Dear Ones,

You’ve seen it on the news. You’ve heard about it on the radio. Maybe you’ve heard from friends or family in the crisis areas, smelled the smoke or driven through an area of our State on fire. Currently 25 fires large and small are listed as active in our state, affecting approximately 486,000 acres; they have names like Kettle Complex and North Star in the Colville National Forest, the Reach Complex near Chelan, and the Douglas County Complex and Highway 8 fires near Spokane; Wolverine, Newby Lake, Cougar Creek, Okanogan Complex…. I believe it would be hard for anyone to be unaware of the fires raging across our State, mostly in Eastern Washington.

I have spoken with Bishop Waggoner in the Diocese of Spokane (Eastern Washington); he asked for our prayers and said that at this time he is not aware of the loss of any structures – churches or parishioners’ homes – but that many have been evacuated. We know that already several firefighters have given their lives in the fight and many have been injured as well.  I know that in the days ahead there will be a need for immediate relief and ongoing rebuilding of the suffering communities – the opportunities and needs will be many following such wide-spread destruction.

I invite you to join in this work; you may donate online through the Diocese of Olympia here: Eastern Washington Fire Relief (or click the Give Now button in the right hand column of the diocesan website home page – Eastern Washington Fire Relief is at the top of the list); you may also send checks payable to the Diocese of Olympia designated for Eastern Washington Fire Relief: 1551 10th Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102.

In addition to donating through the Diocese of Olympia, you might also check out this article from the Seattle Times providing information and links to national and local agencies accepting monetary donations for fire-relief efforts, as well as “9 other things to know about the wildfires” such as what defines a “large” fire and how this year was “primed for big fires.”

Above all, keep this all in your prayers as will I.