This year has been a particularly bad one for emergency relief needs, with all the previously predicted global warming emergencies due to hurricanes, severe flooding, drought and famine throughout the sub-tropics, wildfires in Canada, and of course, the latest earthquake in Mexico (not a result of global warming).
It's noteworthy that PWRDF sent emergency funding for Hurricane Harvey relief in Texas (through the Episcopal Church partner), to the richest country in the world. This is as Christ instructed: “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you” (Mat 5:42); i.e., rich or poor, any person in need deserves help.
In August, PWRDF was forced to dip into development funding to cover some of the emergencies, a sure sign that we need to include climate change in all future planning for PWRDF.
I hope to soon announce a teleconference call for parish PWRDF reps to discuss plans and actions, and to obtain any feedback you may have from your own experiences in your parish. The call will likely be in early-October.
Geoff Strong
PWRDF Diocesan Representative
More Info: PWRDF website