Mid-American Baptist Churches

Praying for our neighbors. Locally, Mid-American Baptist Churches includes over 17 Burmese, Chin and Karen churches in Iowa and Minnesota, and we encourage you to continue to keep them in your prayers as they are concerned about friends and family in Myanmar. American Baptist Churches USA has provided a Call to Prayer webpage where you can add your support at http://www.abc-usa.org/burma-refugee-commission/ If your church has declared a Day of Prayer for Myanmar and you have a link to that service through zoom or Youtube, feel free to post your link here to share your support with our regional Burmese churches and others.

For those considering registering for the ABCUSA online 2021 Biennial Mission Summit June 24-26, there is a preview of the event hosted online Tuesday April 20. You are invited to join in for a time of inspiration and fellowship as we look forward to what you can expect at this year’s online Biennial Mission Summit! Register for the Preview on April 20, 2021 at 7:00 PM Central Time here: https://ministrelife.zoom.us//tJYpceyhrzouHtf0MKpsCP9iWabc

A Call to Prayer for Myanmar plus how to support the ABC-USA response. Please pray for the 2500 persons who have been arrested and detained for political reasons as well as the 8,000 persons who have been displaced from their homes. Some of the displaced persons have been without citizenship status for over 30 years according to Dr. Wado, President of the Kawthoolei Hope Theological Seminary. Prayers are also needed for the protestors against the military coup, 500 of whom ha...ve been killed with an average age of 17 years old. These young leaders need strength and hope, lest they burnout from the daily violence waged against them. In a meeting with the Vice-President of the CRPH (Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), Mahn Win Khaing Than, he requested that we pray for more pressure to be placed on the military so that there will be an end to the control of the military. If you would like to support the people of Myanmar more directly during this difficult time, International Ministries provides a direct link where you can donate funds to aid those directly affected by the chaos and violence in Myanmar through One Great Hour of Sharing at internationalministries.org/disaster-relief Or you can donate through your local American Baptist Church by using your Church’s Mission Support Form and designating the contribution for One Great Hour of Sharing-Myanmar. List the donation as OGHS - Myanmar and send it with the church's monthly financial report to the region office.

FEMA COVID-19 Funeral Assistance The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many families. At FEMA, the mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus. Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, FEMA will provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurr...ed after January 20, 2020. FEMA will begin to implement COVID-19 funeral assistance in April. Additional guidance is being finalized and will be released to potential applicants and community partners as soon as possible. In the meantime, people who have COVID-19 funeral expenses are encouraged to keep and gather documentation. Click HERE for more information https://www.fema.gov//coronavi/economic/funeral-assistance See more