More Light Presbyterians asks for your prayers and your support for the people affected by Hurricane Sandy. We encourage you to give to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. They have been on the ground in the affected areas, and are coordinating their work with the presbyteries involved. This is one of the ways in which our connection as a denomination allows us to do more than any one congregation or group of churches could do together. Please be generous in your giving.
The Presbyterian News Service describes the storm’s damage as “historic.”
Initial reports indicate that at least five Presbyterian churches here in Manhattan suffered moderate to heavy damage. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance National Response Teams are response teams are headed to the presbyteries of New York City, Long Island, Elizabeth, New Brunswick and Monmouth.
Middlesex (N.J.) Presbyterian Church in Elizabeth Presbtery — pastored by General Assembly Moderator Neal Presa — lost its roof .
The Stony Point Center just north of New York City, one of the PC(USA)’s national conference centers is making space available for hurricane victims who need a place to stay.
Sandy didn’t just ring our doorbells and run away, she yanked the doorbells off the houses. In too many cases, she also yanked our houses off their foundations, leaving them strewn in the middle of highways, byways and waterways, especially along the Jersey Shore ? unfortunately located directly in the intersection of Sandy’s cross-hairs.
In other cases, she simply huffed and puffed and blew the house down.
Or she burned them down.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has setup a dedicated page for Hurricane Sandy. The page includes updates and resources for use in your faith community. Included on the page is a prayer from Neal D. Presa, Moderator of the 220th General Assembly (2012), Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Linda Bryant Valentine, Executive Director of the Presbyterian Mission Agency:
Together we call the church to pray for those affected by the superstorm, and for those who will be among the first to respond:
God of all time and place,
We thank you for your sustaining grace when our fears are large and our faith is small.
Storms have brought destruction to our sisters and brothers.
We grieve the loss of lives, homes and work.
Please send your Spirit to the broken and bruised places in their lives.
Show us how we can give practical care that rebuilds and renews.
Lead us to the place where hope reigns again.
May the gift of new life in your son Jesus Christ keep us in these days.