September 12, 2023
By Jeff Huett
DECATUR, Ga. — The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship is partnering with the Protestant Church in Morocco to respond to the 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck just outside of Marrakech in a rural, mountainous region late Friday. More than 2,862 people have been killed and more than 2,500 are reported injured, according to reports posted today.
Cooperative Baptists, including people, churches and partner organizations, are asked to give to CBF’s Earthquake Disaster Response Fund in support of partnership efforts with the Protestant Church in Morocco.
Financial donations in support of the response can be made here.
Such support, in the short term, could provide items like blankets, diapers, water bottles and cooked meals, which are emerging as the most pressing concerns, both for the migrant communities that inhabit the area and others in the region.
In a letter to partners, leadership of the Protestant Church in Morocco said the organization would contribute generously to the Moroccan Government’s National Emergency Aid Fund “as a sign of goodwill toward (and confidence in) the government, our solidarity with Moroccan recovery efforts, and our support of the emergency rescue operations already in place.”
“Over the long term,” the letter said, “we plan to partner with other organizations who are already active in the regions most severely affected, considering ways that we might collaborate to bring relief and development opportunities to Moroccan communities hardest hit by the damage from the earthquake.”
Also, the organization has expanded the efforts of local church teams “as they respond to the compounded crisis that this earthquake has brought upon the already vulnerable Sub-Saharan refugee and migrant population.”
Laura Ayala, CBF’s Global Missions Coordinator, expressed the importance of ministry when disaster strikes.
“Our solidarity and assistance through our offering are our witness of the love of God for all,” Ayala said. “Furthermore, many are hurting and when a disaster strikes, we pray and show love to our neighbors.”
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CBF is a Christian network that helps people put their faith to practice through ministry efforts, global missions and a broad community of support. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.