[USA] UN HAITI EARTHQUAKE RELIEF _ World Mission Society Church of God

After a deadly earthquake devastated the country of Haiti, taking away not only millions of lives, but also the people’s optimism for the future, the seed of hope was sown through the love of God and the devotion of the members of the World Mission Society Church of God.

On January 12, 2010, at 4:53 PM (ET), a tragic earthquake struck the small nation of Haiti. With a population of 10 million, Haiti was hard hit by this catastrophe, which injured one third of its citizens and caused 90 percent of buildings to collapse. Despite that, the seed of hope was sown through the love of God and the devotion of the members of the World Mission Society Church of God.

With a burning desire to help those in need, General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol and other members of the Church of God in New York visited the United Nations Headquarters and met with Amir Dossal, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships (UNOP). On behalf of the World Mission Society Church of God, General Pastor Kim delivered a donation to aid Haiti earthquake victims. This was “the largest donation made by a faith-based organization to the [UN Central Emergency Relief Fund] in history,” as reported on the UN website. The funds would be used to purchase medicine, medical supplies, and equipment to help restore the Haitian communities.

Although this was the church’s first time meeting with the United Nations, UN representatives recognized that the two organizations shared similar goals in terms of helping the global community. Mr. Dossal complimented World Mission Society Church of God’s environmental work and its commitment to serve society by stating: “We saw potentiality that the world can change if the Church of God that delivers Mother’s love will take the lead. We hope that the Church of God and the UN will work together from now on.”

The funds were collected through cooperation with auxiliary organizations. The Messiah Orchestra, an auxiliary organization of the World Mission Society Church of God, held the “Charity Concert to Help Earthquake Victims in Haiti,” twice in the month of February, shortly after the earthquake. The Messiah Orchestra is comprised of 120 gifted Church of God members who use their talents to glorify God Elohim. During this event, the orchestra performed several musical pieces ranging from Western Classical to Korean traditional, as well as New Songs, beautiful hymns that musically express the love and sacrifice of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother.

The event was held at the KBS Busan Hall (Busan, South Korea), and attracted the attention of over 7,000 guests. Several prominent officials, including Hur Nam-sik, the Mayor of Busan, and Kim Hyong-Oh, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, were among those in attendance. Those who could not attend sent generous donations to help this noble cause. The Messiah Orchestra shared beautiful melodies crossing the borders of language and culture, and conveying the message of love and comfort to the victims of this dreadful disaster.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] POMPTON LAKES DISASTER RELIEF_ World Mission Society Church of God

The night before Hurricane Irene struck the town of Pompton Lakes, NJ, families were completely unaware of the damage it would cause and hoped to be able to weather the storm at home. The following morning of August 28, 2011, Irene unleashed her fury on the state of New Jersey, leaving residents with no choice but to evacuate their homes, taking only loved ones and barely escaping with necessities.

Irene particularly devastated the neighborhood of Pompton Lakes leaving it in unprecedented damages—with some houses getting more than 8 feet of water from the swollen Pompton River.

Seeing the damages after returning to their homes, families were  overwhelmed by the amount of damage the storm did to their property: floors had to be ripped up, walls needed to to be knocked down, homes had to be abandoned and mementos of precious childhoods and family vacations were ruined.

Homeowners worried where they would get the manpower to clean up and restore what was their once pristine homes. Although residents suffered physical and emotional pains in the aftermath of the hurricane, no help was in sight to alleviate the mounting struggles of this catastrophe.

Finally, to the residents’ consolation, a multitude of volunteers from  the World Mission Society Church of God showed up at their doors. Instead of water, now Pompton Lakes became flooded with more than 300 volunteers who went to provide disaster relief over the 2011 Labor Day Weekend.

Members went house to house encouraging distraught residents with smiles and coaxing them to take a rest while they took care of the intense labor necessary to gut entire houses. Residents said they were not able to genuinely laugh since the tragedy, but with the help of the Church of God members, they could now feel a sense of hope for the future.

Pompton Lakes Mayor Kathleen Cole even shed tears of gratitude and appreciation as she thanked the volunteers for their time and hard work. Pompton Lakes resident, Frank Alosevic, wrote to the Church of God, “With you, I felt like a human being again… I saw over 100 young and strong come together to help people like us and never ask for anything: young faces, different faces, beautiful faces, all with smiles. I saw what I never imagine existed anymore, people of all walks of life working together in a brotherly and sisterly fashion… let your loved ones know you are changing other people’s lives for the better.”

Volunteers from the Church of God worked arduously for three days to help families with work that, as many described, would have taken them weeks and even months to finish on their own. When the time to depart arrived, residents thanked the volunteer group from the bottom of their hearts—genuinely appreciating the assistance they never thought they would have received.

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA

[USA] Disaster relief_ World Mission Society Church of God

When disasters strike, many of us are unprepared and do not know where to go for help or what to do. Sometimes government resources are short and assistance from individuals are limited. At these times, all people become equal. And it is also at these times that nothing is more comforting than knowing that someone is there for us and we have what we need to get through it.

The members of the World Mission Society Church of God understand this and by keeping the teachings of Heavenly Mother to “serve our neighbors as ourselves,” we strive to be an on-call body for communities hit by disaster. The members from the Church of God inspired by the love and direction from Elohim God will gather together, create plans of action and target locations to start serving communities. Expecting nothing in return, the members go out like an army clad in yellow and green vests to put the teachings of God into action.

Until now, hundreds of members have worked to cut down trees during the storm, clean out homes and basements with major flood damage, donate food and supplies and provide emotional support when people need it most. As more unexpected climactic and other disasters occur, we hope communities will continue to call on the Church of God to help!

-World Mission Society Church of God in USA