World Relief and Interchurch Aid-- Year End Report, 1970
Diocesan Press Service. March 26, 1971 [92-7]
NEW YORK, N. Y. -- The year 1970 saw youngsters have their legs blown off by land mines in Vietnam while others were left orphaned and starving by the floods in East Pakistan. In Peru the earthquake left 70,000 persons dead or missing and another 500, 000 homeless. And in the Middle East and Nigeria victims of war and political conflict continued in situations almost beyond hope.
The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief and Interchurch Aid, in its 30th year of service, responded in all of these areas, despite the fact that for the first time in 20 years the Fund received no grant from the General Church Budget. However, individual Episcopalians in every domestic diocese, and eight out of 12 overseas districts, made voluntary contributions of $667, 166. 15. Though that averages out at only 29 cents per communicant, a miserly sum in Christian terms, there is evidence that knowledge of the Fund's work is continuing to grow among Churchmen and that more and more parishes are making opportunities to participate available to members.
The Nigerian Council of Churches undertook a massive task of relief and rehabilitation at the termination of the devastating civil war. Through the Presiding Bishop's Fund Episcopalians contributed substantially to this $4 million project.
The continuing war in Indo-China produces more and more innocent victims to whom Vietnam Christian Service seeks to minister through its relief projects in Saigon and 12 other locations, mainly in the areas of medical services, social welfare, housing, community development, educational assistance and material aid distribution. The Presiding Bishop's Fund contributed $50,000 to Vietnam Christian Service in 1970.
There are a number of U.S. Episcopalians serving with Vietnam Christian Service and in November Miss Doris Dove, a physiotherapist from Washington, D. C., joined the staff and is being loaned to the (Vietnamese) National Rehabilitation Institute in Saigon to help train therapists.
In the Middle East the thousands of refugees, from both the 1948 war and the six-day war of 1967, continue in agonizing uncertainty as to what the future holds as well as in constant need of practical assistance. This entails not only provision of material aid -- food, clothing and medical assistance -- but also vocational training and business rehabilitation, service centers, family recreational centers for children and youth, etc. The Presiding Bishop's Fund contributed $50,000 to this many-faceted ministry on behalf of Palestinian refugees, and the annual Good Friday Offering went for the support of the work of the Jerusalem Archbishopric. This latter encompasses a wide range of assistance in the religious, social and educational programs of the Archbishopric, but also relief of refugee clergy from the Sudan, Christian student work at the universities and support of Orthodox educational and vocational projects. The Good Friday Offering in 1970 totalled $63,527.69.
The year's two most serious natural disasters were the massive earthquake in Peru at the end of May and the devastating cyclone in East Pakistan in November. Approximately $26, 000 in earmarked funds was contributed for relief and rehabilitation in Peru; and nearly $20,000 for East Pakistan -- more of course continues to come in in 1971 for these critical and ongoing needs. Church World Service has a resident director in Peru who is supervising long range projects of reconstruction and engineering; potable water; agricultural development and public health.
Emergency grants were also made to relieve suffering following an earthquake in Turkey, a Gulf coast hurricane in Texas, a Danube River flood in Rumania, a ferry boat sinking in the West Indies, a series of disturbances in the Philippines -- earthquake and a succession of typhoons -- and flood in Puerto Rico.
The ongoing work which the Fund makes possible needs emphasis. Year after year, the Episcopal Church together with other churches cooperating has supported in Church World Service a refugee resettlement program which since 1949 has enabled 189, 058 refugees to resettle in the United States. The Episcopal Church has provided sponsorship for 32,787 of these persons over a 21-year period. In 1970 alone the Episcopal Church sponsored the resettlement of 2,206 persons including Cubans, Czechoslavaks, Armenians and Yugoslavs.
Through the Presiding Bishop's Fund, Episcopalians support Church World Service in providing family planning clinics and projects in eighty one countries. The largest of these programs is in India where ecumenical funds and supplies are channeled to 450 church-related hospitals.
The Fund contributes to an ongoing program of material aid in disaster areas, troubled areas and underdeveloped areas in over 30 countries. This includes not only short-term emergency feeding and clothing, but long range developmental projects such as improving water resources, teaching new farming methods, providing high quality seeds, food for work projects, etc. The Fund contributed over $100,000 for material aid and commodity distribution in 1970.
A very specialized and necessary form of material aid is presented in the tons of medicines and hospital supplies which are donated by U.S. pharmaceutical and medical supply houses and shipped by Interchurch Medical Assistance, Inc. annually to hospitals and clinics in 17 countries. In 1970, $19 million worth of such items were contributed; of this amount about $1.2 million went to Episcopal-related facilities. The Episcopal Church through the Presiding Bishop's Fund paid less than $20, 000 to IMA or approximately 1.5,per cent of the actual value of this vital assistance. Changes in tax laws and the declining economy have made contributions for medical shipments more urgent than ever.
Assistance to needy students from developing countries and student work in these countries is carried on with world relief funds. Nigeria is one of the countries where the need has been acute and where we have helped. Some help has also been given to alleviate the critical need of students from Southern Africa studying in the United States.
The Episcopal Church has traditionally been in close relationship with Eastern Orthodox Churches through historical and religious ties. This is true as well in the field of Interchurch Aid. Each year the Presiding Bishop's Fund makes possible a number of grants, both directly and through the World Council of Churches, to seminaries, social and educational projects in Europe, especially in Greece and Yugoslavia. In 1970 these projects amounted to $42,750.
The Fund also makes a number of small grants to agencies engaged in refugee and relief projects on an international and ecumenical scale. Examples of these are Heifer Project, Inc., which distributes breeding stock and poultry and provides agricultural services in developing countries, and Technoserve, Inc., an agency which provides consultant services and assists in finding capital for starting small business enterprises in developing countries. The Fund contributed a total of $38,775 to nine cooperating agencies in 1970.
At its December meeting the Committee on World Relief designated refugee work a top priority and when one-tenth of the special gift from the Diocese of Rochester -- $75,000 -- was voted by the Executive Council to be given to the Fund, it was decided that this should all go for refugee work thus making it possible to fulfill all commitments to Vietnam Christian Service, the Middle East and other refugee projects.
Again in 1971, no funds have been appropriated in the General Church Budget for the Fund. It will therefore remain entirely dependent upon the voluntary gifts of individuals, parishes and dioceses. Only thus can we meet the needs of the suffering.
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, and whose full-time Secretary is the Rev. Raymond E. Maxwell.
Contributions for World Relief may be sent through the parish, diocesan office, or directly to the Presiding Bishop's Fund, 815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017.