In the aftermath of North Korea launching rockets and shells at a South Korean border island six days ago, China has  joined the international chorus of deep concern about rising tensions between North and South Korea.

Rev. John Barr, Associate Director Church Solidarity (Asia) has been in contact with The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PROK) over the past few days to offer our solidarity. They in turn have issued a statement expressing their concern about the rise in tensions between the North and the South.

Please join us in prayer for North and South Korea at this time.

Click here to read NCCK statement

Click here to view PROK letter to Partner Churches

Click here to explore UnitingWorld’s work among those who are poor in North Korea

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) and the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) have made a  common prayer for the peaceful reunification of North and South Korea and have invited the Uniting Church in Australia to join in too.

Click here to download this prayer

To obtain this prayer in Korean language, please visit the website of the Ecumenical Forum for Korea.

UnitingWorld and the Church of North India are currently responding to the urgent needs of people in communities throughout the Indian states of West Bengal and Bihar in light of a destructive storm that struck on Tuesday 13 April 2010.

Reports from the Church of North India indicate that more than 150 people lost their lives during the storm. Thousands of homes were either damaged or demolished as a result of strong winds and heavy rain. According to the Indian Meteorological Department, the devastating storm came about as a result of intensifying weather patterns in the nearby Bay of Bengal.

UnitingWorld is assisting with the relief effort by providing the Church of North India with $5000 from the Emergency Relief Contingency Fund to help provide 200 families in the Durgapur Diocese with relief materials and rehabilitation.

The Emergency Relief Contingency Fund enables UnitingWorld to respond quickly by increasing the capacity of our overseas partners without the need to launch an appeal.

Teams of volunteers are travelling to affected villages to assess the extent of the damage caused by the storm and provide relief to communities that are now isolated as a result of blocked roads from fallen trees and power lines.

At the Kaliyaganj campus of the Church of North India, located approximately 600km north of the city of Kolkata, ministers and volunteers are responding to the urgent needs of those affected from surrounding villages by providing shelter, medical care, and other life-sustaining provisions.

Eyewitness accounts from local residents recall tin roofs being ripped away from building, mud houses being demolished, and large trees being uprooted.

A team of volunteers coordinated by the church in India are inspecting the damage and carrying out relief work in the affected villages. Telecommunications and electricity services have also been severely disrupted.

Please pray for those who are still at risk, and for those who have lost homes, livelihoods, friends, and family as a result of the storm.

The Emergency Relief Contingency fund enables UnitingWorld to quickly respond to emergency situations and natural disasters faced by our overseas partners. The fund increases the capacity of our overseas partners to respond to the urgent needs of their communities. Donations of more than $2 to this fund are tax deductible. Click here make a secure online donation to this fund, or alternatively call us 1800 998 122.