Baptist Church of the Republic of Georgia ($22,500 over
three years); a river clean-up and education project of the Kalimantan
Evangelical Church Seminary in Indonesia ($10,200 over three years); and
Asylum Seekers Care, an ecumenical endeavor to deal with harassment and
violence against Christians in Moscow ($30,000 over three years).
       
Also funded: the Vera Christian Charity Mission, a refugee assistance
ministry of the Grozny Baptist Church in Chechnya ($17,892); Provadenic, a
community health ministry of the Baptist Convention of Nicaragua ($22,220); a
skills training center in Bujumbura, Burundi ($10,000); and a BWAid project
providing educational support for orphans in Rwanda ($12,874). 
       
In her report to the committee, World Relief Officer Lisa Rothenberger noted
the tragic humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, to which Church World
Service and other groups have responded but which has received relatively
little media attention.  Already American Baptists have contributed more than
$20,000 in undesignated One Great Hour of Sharing monies to support a CWS
Darfur appeal.	According to Rothenberger, "Through CWS we have the
opportunity to partner in an 18-month ecumenical effort to provide food,
medicines, water supplies and sanitation, as well as seeds, tools and trauma
counseling to 500,000 of the most vulnerable persons in the Darfur area....
It is my hope that thousands of women, men and children...would have reason
to write a note of thanks to American Baptists...even if their situation
continues to receive little media attention...."
       
K/2004ABNS/04ABN126

American Baptist News Service: Office of Communication, American Baptist
Churches USA, P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851; (800)ABC-3USA x2077
/ (610)768-2077; fax: (610)768-2320; www.abc-usa.org;
richard.schramm@abc-usa.org