wfn.org | NCC Offers Guidance for U.S. Churches' Post-Tsunami Work in Asia

["Carol Fouke" <cfouke@ncccusa.org>]

For Immediate Release/Weblinks Appreciated

NCC Interfaith Relations Office Provides Guidelines For U.S. Churches
Continuing Tsunami Response Work

February 28, 2005, New York City -- The media blitz is over, but the pain of
thousands of tsunami survivors goes on.  The Rev. Shanta Premawardhana, the
National Council of Churches' Director of Interfaith Relations, has prepared
a set of guidelines for U.S. churches that want to continue to be engaged
with Asians in rebuilding their communities.  

Two months after the tsunami struck, the needs remain especially severe in
the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka and Aceh Province of Indonesia; there,
recovery will take years.  

The NCC document, "Listening to, Learning from and Living into Asia's Pain,"
was prepared in consultation with ecumenical leaders in Sri Lanka and
Indonesia, and was informed by the Rev. Premawardhana's own experiences as a
native of Sri Lanka.  

He says that "building relationships through religious institutions seems to
be one of the best ways" to maintain a continuing commitment to rebuilding
the devastated nations. 

Included in the document are practical ways for churches to get involved,
including sister church relationships, house building projects, micro-credit
schemes and several specific small-scale projects needing support.  Also
detailed are advocacy concerns, cautions about the use of money, background
on Asian Christianity, learnings from 9/11 about interfaith cooperation, and
even several denomination-specific ideas.

The document is available at
www.ncccusa.org/interfaith/churchguidelines-tsunami.html

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NCC Media Contact: 212-870-2252 or 2227