May 7, 2008
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has written to the Anglican church in Burma following the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in the area of the Irrawaddy River Delta.
In the letter to Archbishop Stephen Than Myint Oo, Dr Williams assures the church of the prayers of the Anglican Communion and commends the rescue operation now underway:
"I am heartened to know relief efforts are underway to help hundreds of thousands of people who are without clean water, food, or shelter. Our hearts grieve with all those who have lost their loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods. In the face of such loss, all I can offer in my prayers for you is the totality of the love of God, even in the face of all that on earth is disfigured by natural disaster. ‘This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.' (John 6.39). Please be assured that your brothers and sisters across the Communion are holding you in their prayers."
Myanmar Cyclone – Emergency Appeals
Myanmar was struck by Cyclone Nargis over the weekend and it has been reported that approximately 22,500 people are dead, with 40-50,000 missing without food, water and shelter. The extent of damage is still being assessed and communications in the area is still difficult.
Below are some of the Christian Relief Agencies responding to help the people of Myanmar.
USA: Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD): http://www.er-d.org/newsroom_96874_ENG_HTM.htm.
Canada: The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund http://www.pwrdf.org/stories/all-stories/stories/?tx_ttnews[year]=2008&tx_ttnews[month]=05&tx_ttnews[day]=06&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=416&tx_ttnews[ba ckPid]=1&cHash=9e1216ce40 Church World Services (CWS) and Anglican Missions (Anglican Missions Board of the Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) Emergency Appeal: http://www.churchworldservice.org/Emergencies/international/2008/myanmarcyclone.html.
UK: Christian Aid: http://www.christian-aid.org.uk/emergencies/current/burma_cyclone/index.aspx
Anglican Communion News Service, London
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