On the evening of Friday, 28 September 2018, the cities of Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi were hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake. The earthquake triggered a tsunami along coastal areas in Palu and also in Donggala.

According to the BBC, “at least 844 people are confirmed to have died but that figure is expected to rise sharply as more remote areas are reached. Dozens of people are thought to be trapped alive under the rubble.”

Central Sulawesi is still recovering from the effects of a previous 7.4 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 380 people in August. The Indonesian Disaster Management Agency reported that 2.4 million people were impacted by Friday’s earthquake.

WCRC members, the Indonesian Protestant Church of Donggala (Gereja Protestan Indonesia di Donggala (GPID)) is based in Palu, while the Christian Church in Central Sulawesi (Gereja Kristen Sulawesi Tengah (GKST)), Indonesian Christian Church Synod (Sinode Gereja Kristen Indonesia (GKI)) and Toraja Church (Gereja Toraja (GT)) have congregations in Palu and other affected areas.

The ACT Alliance has issued an alert to raise funds for relief efforts, while the WCRC Reformed Partnership Fund is prepared to provide emergency funds.

Please join us in this prayer by Apwee Ting (of the Uniting Church in Australia) in Bahasa Indonesia and English:

Tuhan empunya kehidupan,
tatkala bumi dan air bergerak dasyat,
mengambil kehidupan dan mereka yang kami cintai.
Kami datang kepada Mu dengan air mata bercucuran.

God of life,
when the earth and water moved violently,
took lives and those we love
We come before you with tears streaming down

Tuhan sumber kekuatan dan penghiburan,
tatkala tangan, kaki dan hati kami lemah,
karena bencana tsunami dan gempa.
Kami datang kepada mu dengan bersujud.

God, you are the source of strength and comfort,
when our hands, feet and hearts are weak
because of the tsunami and earthquake disaster.
We prostrate before you

Tuhan maha kasih,
kepada Mu kami berdoa.
Berilah kekuatan buat keluarga dan sahabat
yang telah ditinggal pergi oleh orang terdekatnya,
berilah penghiburan buat mereka
yang kehilangan tanah dan tempat tinggal

Merciful God,
we pray to you.
Give strength
to families and friends,
to those who have lost loved one.
Give your comfort,
to those who have lost their land and houses.

Tuhan maha kuasa,
kami berdoa buat
Pemerintah Indonesia,
lembaga keagamaan dan kemanusiaan,
anggota masyarakat yang aktif membantu
supaya usaha mereka berhasil
dalam memberikan pertolongan
Kami naikan doa ini
didalam nama Tuhan yang senantiasa memberkati kita semua
amin

Almighty God,
we pray for
The Indonesian Government,
religious and humanitarian agencies,
other communities who are in Palu and Donggala
may their efforts succeed in providing help
We offer this prayer in the name of the Lord who bless us always
Amen.

_{Image courtesy of Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, Disaster Management Regional Advisor ICCO Southeast Asia Pacific.}