Contribution for Relief Efforts in Australia

After consulting with Australian church leadership, Community of Christ made a $7,242 AUD ($5,000 USD) contribution to the Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund this week on behalf of the worldwide church.  "We are so grateful for the expressions of love and support received from many across the globe throughout this time," said Ben Smith, Australia Mission Centre president. "It strengthens us."
 
From the Australia Mission Centre:

Friends,

The smoke is everywhere, bringing tears to our eyes; tears representing lives lost and an all-encompassing trauma across a proud nation. I sit around 450km’s away from the nearest fire and yet the air is thick, dark and has a sepia glow. Smoke has touched the lungs of people in Chile and stained ice sheets in New Zealand. Australia is a large land, yet we are all breathing the same air, the same pain, the same suffering.

We are a nation joined by a collective breathe as we gasp for answers, squinting through the blackened bushland for solutions. We are a nation connected by a generosity of heart and community effort. While the fire is on our land, it is clear that the whole world is feeling the effects with us...

Read the full letter at https://www.cofchrist.org/announcements.