During year end meetings last week, Columbia Union Conference Executive Committee members voted to give $40,000 to the Allegheny East and New Jersey conferences to aid them in their super storm Sandy relief efforts. The three union officers then prayed over José H. Cortés, New Jersey Conference president; and Henry J. Fordham, Allegheny East Conference president; as well as for the efforts of volunteers throughout New Jersey.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” said Claudia Ramirez, whose colleagues had just dropped her at home. They spent the day delivering 300 personal care kits to a shelter in Northern Burlington County, New Jersey. “I’ve seen a family lose a house or a few families lose their homes to fires, but nothing like this. This is very different. These were hundreds of people who just lost everything because of Sandy.”
They came months, even years ago, leaving in their path destruction, devastation, and thousands of broken hearts and lives. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as Gustav and Ike are gone now, but the broken homes and lives remain.
