NEW ZEALAND: Christchurch bishop seeks $100,000 for Haiti relief
Episcopal News Service. September 29, 2010 [092910-04]
Anglican Taonga, ENS Staff, Anglican Taonga is the news service of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
Anglicans in the Canterbury region of New Zealand are being asked to give at least $100,000 for earthquake relief in Haiti.
Diocese of Christchurch Bishop Victoria Matthews called on her diocese Sept. 26 to raise the money as an expression of thanks and praise by the time the diocese gathers in synod on Oct. 30.
A significant number of Canterbury's oldest, most iconic and best-loved churches were among the buildings most seriously damaged by a magnitude-7 earthquake that rattled South Island on Sept. 4.
Christchurch Cathedral -- the icon of Canterbury -- was spared in the quake because of a multi-million dollar strengthening project undertaken a few years ago. With ongoing aftershocks the risk of falling debris kept the cathedral off-limits until Sept. 22.
Old masonry and brick buildings -- built before the 1931 Napier quake ushered in changes in building codes -- were hardest hit by the quake. Reportedly two-thirds of the 160,000 houses in and around the capital, Christchurch, were damaged, but no one was killed.
"The Canterbury earthquake was equal in strength to the devastating earthquake that killed and tore asunder Haiti in January 2010," Matthews said in a pastoral letter read in all parishes on Sept. 26.
In Haiti, the Jan. 12 earthquake was centered 15 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince and killed an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 people. Haiti's infrastructure and ability to respond to natural disaster was crippled even before the quake hit. Just more than eight months after the quake, only two percent of the resulting rubble has been cleared away and 25 million cubic meters remain.
Matthews suggested that "if 100 people write a check for $1,000, we will have $100,000. If every parish in the diocese gives $1000, we will have $71,000, which is an excellent start." She added that "if every grateful Anglican writes a check out of the abundance of their love for God and neighbor, we will have a most generous gift indeed."
Matthews said that she had already written her own check.
The bishop noted in her letter that many people have been saying "that our first heartfelt response is naturally one of thanksgiving and praise."
"We give thanks that no one lost their life in the massive earthquake. We are thankful for the response of emergency teams, civic response and civil defense," she said. "We give thanks that in those first few days of fear and uncertainty, we drew closer to one another in community instead of turning on one another in anger and distrust. Give out of the generosity of your heart and thankfulness for our lives."
Matthews said that her appeal ought not to prompt fundraising events.
"Simply reach deep into your pocket and heart and give," she said. "It will bring joy beyond all telling."
Matthews plans to partner with Tearfund and Oxfam in the appeal, according to Spanky Moore, diocesan communications officer.
A Radio New Zealand interview with Matthews about the call to support Haiti earthquake relief is available here.