Tearfund, the international development and relief charity, today announces the launch of Tearfund USA.
The new organisation will be led by Sonia Patterson who takes up the role of CEO. She joins with 20 years experience in developing business, non-governmental and community relations in the United States, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The newly formed charity will be part of the wider Tearfund family and will have close links to Tearfund in the UK. It has been registered with the aim of inspiring and mobilising US Christians to be generous and take action alongside people living in poverty.
Clive Mather has been appointed Chairman following ten years as chairman of the UK organisation.
He said: “Tearfund USA will be asking Christians to go deeper in thinking about how they live. A whole life response to poverty involves praying, giving, acting, volunteering and making lifestyle changes. Sometimes it will involve sacrifice and inconvenience, but it will be liberating and empowering in a way that defies worldly expectations.”
Also on the board is Laura Meitzner Yoder, a professor of Environmental Studies at Wheaton College, Illinois and Jeff Galley who works for the leading US church network Life Church, that has campuses in eight states and has oversight of more than 80 local and global partnerships.
CEO Sonia Patterson will also have a place on the board. She said: “The mission of Tearfund resonates with my lifelong sense of personal calling to bring hope and wholeness to people in need.”
“I am excited to start this new chapter with Tearfund USA, building on the organisation’s global legacy of helping the most marginalised and vulnerable. I’m looking forward to the process of setting up the organisation in the US, meeting supporters and partners and following Jesus where the need is greatest.”
Notes to editor
- Tearfund is a Christian relief and development agency and a member of the Disasters’ Emergency Committee. Founded in 1968, Tearfund has been working around the world for 50 years responding to disasters and helping lift communities out of poverty. For more information about the work of Tearfund, please visit www.tearfund.org.
- Tearfund USA hopes to become an important part of the global church – listening and speaking to the big issues of economic and environmental sustainability from a Christian perspective. It is seeking not only to highlight the serious impairment of our planet’s life support systems as a result of unsustainable economic and environmental policies and practices, but also offering inspiring, Biblically-based solutions for churches, individuals and institutions. Tearfund believes that restoring relationships is at the heart of lasting solutions to poverty so will seek out partnerships to help release generosity and build disciples as we respond together to poverty and injustice in all its many forms.
- For more information please contact Tearfund’s media team: Antony Bushfield on 07929335146 [email protected]. Out of hours, please contact: 07710 573749.
