St. Mary’s participated in the relief effort for
those who lost everything in a series of typhoons that ravaged the
Philippines in the last two months. Upon the recommendation of the
Outreach Committee, the Vestry approved a disbursement of $500 to
the program, a modest amount in the US but very significant in
Philippines. The effort coordinated by the First Presbyterian Church
of Passaic allowed the local churches to purchase and distribute a
significant amount of food and clothes to those who badly needed
them. See the attached pictures that speak for themselves
Below is a message of appreciation from the
minister the First Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Raymond
VandeGiessen, who recently returned from his trip to Philippines:
Many people
in the Philippines are incredibly poor, but even the poorest opened
their hearts and shared of their meager possessions with those who
had lost everything. Metro Manila has recovered remarkably well,
considering the breadth of the disaster. We Americans have much to
learn from our brothers and sisters there!
There are still
large numbers of poor that have no homes to which they can return.
Many were "squatters" who had built shacks along the rivers and that
debris added to the cause of the flooding. The government is not
allowing them to return, and nearly 500,000 people remain in refugee
centers. We were not able to visit them ourselves, but some of the
aid will be delivered to them as food, clothing, and medicine. The
Philippine government is working on long-term solutions to the
squatter issue, and is building much public housing for them. Plans
and projects already in place have been fast-tracked, and much good
will eventually come from this disaster.
Thank you again for
your incredible generosity. May God continue to bless you and your
congregation.