How the Anglican Alliance can help

How the Anglican Alliance can help the local church at times of emergency:

Wherever you are in the Anglican Communion, whatever the cause of the emergency, the Anglican Alliance is with you.

The Alliance supports Anglican relief work by linking the local church to the worldwide Anglican family of people, churches and agencies, for prayer, solidarity and practical support.

When we hear of an emergency we will reach out and offer support. Depending on the situation, it might be to share the situation for prayer on social media and with concerned Anglicans, or to offer to host a conference call to allow you to share the situation with others around the Anglican Communion.

We know that Anglicans respond immediately to a disaster; we can help with the next step when you need support to do a bit more. We can assist you to develop a proposal/appeal that partner churches and agencies can support; a proposal that is both within your response capacity and the capacity of Anglican partners to fund. We will then share this proposal/appeal for support through the Anglican family. We are not a funding agency, but help local churches to connect more widely with the Anglican family for support.

Usually the local Anglican church with its grassroots reach is well placed to know and meet the needs of the most vulnerable, reaching those that others have missed. Few Anglican churches have the capacity of large relief agencies to provide programmes of large ongoing support. Therefore the Alliance aims to support local churches to fill the gaps left by outside agencies, providing vital support to those left behind in the response.

Anglicans are also well placed to meet needs that outside agencies don’t have the capacity to meet, such as providing safe spaces, social and spiritual support, someone trusted to listen to the traumatised to help overcome loneliness, despair and hopelessness, caring for the most vulnerable such as the elderly, the very young, those with disabilities. In situations of conflict, the church is very important in promoting reconciliation, forgiveness and reuniting communities at local level, as well as at national and regional level. These are great strengths of churches and their value should not be underestimated in the wider response.

The local church is part of the community, present and active, long before a disaster hits. It endures the consequences alongside the community, and it is there after the emergency has passed. Very often these Anglicans are in some of the poorest, most remote and forgotten places in the world where there is no one else to help or provide relief.

Anglican agencies bring expertise and experience of responding to these emergencies with the local church, as well as strong relationships with many provinces and dioceses around the Anglican Communion.

If your church is facing an emergency, we will be happy to offer our support. Please contact your Anglican Alliance regional facilitator or the Anglican Alliance relief manager by email: anglicanalliance@aco.org .

See also, The local church and relief