Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has declared the first Sunday in Lent to be Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday. By inaugurating this annual event, the Presiding Bishop is urging Episcopalians across the country to live out the Baptismal Covenant by fighting extreme poverty and disease around the world.
This year, all gifts for Episcopal and Development Sunday will be designated for the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Inspiration Fund. A joint initiative of Episcopal Relief and Development, Jubilee Ministries and the Executive Council, the MDG Inspiration Fund fights preventable diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS and promotes health by providing clean water sources, smokeless stoves and trained community health workers in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Episcopal Relief and Development is offering several resources – including a Millennium Development Goals Prayers for the People and a list of ERD Sunday activities – to help congregations create an informative and engaging event. Please visit our website, www.er-d.org/erdsunday, to download these materials, as well as other resources.
“We are grateful that the Presiding Bishop is calling attention to Millennium Development Goals and how integral they are to the mission and work of Episcopal Relief and Development,” said ERD President Robert W. Radtke. “We look forward to having Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday become an annual event that affords congregations across the country an opportunity to respond to the suffering of our global neighbors.”
To contribute to Episcopal Relief and Development Sunday, you can visit http://www.er-d.org/ or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Please specify that the gift is for “ERD Sunday/MDG Inspiration Fund” on the memo line of the check and mail gifts to: Episcopal Relief and Development, P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Multiple checks collected from your church can be mailed together –please ensure that all checks are made payable to Episcopal Relief and Development and are designated for “ERD Sunday/MDG Inspiration Fund”.
Episcopal Relief and Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States. An independent 501(c) (3) organization, Episcopal Relief and Development takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Together with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners, Episcopal Relief and Development strengthens communities today to meet tomorrow’s challenges. We rebuild after disasters and empower people by offering lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
