Ken’s e-Pistle

February 15, 2023

By now, most of us are on information-overload as respects the massive earthquake in Turkey and northern Syria.  This is a difficult part of the world at any time but especially so now when conflict and entrenched government policies seem to work against humanitarian aid. Nonetheless, some of you have asked what we can do as people of faith.

Personally, I have been associated with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance since 1994.  As of last year I “aged out” of active service on the National Response Team.  I am no longer fit for “mucking out” houses! That does not mean that my heart is not in that particular ministry, I simply support it in other ways.

On the international scene, PDA operates in conjunction with many other Christian charities to provide Solidarity Grants for meeting immediate needs through ACT, Action through Churches Together. Assistance at this time includes the distribution of winterization items (blankets and mattresses) along with food items and medicines. Every effort is made to ensure that assistance makes its way to those who need it most, bypassing red-tape and other issues insofar as possible.

Our latest estimate is that 23,000,000 people have been affected by this disaster.  We will provide current information as to response and opportunities to assist as they become available.

I bid you peace!