wfn.org | ABCUSA: IM PARTNER GIVES $2,500 TO ABCUSA HURRICANE RELIEF EFFORT

["BROWN, Matthew" <Matthew.Brown@abc-usa.org>]

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS)-International Ministries (IM) recently received
a donation of $2,500.00 from The Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT) for
Hurricane Katrina relief efforts of ABCUSA. In a letter to IM, the CCT
General Secretary Rev. Dr. Sint Kimhachandra said, "We have received so
much kindness and support from your church over the years that we would
like to express our solidarity with you in a tangible way."

Rev. Stanley Murray -- IM's area director for Southeast Asia and Japan
-- welcomed the financial support from one of the denomination's
international partners. "This is an example of mission coming full
cycle," said Murray. "With this offering, the CCT is sharing the
blessing that knowing God can bring ... namely, that we are called to
care for one another's needs."

The CCT includes churches that grew from the work of several different
mission agencies, including IM, and the fruit of local mission efforts.
IM's 16 missionaries serving in Thailand all relate to member bodies of
the CCT.

For the CCT, the donation was simply a follow up to earlier expressions
of concern. In early September, shortly after Hurricane Katrina,
Kimhachandra told IM, "Those of us who live in Southeast Asia, and
experienced the Tsunami [in December 2004] are in a better position than
most to understand the magnitude of suffering, which this natural event
has caused." In giving the donation, the general secretary said he hoped
the donation would assist ABCUSA to "help individuals and congregations
rebuild their lives and ministry."

Certainly, the ministry and disaster support has been mutual. After the
Tsunami, American Baptists responded with over $2.5 million of
designated donations to One Great Hour of Sharing, according to Lisa
Rothenberger, the denomination's World Relief officer. Of that total,
Rothenberger reported that $1 million has been distributed to several
affected countries, including $211,000 in funds for Thailand.

Moreover, as of Nov. 30th, ABCUSA had received $3.2 million for relief
of survivors of Hurricane Katrina, as well as Hurricanes Rita and Wilma.
This total was raised in 90 days, representing the largest amount of
money ever raised in the history of the denomination for a single
disaster in that time period, Rothenberger said.

IM is a Baptist mission agency, established in 1814, which serves the
more than 5,800 churches of the American Baptist Churches USA.
Globally, IM relates to more than 500 educational institutions and 125
hospitals and medical facilities. Missionaries work in partnership with
some 15,000 trained national workers, who serve about 22,000
congregations and nearly 3,000,000 baptized members.

Matthew Brown
Webmaster
Office of the General Secretary
American Baptist Churches USA
610-768-2159 Phone
610.768.2309 Fax
www.abcusamissions.org