Vista churches aiding tsunami relief efforts

By: ANNE RILEY-KATZ - Staff Writer | Monday, January 3, 2005 8:54 PM PST ∞

VISTA ---- Though they come from different faiths and walks of life, Vista residents who may have little else in common are doing something alike ---- helping those in need.

With the number of people killed in the Dec. 26 South Asian tsunami topping 150,000, relief agencies worldwide have sprung into action, and Vista's churches and their members are among those who have answered the call for help, collecting thousands of dollars for disaster victims.

On Monday, U.S. leaders called on private citizens to add to the $2 billion in international aid already pledged to the disaster-ravaged countries hit by the tsunami.

Among the local congregations providing assistance are Calvary Chapel, the Vista stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Vista Assembly of God Church, Vista Community Church, All Saints Episcopal Church, the First Church of Religious Science, Vista's Buddhist Temple and North Coast Church.

"The outpouring is tremendous and that's how it is supposed to be, because the point is that it is good and right for all churches to step up and assist those needing help," said Paul Hatch, president of the Vista stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. "It's just been remarkable, the number of individuals wanting to contribute and asking how. I've gotten so many calls."

Triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake ---- the world's most powerful in 40 years ---- the powerful tidal waves wiped out entire villages and killed thousands of residents and foreigners in 11 South Asian and African countries.

Monday's death toll counted more than 95,000 people killed in Indonesia and Thailand, the countries hardest hit, and another 40,000 dead in Sri Lanka and India, with the counts still rising.

The 5,000 Vista-area members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also contributed at the church's regular Sunday meetings. Though exact donation figures were not available Monday, Hatch said local contributions were "well into the thousands of dollars."

The money is deposited into an account accessible by the church's headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Most area churches sought monetary contributions, rather than donations of goods or supplies

"Goods like food and clothing are very hard to transport, and would take a long time to get there," Hatch said. "Really, if we can contribute monetarily, that's what will help these individuals."

Other involved organizations said that the internet has been a helpful resource.

Linda Hill at Vista's Assembly of God Church, said that Web site donations and a toll-free donation hotline have been set up.

"We've been taking collections in our services, and an account is set up that goes directly to the Assemblies of God relief fund," Hill said.

According to a letter sent by Assemblies of God World Missions to pastors, the funds aid church missionaries working in Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, allowing them to purchase food and medicine for disaster victims.

Hill did not have donations totals Monday from the Vista church's 1,000 members, because all donations are directed to church headquarters in Missouri, but she estimated the response as "significant."

Calvary Chapel is making donations through Samaritan's Purse, an evangelical Christian nonprofit organization led by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham.

"We want to support relief efforts, and (church) members have really stepped up," said Eddie Hill, assistant pastor at Vista's Calvary Chapel. "It's a wonderful opportunity for us to be Jesus' hands and feet to people in those countries."

Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for Samaritan's Purse, said over the last week, donations had poured in, many online, from thousands of churches in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and that Graham had committed an initial $2 million in aid to the ravaged countries.

"The Internet has been an efficient and immediate way for people to help out. It makes it much easier," Blume said.

So far, the organization has sent three teams of doctors and disaster relief workers overseas to provide humanitarian aid to the stricken areas, particularly assisting with water purification, providing emergency supplies, medical attention, fresh food, clean shelter and sanitation efforts.

"They'll be there for quite awhile, and it's yet to be seen what will happen," Blume said. "A disaster of this magnitude will take a long time to help stabilize."

Contact staff writer Anne Riley-Katz at ariley-katz@nctimes.com.

To Donate Online

Numerous humanitarian, religious and relief agencies accept donations over the Internet, including the following:

American Red Cross

www.redcross.org

American Jewish World Service

www.ajws.org

Assemblies of God

www.agrelief.org

Feed the Children

www.feedthechildren.org

Islamic Relief Worldwide

www.islamic-relief.org

Oxfam International

www.oxfam.org

Samaritan's Purse

www.samaritanspurse.org

Save the Children

www.savethechildren.org

Unicef

www.unicef.org

United Nations World Food Program

www.wfp.org

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