As a denomination, GCI is providing financial and manpower assistance to aid the relief efforts in the Philippines as the nation recovers from the severe earthquake and the devastating super-typhoon that hit there last year.
Thanks to the generosity of GCI’s U.S. congregations, we have sent to the Philippines $53,000 in aid from the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. In addition to this financial assistance, two GCI mission groups have traveled to the Philippines to assist in the recovery work by providing counseling support, rebuilding, distributing supplies, etc. One of the groups helped feed children at a ministry outreach center (pictured at right) and at the Tacloban Astrodome where about 2000 evacuees were housed following the typhoon.
One of the GCI groups that traveled to the Philippines was sent by Grace Missions–a GCI Generations Ministries mission organization headquartered in Ohio. Leading the group was Joel Clevenger, director of Grace Missions. Also in the group was David Botha, the pastor of GCI’s congregations in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio and a leader in Grace Missions. In the picture below, pastor David is sharing the message of the gospel with Filipinos in the Tacloban area (where the typhoon hit hardest).
The other GCI mission group that traveled to the Philippines came from Australia. That group is pictured below upon arrival in Tacloban. Standing with them is Eugene Guzon (third from left). Eugene is GCI’s national director in the Philippines The missionaries included Daphne Sidney, wife of Bill Sidney who formerly served as GCI’s regional director in the Philippines.
