Disaster in Mozambique

This update is from Tim Maguire, GCI’s mission developer in the southern part of Africa. He requests prayer concerning significant problems being encountered by the people of the African nation of Mozambique where we have many members.

Political instability

There is great disagreement between the ruling and opposition political parties, which is creating human and material damages on the roads. We ask for your prayers so that these two parties can cease their striving and bring peace and stability to the people.

Drought and famine

The people of Mozambique are plagued with the problem of drought that has led to famine. Their crops are drying up for lack of rain since the middle of December. The crops, including maize (the main source for food there) are wilting. This has created despair in the country with food prices rising and people asking, “Where will we find money to buy food? How can we live without food?”

Our GCI members in Mozambique are being affected by this natural calamity, suffering from hunger and not knowing when it will end.

We will be sending $25,000 to Mozambique this week from the GCI Disaster Relief Fund (described below) to provide food for our members there during this drought.

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GCI Disaster Relief Fund

If your congregation has a heart to help members impacted by major disasters like the one in Mozambique, probably the best way to do so is to donate to the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. The Fund helps provide members in disaster areas with emergency needs such as food, water, medicine, clothing, temporary housing, home and/or church hall repairs, temporary local pastoral salary expenses and other emergency needs. Monies received into the Fund that are not immediately needed will remain in the Fund to be allocated in future disasters. In previous years, money from this Fund has been used to help members recover from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, storms and flooding in Bangladesh, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands, typhoons in the Philippines and an earthquake in Haiti.

If your congregation would like to donate to the Fund, your treasurer can set up a one time or monthly donation through the GCI Online system (http://online.gci.org) by logging in and selecting Church Giving under the Treasurer tab.

If your congregation prefers to send a check, make it out to Grace Communion International, indicating on the memo line that the donation is for the GCI Disaster Relief Fund. Send the donation to:

GCI Disaster Relief Fund
Grace Communion International
P.O Box 5005
Glendora, California 91740