Derbyshire Churches have launched an Appeal to help rebuild church communities in the Indian islands of Andaman and Nicobar, devastated by the Asian Tsunami on Boxing Day 2004.

Derbyshire Churches, including Anglican, Methodist, Baptist and URC churches, have a long-standing partnership link with the Church of North India, and since 1977 have enjoyed exchange visits with bishops, pastors and lay people. Friendships have naturally built over the years and so the news of the tsunami, which devastated the Diocese of Andaman and Nicobar, has shocked and saddened the Church community here.

While still encouraging people to donate generously to the international aid agencies which are attending to the communities at large in these areas, Derbyshire Churches aim to specifically help the Church of North India rebuild its diocese, a task which will doubtless be a long term process.

Of the total population of the Andaman and Nicobar islands of around 35,000, over 10,000 are said to have been killed. In the churches:

• 8 of the 52 clergy have been killed
• 18 of the 33 churches were washed away, and the others are all badly damaged
• the Diocesan Office, Library and Printing Press have all been badly damaged, and the Bishop's House has collapsed

The Church of North India has set up a Disaster Management Committee, and the Diocese of Kolkata (Calcutta) has already provided emergency funds and relief materials. These are working with four other Christian relief organisations operating from Port Blair.

The Rt Rev'd Jonathan Bailey, Bishop Derby, and one of the presidents of the Derbyshire Churches/CNI Partnership, said: "The Church of North India responded immediately and energetically to the disaster in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where the devastation was huge - the islands were relatively close to the epicentre of the earthquake. I can hardly begin to imagine the scale of this catastrophe.

"The relief effort will now turn into a longer term reconstruction programme, and the Church of North India will have much work to do in rebuilding churches and helping communities to cope with the enormous loss of life and destruction of livelihoods. The Appeal being organised by the Derbyshire Churches is designed to help our brothers and sisters in India at this time of great need and tremendous sadness, and I hope that it will meet with a generous response."

To donate to this Appeal, cheques are payable to “Derbyshire Churches/CNI Partnership a/c” and should be sent to the Treasurer of the Derbyshire churches CNI Partnership, Mr John Spray, 6 Onslow Road, Mickleover, Derby DE3 9JJ. There are three web sites where updates and information on the situation in the Andamar and Nicobar islands cane be found: www.cnitsunamirelief.org.

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