One Great Hour of Sharing — Sharing Resources, Changing Lives

PDA is thankful for the continued generosity of Presbyterians in the United States that enables us — together — to witness the healing love of Christ to disaster survivors around the world.

As needs increase across the world, it is more important than ever to show love for our neighbors. We pray that you will continue to share your blessings as a tangible sign of God's love.

In 2008 your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing and special designated accounts enabled PDA to provide more than $9.5 million for disaster response. Nationally, PDA responded to disasters affecting 40 presbyteries and 13 synods in 23 states.  Internationally, PDA responded to major disasters and civil conflicts in 25 countries and, through support of the global rapid response fund, an additional 12 countries at a low-level response

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The 2009 One Great Hour of Sharing Theme is “Where is your Treasure?”

Your treasure is helping disaster survivors find hope out of the chaos of the disaster that has impacted their lives. In 2009, One Great Hour of Sharing and designated funds have provided:

National Response $2,725,856

Alaska
Presbytery of Yukon – spring 2009 flooding and ice jams

Arkansas
Presbytery of Arkansas — January 2009 ice storm; April 2009 tornado

Colorado
Presbytery of Plains and Peaks — natural gas explosion and church fire in Timnath, Colorado

Florida
Synod of the South Atlantic — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina/Rita/Wilma

Presbytery of Peace River — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina/Rita/Wilma

Presbytery of Tropical Florida — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina/Rita/Wilma

Presbytery of Central Florida — May 2009 flooding in Volusia County; August 2009 church fire in Debary

Georgia
Cherokee Presbytery – September 2009 flooding

Northeast Georgia Presbytery – September 2009 flooding

Presbytery of Greater Atlanta – September 2009 flooding

Illinois
Presbytery of Chicago – response to March 2009 shooting

Presbytery of Southeastern Illinois – May 2009 windstorm

Iowa
Presbytery of DeMoines – ongoing response to June 2008 flooding

Presbytery of East Iowa – ongoing response to June 2008 flooding

Kentucky
Mid-Kentucky Presbytery — January 2009 church fire; January 2009 ice storm

Louisiana

Synod of the Sun — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina/Rita

Presbytery of South Louisiana — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricanes Katrina/Rita; April 2008 church fire

Mississippi
Synod of Living Waters — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricane Katrina

Mississippi Presbytery — ongoing response to 2005 Hurricane Katrina; May 2009 flooding

New York

Synod of the Northeast – response to April 2009 shooting in Binghamton

Presbytery of Western New York – August 2009 flooding

North Carolina
Presbytery of New Hope – response to April 2009 shooting

North Dakota
Presbytery of Northern Plains – March 2009 Red River flooding

Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Presbytery — June 2009 flooding

Tennessee
Presbytery of Middle Tennessee – April 2009 tornado

Texas
Presbytery of Tres Rios — support through Long-Term Recovery Committee for July 2006 flooding unmet needs

Presbytery of New Covenant – ongoing response to September 2009 Hurricane Ike; ongoing response to 2005 Hurricane Rita

Presbytery of Palo Duro – April 2009 wildfires

Washington
Olympia Presbytery — January 2009 flooding

West Virginia
Presbytery of West Virginia - May 2009 flooding; support for West Virginia Ministry of Advocacy and Workcamps (WVMAW)

International Response $2,453,299

Costa Rica
January 2009 earthquake

Haiti
Food security program following 2008 hurricanes

India
September 2009 flooding in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh

Indonesia
Ongoing response to 2004 tsunami

September 2009 earthquake in West Java

September 2009 earthquake in West Sumatra

Kenya
2008 drought and famine

Support for Presbyterian Relief and Development Association

Liberia
Ongoing reintegration project for ex-combatants

Malawi
Ongoing food security project with Foods Resource Bank

Middle East
Gaza humanitarian relief efforts following January 2009 civil conflict

