Several times in the history of Living Hope I’ve had to pause and look at something going on in our community or world, and have felt an overwhelming helplessness.
All of us have been glued to the TV and have felt the pain for the people in Haiti. After prayer and research, here is our thoughtful response: We can’t do everything, but we have to do something.
- Haiti has a young population, in part because of a high birth rate and relatively short life expectancies (60 years for women, 56 for men). About 42% of Haitians are younger than 14.
- More than 2/3 of Haiti's population is unemployed. Most Haitians live on less than $2 a day. One in two Haitians live in poverty, earning less than $1 a day.
- Money that comes into Haiti from outside family members accounts for more than 25 percent of Haiti's gross domestic product. Roughly one in nine Haitian adults receive funds from family abroad to keep them living.
So what can we do?...
First of all, PRAY. 80% of the country is Catholic. 9 million people populate an area the size of the state of Maryland. I believe that the worst is yet to come. 40% of the population of Haiti is under 14. I spent some time researching and found a great article in the Harvard Business Review, and I really believe our first line of defense is to pray. We will pray at every service at every campus at Living Hope this weekend.
Second, GIVE. For at least this weekend and all of next week, 10% of all of our offerings will be designated for relief efforts in Haiti. What we want to do is wait until the dust settles to discern the real needs. There is so much aid going into the country at this point, and I know that most of us want to do something, but our thoughtful response needs to be focused where the limited financial resources we have can make the most difference.
In the months to come, we very potentially will send a team to help rebuild an orphanage, to help families or whatever God shows us.
You can click here to give online. Let me reiterate: 10% of all offerings that come in for the next 7 days (at least) will go toward future relief efforts as God directs us.
Last, you could SERVE. When I say serve, for some that will mean potentially going to Haiti, but right now that’s not possible. Airports are jam-packed right now. The whole world is focused on Haiti so going there is probably not feasible for most of us at this point, but it could be in the future.
I also really believe going – this is a reminder for all of us – is to be Jesus to those around us. When a disaster of this nature happens, it catalyzes in us a deep sense of Only God compassion and a human response of helplessness. So do what you can, go where you can, serve who you can in your world. We maybe can’t be Jesus in Haiti right now, but we can be Jesus to those around us right now.
This is Living Hope’s initial, thoughtful response to the disaster in Haiti. I want to thank those of you who have called, posted on Facebook, emailed and asked the question “What is Living Hope going to do?” It made me thank God all over again for a church that sees a need and wants to meet it.
See you all this weekend,
John
