News & Observer | newsobserver.com | Graham, in China, pledges aid

Published: May 14, 2008 12:30 AM
Modified: May 14, 2008 02:43 AM

Graham, in China, pledges aid

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The Rev. Franklin Graham, who was in China during Monday's earthquake, has promised $150,000 to a Christian association there to help with disaster relief.

Graham is traveling across China as part of a 10-day visit with government and church leaders in four cities. He was outside Beijing when the earthquake struck the in western Sichuan province. Graham is the CEO of Samaritan's Purse, the international humanitarian relief organization based in Boone, N.C. The organization has been especially busy this past week trying to respond to the deadly cyclone in Myanmar, as well as the tornadoes that hit Macon, Ga.

The money pledged for China will come in the form of a check. Unlike many poorer nations where Samaritan's Purse provides water purification systems, tents and other equipment, China is less in need of supplies.

The country probably won't accept volunteer labor, either, said Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs and government relations at Samaritan's Purse. "As a policy, China deals with natural disasters on its own," said Isaacs.

Still, Christian organizations are mobilizing to offer help, if needed. Many churches have already begun to raise money in conjunction with relief aid for Myanmar's deadly cyclone.

At First Presbyterian Church in Durham, for example, members were sent an e-mail Tuesday with a link to the denomination's Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, where people can give online for emergency relief. "We're trying to figure out what our responsibility is to respond," said the Rev. Joe Harvard, the pastor.

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