World Relief and Interchurch Aid
Diocesan Press Service. February 14, 1972 [72015]
The tragic plight of millions of suffering human beings from East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh) commanded the attention of Episcopalians at the end of 1971 as it did at the beginning of the year. In the report a year ago from the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and Interchurch Aid, the concern centered on the victims of the huge tidal wave in East Pakistan which claimed millions of lives and devastated huge areas of the country. By March civil strife had reached such a severe point that the rehabilitation program following the tidal wave had to be abruptly halted and resources diverted to the needs of an estimated 10 million people from East Pakistan seeking refuge in India.
Through the Presiding Bishop's Fund Episcopalians in 1971 contributed $593,099.36 for the relief of suffering and deprivation around the world. Of that amount $35,000 went for the ecumenical program of relief in India and East Pakistan. Now that the war is over and Bangla Desh is an independent country a program of rehabilitation is being established to be known as Bangla Desh Ecumenical Relief and Rehabilitation Service.
At the same time needs among Sudanese refugees in Vietnam, Peru, and the Middle East were being met -- entirely from voluntary contributions. For the second consecutive year there was nothing in the General Church Budget for World Relief. World Relief was included in the Faith Offering column for $245,000, but only $ 8,865.75 was so designated.
The total contributions to the Fund represented an 8 per cent drop from 1971. This sum does, however, continue to represent a growing number of individuals and parishes across the Church. It still averages only 26 cents per communicant and much more must be done to acquaint people with the Fund and to provide opportunities to give to it. One such opportunity is afforded in the World Relief Octave -- set for February 27 -March 5. Free promotional, for use at any time during 1972, are available.
The Presiding Bishop's Fund stands ready to assist parishes and missions of the Episcopal Church which suffer natural disasters. In 1971 there were, mercifully, not many of these and they were comparatively mild. A small grant was made to the Navajo community in Arizona to relieve the victims of a serious drought and an emergency grant to the Neighbors in Need program in Seattle, to enable them to distribute food before the bureaucratic procedures were established for other kinds of help, was made.
A review of other uses of the Presiding Bishop's Fund in 1971 will serve to highlight the very important point that much of the money is needed to support the day by day operations of Church World Service and the World Relief Commission of the World Council of Churches -- services to refugees, youth projects, health programs, material resources programs (blankets, tents, clothing, food, etc.) , Planned Parenthood programs. and scholarship assistance to students in and from developing countries. These are the basic ingredients of the assistance which is given -- to which is added our response to disasters and emergencies. Without the structure for administering a global program emergency needs could not be met.
In addition to assisting refugees in other parts of the world, the Episcopal Church has continued to conduct its own Refugee Resettlement program for people coming to this country. In 1971 a total of 1,399 persons were resettled, including 641 Cubans, and many Yugoslavs, Roumanians, Egyptians, Russians and a few Chinese from Hong Kong. The majority were resettled in New York and New Jersey with some going as well to Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, California and South Florida. There was a noticeable drop in the number of refugees resettled, principally due to the many week-by-week interruptions of the Cuban Airlift flights to Miami and the strict requirements for Yugoslav refugees by the U.S. Immigration authorities overseas.
The tragic situation among refugees from the politics/religious persecution of Christians in the Sudan has caused concern for some time. In 1971 it was possible to send $ 10,000 for the immediate relief of those Sudanese refugees in Uganda. There are upwards of 150, 000 whom the Church in Uganda is helping with basic necessities, education, and pastoral ministries.
In addition the Fund designated $ 37,500 for work among Palestinian refugees, $ 37,500 for relief and rehabilitation in war torn South Vietnam and $ 1,000 for the continuation of reconstruction necessitated by the severe 1970 earthquake in Peru. A total of $ 28,500 was contributed for programs of the Eastern Orthodox Churches in Europe under the mandate of Interchurch Aid. During 1971 these funds assisted in seminary training in Yugoslavia, community development projects in Greece, support of an orthodox seminary in Kerala, India, and the Rural Diakonia Project of the Coptic Church in Upper Egypt.
As the year progressed two other special grants were made: a token grant of $ 1,000 toward purchase of a cobalt X-ray unit for a hospital in Cluj, Rumania (as part of the long-term rehabilitation from the disastrous floods of 1970); and $ 5, 000 to the World Council of Churches toward support of the Canadian Council of Churches Ministry to Draft Age Immigrants in Canada. With upwards of 50, 000 young Americans fleeing to Canada as draft evaders or deserters the Canadian Church was faced with an emergency situation in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of these young men. The Executive Council Committee on World Relief and Interchurch Aid felt it was in the spirit of the purposes of the Presiding Bishop's Fund to make a grant to this project which was endorsed by the Anglican Primate in Canada.
The Fund has again in 1972 been designated as the object of the Church School Missionary Offering and is listed in the Faith column of the 1972 budget for $ 100,000. The Fund is administered by the Executive Council's Committee on World Relief and Interchurch Aid of which the Presiding Bishop, the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, is chairman. The other members are : Mrs. Fernando Aldana, Guatemala; Mrs. Seaton G. Bailey, Griffin, Ga.; the Rt. Rev. Archie Crowley, Suffragan Bishop, Michigan; the Rev. William B. Gray, New York City; George Gurnsey, III, St. Louis, Mo.; the Hon. Emmett Harmon, Monrovia, Liberia; the Rev. Rustin Kimsey, Eastern Oregon; the Rev. Canon Almon R. Pepper, Hartsdale, N.Y.; Mrs. Wynne Silbernagel, Columbus, Ohio; the Rt. Rev. Gray Temple, South Carolina; Mrs. Robert Webb, Cos Cob, Conn.; the Rev. John Yamazaki, Los Angeles; Mrs. J. Brooks Robinson, Montana, and the Rt. Rev. Roger Blanchard, Dr. Peter Day, Mrs. Alice Emery, Dr. Lindley Franklin and Dr. Paul Tate of the Executive Council staff.
The Rev. Raymond E. Maxwell has resigned and is to take charge of a parish in West Germany. Mrs. Howard O. Bingley is acting Secretary for World Relief and Inter- Church Aid and Kip Bevier is the Communication Associate. The Refugee Resettlement program of the Executive Council is administered by Mrs. Isis Brown.
Contributions for World Relief may be sent through the parish, diocesan office, or directly to the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017.