The Ebola crisis in Liberia may seem far away for many, but it hit close to home for members of Sunnyvale’s Crosswalk Community Church.
The church lost several colleagues to the virus when they were working for Ahead Ministries, a partner organization that oversees schools, orphanages, local churches and one of the largest health clinics in Liberia’s capital city of Monrovia, which is in the heart of the quarantine zone.
Crosswalk Community Church has worked with Ahead Ministries for the past 15 years, building schools, training teachers and providing clean water, in addition to other projects.
A team of people from the congregation was preparing to travel to Liberia when the crisis broke out. The trip was cancelled, but Pastor John Christie saw it as an opportunity to take action.
For the month of November, the church secured a 40-foot shipping container that it filled with medical supplies, sanitation products, food and even an ambulance.
“This is happening now and the need couldn’t be greater,” Christie said of the crisis. “This is our way of encouraging the community to do something for others halfway across the globe. That is a very positive thing.”
Each classroom on the Sunnyvale Christian school campus located on the church property collected supplies to donate, and both the church and the surrounding community gave $27,190 in monetary support in addition to all the supplies donated for the container.
The church’s last shipment of medical supplies was delivered and loaded on Dec. 1 and the ambulance was loaded into the container on Dec. 2.
With a final weight limit of about 50,000 pounds, the container was taken to the Oakland shipyard to be loaded onto a ship bound for Monrovia, Liberia, on the morning of Dec. 3.
The church will continue to accept donations and supplies while the container makes its way to Africa.
Soap, bleach, mops, latex gloves, surgical masks, hydrogen peroxide, multi-vitamins, bulk rice, canned meats and powdered milk are some of the supplies the church is requesting be donated.
“One hundred percent of all donations benefit people affected by Ebola,” said Linda Jackson, pastor of small groups and missions.
Once in Liberia, Ahead Ministries will coordinate all distribution and the Center for Disease Control in Liberia will outfit the ambulance to transport Ebola patients.
For more information about donating, visit crosswalkchurch.com or call 408.736.3120.
