Dear Colleagues in the ministry of Jesus Christ,

Ongoing news reports of the disastrous earthquake that ravished Haiti are readily available. People in the United States and around the world are gearing up to bring aid to the people of Haiti. I trust you will stay informed and will respond with the compassion of Jesus Christ.

I want to begin a North East district-wide sharing on specific ways we can respond in the name of Christ.

Let's start with:

• Pray for our brothers and sisters of First Haitian Mission of Jacksonville. The Rev. Charles Hubbard, Director of New Church Development, and I have spoken with Pastor Raymond Clotaire, but communication into Haiti is difficult and he knows little about his family or the fate of the families connected to the mission congregation.
• Pray for our Haitian sisters and brothers, colleagues in ministry and in congregations throughout the Florida Annual Conference, and for members of their families throughout Haiti. In our Florida connection we have 19 Haitian churches and missions, 25 Haitian clergy, and more than 3,100 Haitian members.
• Respond through United Methodist channels of disaster response and relief; go to www.flumc.org and www.umcor.org for direction, updates, and quick links to UMCOR's online donation webpage for Haiti disaster relief. "Haiti Emergency" UMCOR Advance number is #418325.
• Social network links You can create a link to the umc website through your social networking media to encourage people in your web of relationships to stay informed, to pray and to give. I just did this on my Facebook page.
• Give! Other trusted avenues of immediate relief are good, such as the American Red Cross: www.redcross.org .
• Money is the best thing we can contribute at this immediate time. [In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew I remember an afternoon of shoveling, with a pitchfork, donated clothes out of a semi tractor trailer, piling them into a corner of a warehouse so that we could make room for pallets of water – what was needed in that moment]. We will stay in contact with Disaster Response folks in the Florida Conference office, and through UMCOR, to learn what is most needed in the moment.
• Long Term ResponseAfter the immediate crisis is sufficiently addressed the people of Haiti will require a long-term faithful response, which may include money, labor and donations. If you or your church would like to be a part of a coordinated district wide dialogue in conjunction with UMCOR, FLUMC and our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ, please let me know and we will keep you updated through emails about upcoming opportunities. We encourage you to be a part of this relational, coordinated effort so that aid to Haiti will be maximized.

 Let our intercessions rise to the One on the throne!

Tim Smiley