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Pastoral Letter on Hurricane Sandy

Beloved in Christ Jesus:

In the face of the face of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in the Caribbean and the Northeast United States, I invite all the clergy and laity of Illinois Great Rivers Annual Conference to pause and pray for our brothers and sisters daily. Some have died. Others have been rendered homeless, jobless, fear filled, isolated etc. from the routine security of their daily lives.

As you gather for worship this Sunday, there are several ways in which you can be a healing presence to those affected by the storm:

• Pray for the rescued and the rescuers and pray as disaster response teams begin the work of rebuilding. United Methodist early response teams from many states have been put on alert, and will deploy once emergency officials say it is safe do so.
• Give to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's Advance Special #3021787, UMCOR Hurricane 2012 fund, which will cover needs in the affected U.S. and Caribbean regions.
• You can also donate $10 by texting the word RESPONSE to 80888. The donation will be added to your monthly cell phone bill.
• Updates will be available on UMCOR's Facebook page and website. You can also call 1-800-554-8583 between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET.

Give what you to our church wide effort to address massive human needs so that folk know the church universal cares about them. As Tom Hazelwood, UMCOR Assistant General Secretary for U.S. Disaster Response said, "As large as the monster Sandy is, the church is larger and more powerful in its preparations, its spirit and its capacity to be here for years to come.

Thanks and God bless you.