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Dave Weigley, president of the Columbia Union
Conference, today called for all churches unionwide to dedicate
a week of prayer—starting this Sabbath, January 16—for the
earthquake-shattered nation of Haiti.
“This [sort of
devastation] is unprecedented in the Western Hemisphere, and it is
of biblical significance,” Weigley said. “Without a question this is
a sign of Christ’s soon return. The most important thing we can all
do right now is to pull together and pray for our brothers and
sisters in Haiti and for all the people of that devastated
country.”
He is also appealing to members to be liberal in
giving money to ADRA (adra.org), which
is already working with ADRA Haiti to funnel immediate aid into the
island-nation.
Staff members at the union’s headquarters
also gathered in the union’s Grace Chapel to sing and pray for those
suffering now. One-by-one staff members lifted their voices in
prayer, and pled for God’s comfort, relief, and grace on that
shattered country.
Goldie Louis, a union staffer, shared
that her husband’s mother and uncles may have been impacted. “It’s
been really stressful and hard not knowing—wanting desperately to
help in some way,” she said. “We are waiting and hoping that someone
who knows our loved ones will respond to our emails and
calls.”
Rubén Ramos, assistant to the president for
Multilingual Ministries, said, “It really breaks my heart to hear
this news about Haiti.”
He continued, “However, this is a
great opportunity for us to show Christian attitudes not only
through prayer but also through giving abundantly to our
institutions. The second coming of Christ is close, and I hope this
reminds us to remain faithful to our church’s
mission.”
Others affected in the Columbia Union include
members of Potomac Conference’s Manassas (Va.) church. Charles and
Gigi Le-Morzellec, who founded the Eden Garden Orphanage, are in the
country now and report that even though the staff and children are
safe, their director—who resides in Port-au-Prince—remains missing.
They are joining in the relief efforts and are asking for donations
through their website edengardenorphanage.info.
There are
330,000 Seventh-day Adventists and 1,000 churches in Haiti,
according to Larry Evans, undersecretary for the worldwide Adventist
Church. Evans has received reports of the destruction of two of the
country’s largest Adventist churches. Concerns remain over the
status of children attending the school attached to one of those
churches. One union worker was killed when a wall fell on him. Many
have taken to sleeping on the lawns of the Haitian Adventist
University and hospitals in Port-au-Prince.
To donate to
ADRA’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund, call (800) 424-ADRA (2372) or
visit adra.org and
click on the “Haiti Earthquake Response
Fund” link.
For more updates about Haiti,
visit columbiaunion.org. | 
