Daily Digest - January 24, 2013

"The situation is critical; waters are still invading the territory and not sure how these people will get out of the flooded areas." - Naftal Oliveira Massela Naftal in an email to United Methodist Communications to ask for prayers for Mozambique.

Thousands flee Mozambique floods

MAPUTO, Mozambique (UMNS) - In Chokwe, a United Methodist pastor, recently moved from the Northern Conference to the South, was forced to the roof of his chapel because of flooding, reports Naftal Oliveira Massela Naftal, a United Methodist communicator. In Inhambane, heavy rains that began about two weeks ago have washed away roads, and the city is isolated from the rest of the country. People are being evacuated from risky areas to safe places. The church is trying to mobilize resources, Naftal said, but the situation is critical because Mozambique is in the path of floodwaters draining from other countries.
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2013 Hunger Report: Goals within reach

NEW YORK (UMNS) - An examination of what are known as the "Millennium Development Goals" regarding hunger and poverty and discussion of a framework for action in the years to come is at the heart of the 2013 Hunger Report from the Bread for the World Institute, "Within Reach: Global Development Goals." The report's "bulls-eye" recommendation: End hunger and poverty in every country in the world by 2040.
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Conference creates HIV-testing manual/DVD

BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) - United Methodist churches and conferences can now organize an HIV-testing event with the assistance of a manual and an instructional DVD developed by the Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference. The instructional tools, produced with the help of professional editors and video producers, answer questions about volunteer recruitment and training, which agencies to get involved and how to promote an HIV-testing event.
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Churches observe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

GENEVA (UMNS) - Churches around the world are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, focusing on justice as integral to the unity they seek. Developed by an ecumenical group gathered by the Student Christian Movement in India, the preparatory resources for this year's week of prayer focus on the theme, "What does God require of us?" (Micah 6:6-8). The week of prayer traditionally is celebrated from Jan.18 to Jan. 25 in the Northern Hemisphere or at Pentecost in the Southern Hemisphere.
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Syrian refugees cope in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon (UMNS) - Paul Jeffrey, United Methodist photojournalist, reports for the ACT Alliance on efforts to assist more than 200,000 Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is supporting that work.
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