Dioceses, congregations and institutions seeking to building companion relationships for hurricane relief are encouraged to work through a new church-wide system to be administered by the Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies, the Rt. Rev. George Packard.

The four-phase response system, titled “We Will Stand With You,” was explained to members of the House of Bishops Sept. 22 during the fall meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Congregations and institutions wishing to partner with others in disaster areas, should first express their interest to their diocesan bishops, according to Bishop Packard, who explained that many diocesan bishops have already begun to implement the first phase: completing survey forms. This will enable development of a comprehensive map of resources and needs that will be published on the internet at new web pages on internet site for the Episcopal Church Center. The address is www.episcopalchurch.org/help.

Under Phase 2, Bishop Packard and his staff will coordinate with diocesan bishops in the hardest-hit areas to match needs with available resources in a fully coordinated plan. Phase 3 will involve actual distribution of goods and services, with Phase 4 devoted to evaluation and improvement. A group from the Episcopal Church Center consisting of staff from the office of Chaplaincies, Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), the National Association of Episcopal Schools, the mission program office, and the office of communication will meet regularly for continuous evaluation.

Joining Bishop Packard in opening-day presentations to the House of Bishops were Rob Radtke, president of ERD, and Richard Parkins, director of EMM.

Episcopal News Service contributed to this report.

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