U.S. Religious Radio Stations to Help Rebuild Lives of Orissa Victims
An organization that represents Christian religious broadcasters on television and radio in America plans to help raise money to rebuild the houses of victims of the Orissa, India violence.
The National Religious Broadcasters is working alongside the Gospel for Asia ministry in its Orissa Reconstruction Campaign, which is being launched in June.
NRB's Ron Harris grieves the anti-Christian violence that took place in Orissa's Kandhamal district last August during which Christians were killed, churches razed and homes burned "many times with Christians inside the homes."
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The violence was prompted by the murder of a Hindu religious leader. Despite Maoists repeatedly claiming responsibility for the slaying, Hindu extremists accused Christians and destroyed their homes, forcing over 50,000 people to flee for refuge.
Harris laments that "some of the people are still homeless from what took place in the summer and early fall."
"They need their homes, and they need their churches. Some are still living in tents and out in the woods, and we need Christians to come alongside," he urged, according to Mission Network News.
Both GFA and NRB are appealing to radio and television stations in the United States to raise money for the project. The estimated costs for rebuilding a church is $11,000 and a home is $2,500. Restoring an entire community is estimated to cost $40,000.
"That would be a worthy goal for a station to throw out there to their listeners," Harris said, as reported by MNN. "We can rebuild a whole community and their church in a place where Christians are persecuted; we can come alongside them and encourage and strengthen them."
Apart from the reconstruction of buildings, Harris feels the project will also unify and embolden the Christians "in areas where they are often persecuted."
Stations that participate will be provided with website banners, web pages, and their own toll-free number.
