Relief groups mobilize to aid Japan

As the extent of the death and destruction from the massive di­saster
in Japan came into focus, religious relief organizations were sending
and supporting teams to assess the damage.

Groups such as World
Vision and Baptist World Aid had teams on the ground determining what
kinds of experts and supplies will be needed in the recovery from the
earthquake and tsunami that struck March 11.

Rachel Wolff, a
spokeswoman for World Vision, said a relief manager who had worked at
the scenes of earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan was stunned by the
extent of the destruction. "He told me that this was unlike anything
he's seen anywhere around the world," she said.

A team of Baptist
World Aid workers from the U.S., Singapore and Hungary has arrived in
Japan and others are on standby, said Eron Henry, a spokesman for the
relief organization of the Baptist World Alliance. By March 14, team
members had sent photos of scenes from the tsunami's aftermath, with
people housed in shelters and cars covered in water and debris. Henry
said the aid organization expects to cooperate with other Baptist
organizations in its response.

"We have learned the importance of
coordinating a response so that there's no duplication, so there's no
overlap and no confusion," he said.

The United Methodist Committee
on Relief is taking the same approach, said Melissa Hinnen, an UMCOR
spokeswoman. But she added that it has been difficult to reach partners
many time zones away who already have their hands full. "We're just
waiting to see what they tell us their needs are," she said.

"The
damage and loss of life is al­most impossible to comprehend," said
Michael Kinnamon, general secretary of the National Council of Churches.

"Spiritual
support and healing ministry will be required long after the initial
impact of the disaster," said Kinnamon, referring to the NCC's relief
partner Church World Service and other organizations. "We pray for the
faith and patience to remain committed for as long as it takes," he
said.

The Church of the Brethren's Mis­sion and Ministry Board was
meeting in Elgin, Illinois, when news of the quake and tsunami came.
Brethren di­saster ministries made plans to support CWS and its partner
in relief efforts. Likewise, United Church of Christ and Christian
Church (Disciples) relief officials sought to coordinate their plans.

Meanwhile, many U.S. congregations—Christian and Buddhist—had started planning their responses to the crisis.

An
aide to Bishop Koshin Ogui of the predominantly Japanese-heritage
Buddhist Churches of America on March 14 drafted a letter to national
leaders about donating to a relief fund for victims of the quake and
tsunami.

"There is great empathy for the people of Japan and
wanting to do something to help ease the difficulty," said Gerald
Sakamoto, minister of the San Jose (California) Buddhist Church.  —RNS,
other sources