Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative surpasses goal!

In August 2006, Disciples pledged to send 750 volunteer groups to the Gulf Coast to participate in hurricane recovery efforts by the end of August this year... as of today, participating and scheduled groups now number more than 750!

DHM and Week of Compassion congratulate Cowden Lake Christian Church, Coral, Mich., for registering to send the 750th group to the Gulf. They are scheduled to work in Louisiana in early August.

For Julie Drews, the youth group leader at Cowden Lake Christian Church, volunteering in the Gulf seemed like a good idea.

"I just got involved with our youth group last fall and they told me they wanted to do something to help other people who really need it. I checked with Disciples Home Missions and I found out about the Disciples Hurricane Initiative. We're excited to be the 750th group and even more excited to go to the Gulf to help those in need," said Drews.

Week of Compassion's director, Johnny Wray, is elated that Disciples have accomplished this goal. "This was a challenging goal for us," said Wray. "Given the enormity of the need, these mission trips are bringing a sense of transformation to everyone involved, the host churches and the groups who return to their home churches."

According to Carl Zerweck, director of Disciples Volunteering, phase 2 of the Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative will begin September 1 and continue through December 31, 2009. More details concerning Phase 2 will be available May 1.

It's not too late to join the effort. Visit http://www.discipleshomemissions.org/Volunteer/DisasterResponse/index.htm for more information.

Disciples Work Groups Top Recovery Goal

Reprinted from the Week of Compassion Update on April 10, 2008

Breaking news! The Disciples Hurricane Recovery Initiative's goal of sending 750 work groups to the Gulf South (and tornado-stricken Greensburg, KS) has been reached and exceeded! The Office of Disciples Volunteering reports that 753 groups have gone, or are now registered to go, since the Initiative began September 1, 2006. This in no way means that groups are no longer needed. There are still open dates this summer at Disciples Mission Stations and with other Disciples-related recovery partners. And it does not mean that Disciples' participation and presence in long-term recovery work will end August 31. Years and years of rebuilding work lie ahead, and Disciples will be present. ODV is already signing up work groups for the fall of 2008 and into 2009. Complete details on "Phase II" will be announced in early May. Week of Compassion will continue to provide work trip grants to volunteer groups requesting them. Applications can be downloaded from the WOC website. For the millions of dollars in designated gifts from Disciples congregations, members and friends, and for the hundreds of thousands of Disciples work hours, we are grateful -- many, many are grateful.