Mission to North America of the Presbyterian Church in America has sent an appeal for needs resulting from the damage from Hurricanes Gustav, Fay, and Ike. MNA is providing funding and arranging for teams to assist with building and repairs. The appeal provides the various contact information.

 
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
 
To donate to MNA 2008 Hurricane relief, click here.
To register for volunteer service, click here.

Please prayerfully consider generous financial gifts and service for those affected by hurricanes and other storms this year.  MNA is coordinating active relief efforts in these locations:

• Hurricane Ike affected Houston, Galveston, and Beaumont:  See the more detailed update below.  Understand that only specially equipped teams are able to serve at this time.  Donations will be used to address PCA church building and PCA family needs. 
• Haiti: a destitute land already, was impacted severely by four named storms this year – Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike.  We are blessed to be able to support the ministry of Dony St. Germain, who labors in the United States as MNA Haitian Ministries Coordinator, as well as in church planting in Haiti as director of El Shaddai Ministries.  Under Dony’s leadership, you may be sure your generous gifts and volunteer labor are well used not only to address human needs but also to advance the Gospel.  See the report below.
• Gustav did major damage in Baton Rouge and other smaller towns in Louisiana.  Volunteer teams are serving in communities served by PCA churches, and donations will be used to serve PCA families.  A number of PCA families were affected and requests are still coming in.
• Iowa: volunteer teams continue to work through October.  A strong possibility is that rebuilding work may resume in the spring of 2009. 
• Katrina rebuilding is ongoing, led by Lagniappe Presbyterian in Bay St. Louis MS and Redeemer Presbyterian and St. Roch Presbyterian in New Orleans LA.

Please prayerfully consider giving generously to the MNA 2008 Hurricane Relief Fund, or if you prefer, giving to a specific event or city.  MNA’s normal practice is to make separate financial appeals for each disaster event.  During this season, however, because the needs vary greatly in scope and because there is an ongoing need for assistance in several communities, it will be helpful if we may use your gift where we believe it is most needed.  If you prefer to designate your gift for a specific event, we will honor that designation.  Donations are used solely for the needs of PCA families and churches who have experienced loss, as well as for the costs of relief operations.  No portion of your gift will be used for MNA administrative overhead.  
 
Gifts: send your donations to MNA at 1700 N. Brown Road, Suite 101, Lawrenceville GA 30043, or contribute online via credit card at pca-mna.org.  Designate your gift to 2008 Hurricane Fund, or to the specific event to which you wish to give.  
 
Volunteers: If you want to volunteer for unskilled general clean-up work or if you want to help with specific skills, you may sign up as an individual or you may form a team and sign up the team to come. MNA does not charge any fees to volunteer team participants. Expenses for each individual or team will vary according to the work site in which they are serving.
 
You may click here to register on the MNA web site.  It will greatly help our management of telephone calls if you allow us to contact you as opportunities to serve open up.
 
Sincerely in Christ,

Jim Bland
MNA Coordinator