(Pastor Ed) To our Crossroads church family,

We have all been touched and saddened by the terrible disaster in Haiti.  As always, Crossroads is ready and willing to help anywhere we are able.  As with all disasters, relief will be needed in stages.  First, to help with meeting basic human needs: food, water, shelter and medical.  Then to help with the biggest challenge – rebuilding.
As a first response, we will be sending financial support to the pastors of some 80 churches in Haiti with which we are affiliated.  As you may know, Crossroads has been part of a larger church organization since its beginning. Our affiliation is with “The Missionary Church.” We have previously partnered with them to bring help and resources to other disasters, like Katrina.

Immediately, we will be supporting the 80 Missionary Churches in Haiti as they are closest to those in need. Please read the memo from Missionary Church president Bill Hossler for guidelines to help. (Bill and his wife Margaret are dear friends of
Cori and I)

Memo From Missionary Church President, Bill Hossler

Dear Constituency of the Missionary Church,

The tragedy in Haiti is beyond words. How do you describe the devastation and human loss associated with such disasters? We pray that the "Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles" will do that for the people of Haiti. But it is not just enough to feel sympathy for them and then to walk to the other side of the road.

Many of you are asking how you can help? You want to be a good Samaritan, but you are not sure what is the best response. Following Hurricane Katrina, the Missionary Church put together a Disaster Relief Team (DRT) in order to assist with direction and resources for our churches.

We are making the following suggestions to our congregations:

1. We are not a first responder organization. There are organizations designed and equipped to be first on the scene, but the Missionary Church is not one of them. We are part of the support and follow up team.

2. You should not go to Haiti without a request from a first responder organization. Haiti does not have the capacity at this time to receive and support 1000's of unsupported relief workers. First responder organizations are self-contained, but extra people will only be a drain on the broken and almost non-existent infrastructure.

3. The Missionary Church is setting up a Haiti Relief Fund to assist where we can. One of the ways these funds will be used is by working with the national Haitian Missionary Church. Sam Birkey, former missionary to Haiti and now working out of the World Partners office said, "Our national church in Haiti has hundreds of family members who have died in this tragedy for whom our relief will be too late (burial must take place within 24 hours), but for everyone who died in the earthquake there are probably one or two people who were injured and will need medical care. Wheelchairs, doctors and hospital bills, loss of jobs and income, transport to care facilities: all will be needed in the days ahead."

If you would like to give to the Missionary Church to help Haiti in the coming days, please make your check out to the Missionary Church, Inc., and in the memo area reference the "Compassion Ministry Fund: Haiti", P.O. Box 9127, Fort Wayne, IN 46899.

4. We will direct much of the money for Haiti Relief directly to the existing Haitian Church leaders for distribution to the families who need it most. This system gives the local Haitian Churches direct contact with the people who will need long term assistance. It strengthens the witness of the local church when they are able to touch the hurting in a direct way. We have approximately 80 Missionary Churches in Haiti, but we currently do not have any missionaries residing there.

5. For people who want to give directly to a First Responder Organization, MCI is recommending either World Relief (www.worldrelief.org)or Samaritan's Purse (www.samaritanspurse.org). We have close connections with both organizations and are confident of their handling of your contributions.

6. If you have interest in being involved in a work team to assist in the rebuilding effort in Haiti, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator Office at 1-260-747-2027. Over the next several months the situation will improve so that we can begin sending work teams to help rebuild the thousands of buildings recently damaged or destroyed. Our Volunteer Office wants to build a database of interested persons we can contact when things finally open up.

Please continue to pray for the people in Haiti and the relatives of dead or missing. We have a number of Haitian Missionary Church congregations in the US who also feel this tragedy very deeply.

Because of Him,
Bill Hossler -- President
Missionary Church, Inc.

Just as we prayed for and supported the Katrina disaster, we will pray, serve and give to those in need in Haiti.   You can either send your check to the Missionary Church address above or put it in the offering on Sunday – please designate you giving as “Haiti Relief” so we can separate it from your regular tithes.

In prayer for those hurting in Haiti,

- Pastor Ed

(***Just in…. please pray for a group of 7 missionaries from the Missionary Church who arrived in Haiti the day before the earthquake.  One of the women in the group was killed in the tragedy.)