“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake – and several very strong aftershocks – struck only 10 miles from Port-au-Prince.

I cannot stress enough what a human disaster this is, and idle hands will only make this tragedy worse. The over 2 million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now.

President Obama has already said that the U.S. stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The U.S. Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible.”

Many people have already reached out to see what they can do right now. We are asking those interested to please do one of two things: Either you can use your cell phone to text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (it will be charged to your cell phone bill), or you can click here to DONATE.

Thank you,
Wyclef

And by weeks, I mean months.

Since mid-September we have encountered celebration, loss, grief, despair, hope, disappointment, betrayal, encouragement and achievement. All brought to us by our Heavenly Father. (can I hear an AMEN?)

Perhaps one of the most impactful parts of late has been our involvement with hopeATL, Shaun King and Courageous Church. If you follow us on Facebook or Twitter or even this blog you will know a bit about what we are talking about. With over 10,000 families left homeless and hundreds more without salvageable goods, ATL and its surrounding areas were in crisis. The Lord spoke to us as a church body and individually and with your help we sent three truckloads of supplies within days of the actual occurrence.

This past weekend we even took a group of 34 to the Cobb County Civic Center for an awesome hopeATL rally. It was a beautiful experience and one that gave true glory to God.

VerticalKidz were in full effect with Miss Nicki – our children’s pastor – leading out for dozens of kids. There were games, inflatables, food, music. It was just awesome. And we have the pics to prove it!

It’s time to get serious. It is time for us, as a church, to remove ourselves from our walls and start doing the business of the Kingdom. Yes, that is churchy talk….Christianese, if you will. So let me break it down for you this way.

Early estimates are that at least 10,000 families throughout metro Atlanta have lost EVERYTHING they own because of flooding. That number may rise, but our sister city was not prepared for such a disaster. If Katrina taught us anything, it’s that hurting people need US to respond!

Could you imagine being a single mother with three kids and losing every bit of food, every article of clothing, every diaper, every piece of furniture that you own?

With just around 10% of flood victims having flood insurance, Atlanta (and its bedroom communities) runs the real risk of having a major homeless crisis with these folk if we don’t help them and give them hope…right away!

So tomorrow – one day only – Vertical Community Outreach is launching a VERY AMBITIOUS project. We are calling it Project 1 1 1. What does that mean? Simple.

We are asking you to donate 1 item. We will be receiving them for 1 hour starting at 1 o’clock.

You can bring all items to the Loft (located at the corner of Main Street and Market Street in downtown Barnesville). From there we are going to pack them up and take them Friday to the ATL. Listed below are the items needed (courtesy of www.hopeatl.com)

Tools

ALL tools required to demolish and build a home (hammers, carpet knives, exacto knives, screw drivers, saws, drills, bits, crowbars, wrenches, measuring tape, levels, sledgehammers, etc.)

Baby Items

Strollers, diapers, wipes, beds, bedding, cribs, bouncers, toys, bottles, pacifiers, carseats, sippy cups…everything that it takes to take care of a baby

Food

All non perishable food items are needed. If cans, please get peel-top can goods.

Water/Drinks

Bottled Water

Toiletries

Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, band-aids, shaving cream, razors, combs, brushes, curling irons, lotion, feminine products…everything it takes in your house basically.

Clothing

Shoes (particularly for toddlers, kids, etc.), work boots, dress shoes, tennis shoes and all clothes of all sizes and all styles.

Small Kitchen Items

Small appliances (microwaves, toasters, can openers, coffee makers, etc.), silverware, plates, napkins, paper towels, garbage cans, garbage bags…basically everything that makes your kitchen work.

We have faith that the Vertical family is going to come through in a major way. See you tomorrow at 1pm!