Hurricane Matthew Relief Fund Created

hermes2andfamilyAt Church on Sunday morning many people asked about taking up an offering to aid victims of Hurricane Matthew.  Fr. Looker intentionally delayed such a collection in anticipation of receiving word from Bishop Simpson on how the Diocese of Florida as a whole would respond to the catastrophe.  Today we heard from Bp. Simpson.  We already knew that the Bahamas were particularly hard hit, but we have learned that the home of one of our own clergy, Deacon Hermes Laing II, was practically destroyed and that they have lost most of their belongings.  Bp. Simpson is creating Hurricane Relief Fund to assist the people of the Bahamas, Haiti, and Cuba in rebuilding their lives and homes.  If you would like to donate to the Hurricane Relief Fund, you may do so in two ways: you may put a check in the offering basket earmarked “Hurricane Relief” or you can visit our donate page, choose “Other” from the drop-down menu and enter “Hurricane Relief.”  All donations are tax-deductible and will be sent to the Cathedral and distributed to those in the affected area.  Thank you for your generosity.

Bp. Simpson Issues Appeal for Hurricane Relief for the Bahamas

On Tuesday, October 6th, Bp. David Simpson, whose episcopal oversight includes the Bahamas, issued this appeal to clergy of the Diocese of Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Joaquin:

Although our sister parish, Church of the Nativity, in Nassau, Bahamas, was not struck by the recent hurricane, other parts of the nation most certainly were. In response to this humanitarian crisis, the Cathedral Church of the Resurrection and the Diocese of Florida are undertaking a Hurricane Relief Fund to assist the people of the Bahamas in restoring their lives and property in the aftermath of the storm.

At the Cathedral, we will be collecting items as well as cash. Outside the Cathedral, however, given transportation issues, it seems best to appeal for financial contributions. We will then take all such cash contributions and purchase supplies locally to be sent to the Bahamas. We will be working with Fr. Bowleg in this regard to ensure that our contributions are received properly and distributed wisely.

If you are inclined to join in this effort, you can make your checks out to the Diocese of Florida, clearly earmarked “Bahamas Hurricane Relief”.

NativityDancers

Worshipers at Church of the Nativity, CEC, in Nassau, Bahamas.

For those wishing to send checks directly to the Diocese of Florida, the address is 6701 SW 25th St, Miramar, FL 33023.   Alternatively those withing to make donations make make checks payable to Church of the Messiah, clearly marked “Bahamas Hurricane Relief” and we will send those donations out next week.