[National Council of Churches — Press Release] The Governing Board of the National Council of Churches has issued the following statement:

There are no words to express the agony and grief that lie in the wake of killer tornadoes this week in Oklahoma.

As we gather today as representatives of the 37 member communions of the National Council of Churches, we and the millions of members in our congregations weep for those who have lost loved ones and property. Our prayers go out especially for the bereaved whose losses cannot be overestimated.

There are few things in life more painful or more difficult to understand than natural disasters over which we have no control. We beseech a loving God to be a powerful presence in the lives of those who have lost so much.

We know millions are already seeking ways to offer tangible support to the victims of Moore. Church World Service is preparing ways to reach out to the victims of this disaster, and we urge all persons to be as generous as possible in supporting these efforts: http://www.cwsglobal.org/

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC’s 37 member communions — from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches — include 40 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, cruzandjenks@gmail.com