NGOs

WASHINGTON – We have different opinions, admitted the White House's faith-based advisers on Tuesday when they presented their recommendations. But we were able to find “meaningful common ground,” they added.

After a year of work, the 25 members of the first Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships presented a report that included more than 60 recommendations for six issues - economic recovery and domestic poverty, fatherhood and healthy families, environment and climate change, inter-religious cooperation, global poverty and development, and reform of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

The proposals provide suggestions on how the government can better work with faith-based and community groups to tackle major social issues. more >>

Churches and aid organizations already have massive relief efforts going on in Haiti but that's not stopping them from looking more south where Chile is reeling from one of the strongest earthquakes on record.

"[W]ithout even stepping a foot into Central Chile, it is clear that the hundreds of thousands affected by this earthquake desperately need our prayers – and will also need our help as we learn more about the extent of the damage," said Randy Hurst, World Missions Communications director for the Assemblies of God.

International and local relief organizations are still assessing the needs and damage on the ground as initial deliveries of food and supplies are being made. more >>

A Scottish man who benefited from the Salvation Army’s services to the elderly left the ministry with an unexpected $1.27 million in his will.

The Salvation Army in Angus, an eastern county in Scotland, revealed this past weekend that Robert Saddler, a retired architect, had given the second largest donation ever to the branch’s community care service. The largest gift, $1.5 million, was given 13 years ago and used to set up the service.

Saddler, who reportedly has no immediate living family, had received help from the Salvation Army Angus since he was in his 80s. Ministry workers had shopped and collected medicines for him until his death at the age of 95. The particular Salvation Army service that Saddler used helps elderly people maintain an independent life. more >>

Spring break is officially in session at many schools in the United States. But this year, thousands of students will hit Florida’s beach with something else on their mind other than soaking in the sun.

More than 2,500 Christian students from across America are expected to attend one of five week-long outreach events hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ as part of their annual “Big Break” conferences.

Between Feb. 28 and April 3, participating college students will join forces on Panama City Beach to not only help prepare and pack meals for 1 million Haitian earthquake victims, but also to share their faith and recruit other students on the beach to help. more >>

The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile Saturday morning is not like the one that devastated Haiti in January, said a relief expert at World Vision.

Even though both monstrous quakes have caused or is expected to result in the deaths of many people, the challenges facing relief workers in each country is different, said Steve Matthews of World Vision’s global rapid response team.

“This (Chile) quake will not be like the one in Haiti,” said Matthews on Saturday. more >>

The U.S. government needs to enhance the religious literacy of its foreign service officers and diplomats so that they can better address foreign policy challenges, a report advised.

Task force members of the report “Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy,” sponsored by The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, said for too long the government has ignored the fact that religion plays a large role in the lives of the people its officers interact with overseas.

It is imperative that representatives of America engage with local religious communities and receive training on how to relate to these religious groups in order to fulfill its foreign interests, the task force said. more >>