Myanmar/Burma
Ongoing response to May 2008 Cyclone Nargis

North Korea
Ongoing food security project with Foods Resource Bank

Pakistan
Humanitarian support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) following civil conflict (began October 2008)

Peru
Pastoral care project for response to trauma

Philippines
September 2009 Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy)

Sri Lanka
Humanitarian support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) following civil conflict (due to increased fighting April 2009)

Ongoing response to 2004 tsunami 

Sudan
RECONCILE peace-building

Darfur Emergency Response – ongoing humanitarian response

Southern Sudan – ongoing humanitarian support for internally displaced persons (IDPs) following civil conflict

Taiwan
August 2009 Typhoon Morakot

West Africa
Initiative training program (joint OGHS project with Presbyterian Hunger Program and Self-Development of People)

PDA National Response Team

PDA National Response Team members represent PDA following a disaster in the United States. They provide support to affected presbyteries and synods as they assess the impact of the disaster on both the church and the community, and they assist in connecting presbyteries to recovery resources. NRT members have served in the following locations in 2009:

Alaska
Presbytery of Yukon – response to spring 2009 flooding caused by rapid ice and snow melting (Harvey Howell and Morella Larsen)

Arkansas
Presbytery of Arkansas – response to tornado in Mena (Bill and Liz Branch)

Georgia
Synod of South Atlantic (including Presbyteries of Cherokee, Greater Atlanta, and Northeast Georgia) – response to September 2009 flooding (Ken McKenzie, Milton Fulton, Gene Krcelic, Sandra Price, Rick Turner, Bill Welch)

California
Presbytery of Santa Barbara – response to wildfires (Morella Larsen, Doug Macdonald)

Illinois
Presbytery of Chicago – response to shooting in Wilmette (Laurie Kraus, Rick Turner, Bruce Wismer)

Southeastern Illinois Presbytery – response to wind shear in the Carbondale/Murphysboro area (Roger Dornaus, Milton Fulton, Toby Nelson)

Louisiana
Presbytery of South Louisiana – continuing response to Hurricane Rita through setup of Presbyterian Volunteer Village in Lake Charles (Dave Thalman)

Presbytery of South Louisiana – continuing response to Hurricanes Katrina an Rita through the Presbyterian Volunteer Village in New Orleans (Doug Macdonald, Jim Probert)

Minnesota
Presbytery of Northern Plains – pastoral care in response to flooding (Merritt Schatz)

Mississippi
Presbytery of Mississippi – response to tornado in Newton (Sandra Price)

Missouri
Presbytery of Giddings-Lovejoy – follow up response to shooting in Kirkwood (Bruce Wismer, Helen Robinson)

New York
Presbytery of Susquehanna – response to shooting in Binghamton (Rick Turner, Anne Van Allen, Beth Goss)

Presbytery of Western New York — response to August 2009 flooding (Don Hampton and Stephen Melton)

North Dakota
Presbytery of Northern Plains – response to flooding (Jim and Katrine Anderson)

Oregon
Presbytery of the Cascades – response to flooding (David and Carol Legg)

South Carolina
Presbytery of New Harmony – response to wildfires in the Myrtle Beach area (Doug Macdonald)

Synod of South Atlantic – response to wildfires (Ken McKenzie)

Tennessee
Presbytery of Middle Tennessee – response to tornado in Murfreesboro (Rob Moreland)

Texas
Mission Presbytery – response to wildfires; response to November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood (Harvey H. Howell)

Grace Presbytery – response to November 2009 shooting at Fort Hood (Laurie Kraus, Rick Turner, Tim Stover)

Presbytery of New Covenant – response to Hurricane Ike: pastoral care and setup of Presbyterian Volunteer Villages in Port Neches and Texas City (Jim Kirk, David and Carol Legg, Doug MacDonald, Meg Scott-Johnson, Bruce Wismer)

Washington
Presbytery of North Puget Sound – response to flooding (David and Carol Legg)

Presbytery of Olympia – response to flooding (Bill and Elizabeth Branch)