FGC Responds to earthquake in Haiti

For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.  
Matthew 5:45

The entire FGC community extends our deepest sympathy and solidarity to all those affected by the earthquake in Haiti.  We mourn for those who have lost, and urge Quakers to offer their whole-hearted support to those who have survived as they struggle to rebuild.  

For the FGC staff, and many Friends in Philadelphia, our personal connection to this earthquake has been through Julian Brelsford, a young adult and long-time FGC Gathering attender, who is an active member of the spiritual community that many of the FGC staff call home.  Julian and his sister Christa were in Haiti at the time of the quake.  

Before the earthquake, Julian's faithful work and ministry in Haiti has repeatedly called Quakers in the Philadelphia area to a greater awareness of the struggles and persistent challenges that the country has faced over the years, and to the incredible impact a few US dollars can have on the people there.

In the quake, both Julian and Christa were injured, Christa quite seriously.  They were evacuated to Miami where Christa needed to have one leg amputated below the knee.  In spite of this trauma, as Christa pointed out repeatedly in interviews with national media, her primary concern rests with the hundreds of thousands of Haitians who are still in urgent need of medical care, food and water.  

This is where our concerns must rest today.

FGC is not a direct service organization, and we do not provide the kind of emergency services that are needed in Haiti.  As a result, FGC is urging Friends to contribute to the American Friends Service Committee which has already released $100,000 in funds to help their partners on the ground respond to immediate medical and humanitarian needs.
You can contribute at www.afsc.org

At the request of Julian, and in recognition of the need for a long-term ongoing work in Haiti, FGC is also encouraging Friends to support the organization Haiti Partners, which has been working in Haiti for almost two decades, providing relief and "helping Haitians change Haiti."
You can contribute at www.haitipartners.org

Above all else, Friends are encouraged to follow their leadings, to faithfully offer whatever gifts of service, funds and prayer they are called to provide, supporting one of the above groups, or one of the many other worthwhile organizations working in Haiti.  

In the Light
Sue Regen
Presiding Clerk of FGC