Share
RSS
November 2009
.jpg)
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN: Fulfilling our spiritual MISSION
Episcopal Relief & Development exists to put our spiritual ideals and moral principles into action - to be the compassionate response of the Episcopal Church to human suffering around the world.
That is why I was so proud and profoundly moved that the 2009 General Convention of the Episcopal Church recognized and honored our efforts both in its formal proceedings and in the many informal discussions I had with deputies and attendees.
In particular, the General Convention passed a resolution proposing to "Establish the First Sunday in Lent as Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday" and invited congregations and individuals to remember and support our life-saving work during Lent through prayer and special offerings. Another resolution of Commendation and Celebration for our efforts was also passed.
These actions make clear that support for Episcopal Relief & Development is one very important way parishioners can live out our commitment to Jesus and our Baptismal Covenant.
read more
 "I now know that God does love me and I have some chance of justice."These are the words of Mary, a 29-year-old mother of two from the village of Chicopelo in Tanzania. She spoke them just after attending a seminar supported by Episcopal Relief & Development on how to productively raise chickens and small animals. This was a transformative moment for her and the other women present. It gave them a kind of empowerment they'd never had before. That is the outcome we seek to achieve through our partnership with the Diocese of Central Tanganyika to alleviate hunger and increase economic opportunity in this poverty-stricken region reeling from drought, famine and the global recession. read more |
 At first glance, the prospects for Zhangfeng Township's 38,000 residents appear to be bleak. Located in southwest China on the border with Myanmar, it has long suffered from severe poverty, HIV/AIDS, poor water quality and limited ways to earn an income.Yet today there is a ray of hope for those who have been suffering the most, thanks to Episcopal Relief & Development's partnership with the Amity Foundation - an independent, faith-based Chinese voluntary organization with strong roots in the community - to provide micro-credit loans to individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families. read more |
|
Give Gifts That Work: Gifts for Life
 Episcopal Relief & Development's Gifts for Life catalog offers you a special way to share the joy of giving during the Christmas season. Purchase a gift in honor of a friend or loved one through this unique gift catalog and you'll give direct support to people in need around the globe. From the insecticide-treated net that will protect a sleeping child from malaria to a flock of chickens that can be a family's first step toward economic independence, through Gifts for Life you can become part of a community's long-term solution to alleviating poverty. visit our website at www.er-d.org/GiftsforLife |
 Helping communities here in the U.S. prepare for natural disasters is a key priority of Episcopal Relief & Development, which is why we are pleased to announce that this critical program will be under the new - and extremely able - leadership of Katie Mears.read more |
 Using business to promote good. In this day and age, when the headlines are filled with stories of corporate greed, it's hard to imagine that there are companies built on such a simple and uplifting principle. But at Pura Vida, they've done just that.Pura Vida, which partners with Episcopal Relief & Development to produce our Bishops Blend Coffee and Teas, sells fair trade products that not only taste good, but also are grown according to sustainable practices and support the farmers who produce them. read more |
