May 9, 2008

ELGIN, IL – The Church of the Brethren is contributing a $5,000 grant from its Emergency Disaster Fund to the international relief effort following a devastating cyclone in Myanmar. The grant supports the work of Church World Service (CWS) in Myanmar.

The grant request came from Brethren Disaster Ministries. "This initial grant will support immediate relief operations and assessment of Myanmar Council of Churches," the request said. "Additional grants are expected as CWS finds ways to work around the challenges" of limitations from the Myanmar government.

A follow up grant of $35,000 is in the process of approval.

The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts almost 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.

Church of the Brethren