In a note to the Saddleback Church Family, Pastor Rick Warren says: "Hundreds of you have called the Ministry Center to ask, 'What are we doing to help the relief efforts from Hurricane Katrina?' Warren says: "This Monday (Labor Day) Kay and I will be flying to the disaster area with our relief assessment team and meeting with our network of churches to plan the best way to serve them. This will be a long, long recovery. "Once we know what types of volunteer help are most needed, we'll tell you. Right now there is almost zero communications within the area (no electricity) so everything is in chaos. 80 percent of New Orleans is flooded. An entire city must be rebuilt."We will have a special offering this weekend for the disaster relief. There's a line on the offering envelope for special offerings and a space where you can write the word 'RELIEF.'
Warren took the opportunity to brag on his church members"Your generosity through this church is legendary. For instance, last December, on a single weekend our church gave $1,393,933 for tsunami relief in South East Asia. Amazing!"Working directly church-to-church with our purpose driven PEACE network we were able to help 241 partner churches serve countless villages with needed relief. Plus, we started 5 new churches in devastated areas!P.E.A.C.E. is an acrostic for Plant churches, Equip leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation. It's part of a vision Warren has for a New Reformation in churches and a New Spiritual Awakening through churches around the world.
"Here's what your gifts (your gift through local churches ) to the December's tsunami relief accomplished:
provided acute medical care to 20,040 suffering people in South East Asia
built 2,621 new homes for the poor
started 6 new businesses that created 275 new jobs
provided 70 new boats and nets needed for fishing
dug 40 new water wells
impacted a total of 1,118,257 different individuals in some way
planted 5 new churches
led 43,554 people to open their hearts to the love of Jesus and become followers!
"This is the PEACE plan in action! Partnering with local churches in villages and planting churches where there were none, we were able to do so much more than imagined. Now we have the opportunity with the hurricane to do PEACE relief here in our own nation."Warren says that in just two weeks Saddleback Church is beginning the exciting small group campaign '40 Days of PEACE.' "One reason is to prepare us as a church to be ready to respond to the needs in our world. But assisting the poor and caring for the sick from this disaster cannot wait. So we're starting some projects now," Warren said.He promises to speak this weekend on "Hope for Hurting Parents."
Warren says: "If you're asking yourself, 'What can I do now, today?' Here's what you can do. PRAY. You can pray by yourself, with your family or co-workers or members of your small group. Ask God for three things:
1.) That he would make himself known to the hundreds of thousands of people impacted.
2.) That he would mobilize his church to meet the needs of the people affected.
3.) That he would prepare your heart to respond in a way that would bring him glory.
Warren is due to be interviewed on the 'Your World with Neil Cavuto Show' (Fox News Channel) about how to comfort the victims of the hurricane. It will air in Southern California at 3pm, 12 pm, and 4 am Eastern Time.
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