Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

Helping the Churches of Mississippi help the victims of Hurricane Katrina York Minster is linking up with St Andrew's Cathedral, Jackson, Mississippi, to channel donations from northern England to church relief efforts in the devastated Gulf Coast of America.

The Anglican Diocese of Mississippi, working in close partnership with other Christian churches, is spending thousands of dollars a day to meet the immediate needs of a huge number of evacuees left destitute and displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Mississippi is the poorest State in America, and much of the burden of helping those who have lost everything has fallen on local church communities. Urgent needs include food, water, housing, household goods, clothing, shoes, schooling, medical care and more.

Donations given to York Minster will go directly to Jackson Cathedral to help the churches of Mississippi help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Former North Yorkshire Vicar the Reverend Tim Jones is now Vicar of St Paul's, Corinth, in northern Mississippi. Shortly after the hurricane struck he contacted York Minster to ask for support for the churches' efforts to help people in need. "Towards the coast there is a vast swathe of utter devastation, still occupied by thousands of people who are in need of help. Having watched some of the BBC coverage I find myself very frustrated at the relative lack of coverage about what is happening on the Gulf Coast."

On hearing that York Minster Hurricane Katrina Appeal had been launched, the Reverend Tim Jones said, "Thank you - you have no idea how encouraging this is."

Canon Theologian of York Minster Dr Jonathan Draper said, "Church members in Mississippi are in the front line of helping needy people from day to day. People of good will in the north of England will want to stand alongside them and those they are helping, and the York Minster Hurricane Katrina Appeal is one way they can do that. Through the cathedrals of York and Jackson, every penny will help local churches to help hurricane victims rebuild their lives."

Donations may be sent to: York Minster Hurricane Katrina Appeal, Church House, Ogleforth, York YO1 7JN, or placed in a designated collecting box in the Minster. Cheques should be payable to York Minster Hurricane Katrina Appeal.

For further information contact Martin Sheppard, Diocesan Communications Officer, on 01904 699530 (martin.sheppard@yorkdiocese.org), or Eleanor Course, York Minster Media Co-Ordinator, on 01904 557216 (eleanorc@yorkminster.org).

Notes for Editors:

1. Information on church action in the hurricane zone may be found at the following web sites, and direct donations can also be made through them:

Diocese of Mississippi: www.dioms.org
Episcopal Relief and Development: www.er-d.org

2. The Reverend Tim Jones, 38, was Vicar of East and West Rounton and Welbury, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, and Cleveland Archdeaconry Youth Officer until 2002 when he became Vicar of St Paul's, Corinth, in northern Mississippi.

See www.stpaulscorinth.org