Saddleback Church Responds to The Crisis in Haiti

From the OC Register:

Saddleback Church members are preparing to help the displaced and suffering victims of the Haiti earthquake.

Church officials are developing a plan to help the victims find relief from suffering by helping some of the local churches in Haiti. The situation is being assessed and church officials are developing a specific focus and plan of action, said David Chrzan, Pastor Rick Warren's chief-of-staff.

Meanwhile the church's pastor of PEACE relief Steven Rutenbar has sent out messages rallying 1,800 members who have previous experience in relief help.

In an email he wrote: "In prisons and refugee camps, in bombed out buildings and burned out homes. You have held babies, cried with grandmothers, comforting the hopeless and sheltering the homeless. You've weathered typhoons and hurricanes, firestorms and tribal clashes, floods and cyclones. You have travelled from New Orleans to the Congo, from the Philippines to Santiago Canyon, from Beslan to Burma. All to help suffering people. ALL IN THE NAME OF JESUS."

Rutenbar said in the email that the relief efforts will be headed up by Don Herr, a retired fire chief, who has worked in Galveston, New Orleans, Mississippi and Indonesia.

On Saturday at 9 a.m. the church will hold a special prayer and briefing on how the Haiti efforts will proceed.

This same thing is happening in churches all over the country. When bad things happen it isn't just the government that comes to the rescue. There are millions of members of various faith communities who are quick to help.