Our call is to partner with the Anglican Church to support Christ-centered, long-term, sustainable development projects, mostly in the southern hemisphere. In addition, we provide relief funding through local churches when natural disasters disrupt lives and damage property. We are particularly called to serve the poorest of the poor across the world.
Lately, international news has been extraordinarily depressing. People are being brutalized throughout the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine, parts of Southeast Asia and South America.
In the recent past, I don’t recall so many millions of people being so violently displaced from their homes, leaving everything behind with nowhere to go. Millions of people are throwing themselves on the mercy of others – mainly being cared for by the UN, Red Cross and other major relief organizations. Many in the Anglican Church of North America, including our Archbishop Foley Beach, are speaking out, saying, “we must do something to assist these people.”
We are especially saddened and feel somewhat helpless when we see and hear about Christians being persecuted.
The injustice is enormous. It is ugly to see people treat other people with such hatred. It goes against everything God has taught us about loving our neighbor as ourselves. Man-made disasters driven by racial, tribal, political, ideological and religious differences can seem too difficult to face, but it is possible to help in a real way. What we can do is get involved at the grass-roots level, partnering with local churches and dioceses and providing what resources we have. You can donate to ARDF’s relief effort by clicking here.
Let’s remember again James 2:20: “Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless.”
ARDF’s Honorary Chairman, Baroness Cox has a life-long motto about serving the poor: “We know we cannot do everything, but we cannot do nothing.”
Gary Haugen is one of my heroes and his first book was titled Good News about Injustice. It’s a catchy title but it has a very serious message. The Good News about injustice is that God calls us to help correct injustice in our sphere of influence. When we act against injustice we make God tangible to all. So we as individuals need to do something to make God tangible. ARDF stands by to assist you in acting/donating with mercy to this hurting world through the church.
God bless us and those we serve as we endeavor do something to keep our faith alive.
Bill Deiss is the Executive Director of the Anglican Relief and Development Fund.