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Dear Friends,
Fire can be a good thing, like when we use it to warm ourselves, prepare a hot cup of cocoa, or introduce children to the art (and science) of making s’mores. And, fire can be, as we are witnessing in real time, devastating.
As I write this, most stories haven’t been told; our people are still reacting. I have heard from some of our pastors who have in turn heard from their church members. For some, power is out and trees are down. Many have been evacuated, waiting for the fires to subside. I suspect that some in our ABCOFLASH family will be facing even more difficulty.
Still, there is hope. Churches are coordinating housing or acting as shelters for their members. Pastor John Jay of FBC Pasadena informed us that their church is acting as a shelter for those in their wider community who have need. And just how wide is the community? When it comes to need, the community can be quite wide.
Speaking of need, when I spoke with Lisa Harris Lee who heads up the disaster response arm of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, she said that they will be making a national appeal among American Baptist Churches to help raise funds in response to this tragedy.
Thanks to the foresight of my predecessor, Dr. Chetti, we also have an emergency response fund to help our ABC family members. The funds are limited; so if you and/or your church is in a position to help, please do so. I was impressed by a charity commercial that I heard recently; they boasted, rightfully, that 90% of every dollar goes to support.
Because our staff operates on funds that come from investments, 100% of any gift you can give will go to helping our ABCOFLASH family. We will coordinate your gifts through our pastors who identify the need within their church. Please give. As you might expect, we will likely have more requests for help than donations.
You can give by clicking here
or by sending your check to:
ABCOFLASH
(Attn: Emergency Response Fund)
213 North Louise Street
Glendale, CA. 91206
While fire can be devastating, it can also be a good thing. Moreover, the fire of the Holy Spirit that brings us together in Christian compassion is a great thing. Thank you for your gifts and especially your prayers. God bless you.
Yours, on behalf of the ABCOFLASH staff and the board of directors,
Andy Q.
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