Brothers and Sisters,

I write to you from the meeting of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church.  As we have done our work as your bishops one of the concerns we have been actively carrying this week has been the situation in the Philippines.

We have been praying without ceasing and encouraging our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) as it has led our United Methodist response.

Our bishops from the Phillippines had left the country to attend our meeting here at Lake Junaluska in North Carolina before the typhoon hit and had been unable to return until today. This afternoon we prayed for our Filipino colleague bishops and blessed them on their way back home assuring them that we would stand with them in their hour of need.

Here you will find the full report we have received thus far from UMCOR. Through UMCOR, we United Methodists have sent a $97,000 grant to Tacloban City in the Leyte Province of the Philippines, the area that received the worst impact of the typhoon. These immediate funds are providing emergency food, water, and water purification tablets to 7,500 individuals (or 1,500 families). This is just the beginning of our effort.

Read more from Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño’s call to prayer here.