Cyclone Winston Rips Through Fiji, Death Toll Rising from Record-Setting Storm

By Julie Brown Patton 22 Feb, 2016 10:23 EST

Deaths due to Cyclone Winston in Fiji rose to at least 21 on Monday, as rescue workers warned the number of dead could rise, according to media reports. The storm reached land Saturday. It was the strongest tropical cyclone, as the first recorded Category 5 storm, on record for the Southern Hemisphere. An additional four people are still missing at sea.

More than 8,000 people sought refuge in 50-plus evacuation centers around the Pacific island nation, The Fiji Times reported.

Communications were temporarily lost with at least six islands. Approximately 80 percent of the nation's 900,000 people lost power.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama called for officials to deploy resources to affected areas immediately. The government appealed for donations for Fijians left homeless by the cyclone, reports USA Today.

"There are Fijians out there who are without water, without a roof over their heads, without food and without essential services," Bainimarama said in comments posted to the government's Facebook page. "It is our duty to determine their needs and provide them with the support they need as soon as possible."

U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center representatives stated gusts from Cyclone Winston reached 224 mph as it swept through the archipelago, reports Associated Press.

The system was first noted as a tropical disturbance on Feb. 7, 2016, when it was located to the northwest of Port Vila, Vanuatu.

Before Winston, the strongest storm to impact the main islands since records began in 1941 was Evan in December 2012, which skirted the western coast of Viti Levu as a Category 4 system on both the Australian scale and the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Also before Winston, according to online sources, the strongest storm to make landfall on either Viti Levu or Vanua Levu was Nigel in 1985, with 10-minute sustained winds of 90 mph, and 1-minute sustained winds of 120 mph.

All school officials across Fiji suspended classes for a week due to the severe damage to the educational infrastructure.

New Zealand and Australian government officials set aside funds to the High Commission of the Republic of the Fiji Islands in preparation for relief efforts, supplies and immediate relief measures. Efforts this week will turn toward trying to avert health crises.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

In order an effort to promote traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, in collaboration with Macao YMCA, Guangzhou Suigang'ao Teenagers Institute, and the Teacher Chang Foundation of Taiwan, has conducted a survey on teens measuring their cultural awareness. They found that Hong Kong youths generally identify with and support the values of traditional Chinese culture.
Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.
Yesterday, October 31, was Reformation Day, and Lutherans around the world held various events in commemoration. In Singapore, the Lutheran Church advocated for Christian communion, while the German Lutheran Church encouraged believers to face the challenge of “trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time.”
Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.
2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation
In the afternoon of Reformation Sunday, Oct. 27, some 2.1 million Christians gathered for a joint worship service from 2pm to 5pm in Seoul, Korea to “unite for repentance, revival, and restoration of holiness in our society.” According to organizers, an estimated 1.1 million joined onsite despite the bad weather with another 1 million joining online. The unprecedented joint worship service brought together Korean churches across denominations as they affirmed traditional marriage and family and
Willow Creek Community Church invites believers to write prayer cards for the next president
This past Sunday, Willow Creek Community Church based in Illinois invited believers to “pray for the next president” during the service. The church not only expressed its concern for the upcoming election but also emphasized the role believers should play in the process and the importance of offering prayers for the nation's leaders.

Cyclone Winston Rips Through Fiji, Death Toll Rising from Record-Setting Storm

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.

Survey: Hong Kong teens generally identify with traditional Chinese cultural values

Global Lutherans celebrate Reformation Day, ‘trusting in the power of grace in a merciless time’.

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues

2.1M Korean Christians estimated at joint worship service to affirm family, oppose gay marriage, pray for nation

Many American churchgoers expect their pastors’ sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues
American churchgoers are looking for more than biblical explanation from their pastor each week. Many expect the sermons to help them understand and address modern cultural issues.