17.12.2024

Luzon: The Church is Standing with the People

A UCCP Emergency Response Team prepares for deployment. Below: In flooded streets, UCCP delivers aid via boat. This way, their support can reach the local communities even in times of Climate Catastrophe.

Both photos by: UCCP

“We understand that some want to stay, but we have to bring everyone out”, Jonvic Remulla, Philippino Secretary of the Interior, says. From October to November 2024, no less than four tropical storms have hit the Phillipines in only four weeks, especially the main island of Luzon. Due to the Climate Catastrophe, these events are not just becoming more likely, but also closer to coasts, which puts even more risk on the communities living there.

Short term aid, long term preparation

United Evangelical Mission (UEM) has a member church in the Philippines: The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). Together with their General Secretary, Bishop Melzar D. Labuntog, the coworkers and members of UCCP are working hard to maintain assistance to those affected by the storm. They provide medical assistance, give out emergency food supplies and deal with hygiene in flood circumstances. They support farmers with fertilizers, seedlings and tools to restart their livelihoods and provide emotional counselling to those psychologically affected by the disaster. On the long term, UCCP is working to integrate and strengthen disaster response in its communities and governance structures, to be even better prepared with every storm that hits, because many are going to follow in the next years.

In the UEM Communion, mutual support goes many ways. During the Ahrtal flooding in Germany in 2021, churches from Indonesia and Namibia lent a hand to the EKiR* church in Germany. Today it is UCCP who stands on the frontlines of dealing with the catastrophe. EKiR* and EKvW*, together with UEM, have decided to put together a total of 30 000 Euro, in order to support UCCP engagement. All Christians from UEM member churches are called to pray for Luzon, the Philippines and UCCP, as they start to recover from the storm and rebuild their homes and livelihoods.

If you would like to donate to UEM to support its current engagement alongside UCCP, you are welcome to do so, following this link. Your donation helps!

*UCCP = United Church of Christ in the Philippines

*EKiR = Evangelische Kirche im Rheinland (Evangelical Church in the Rhineland)

*EKvW = Evangelische Kirche von Westfalen (Evangelical Church in Westphalia)