Together, Let’s Make a Joyful Noise! A Letter from the President & CEO

Joy is not just an emotion or a feeling. It is the assurance of great things to come. During Christmas, we celebrate with joy the birth of Jesus Christ and the promise his birth fulfilled.

In my letter (below), I am reminded of the importance of how we receive and give joy. As we spend time with our loved ones this Christmas, let us remember the gifts of Episcopal Relief & Development’s program partners and community participants who are instruments of joy in our work to create lasting change worldwide.

Thank you for your faithful partnership. Merry Christmas!

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
–Psalm 98:4

Dear Friend in Christ,

My wife and I no longer have a child living with us.

Our daughter is all grown up and living on her own in another city. This year she will fly home on Christmas morning to be with us after she sings at the midnight service in her own church on Christmas Eve.

This is the first year since our daughter’s birth that we will awaken on Christmas morning without our child at home and all the joyful noise and energy that even as an adult she brings into our lives. It’s a small but poignant transition.

While I may not have the joyful noise of our daughter ringing in my ears every day, I am blessed all year long to hear the joyful noise of thousands of children echoing throughout Episcopal Relief & Development’s work around the world.

I heard it in a Syrian Refugee camp in Jordan at school for handicapped children.

I heard it in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands from children whose families were impacted by the hurricanes of 2017.

I heard it in Zambia when I visited a preschool that is part of our integrated Early Childhood Development program outside of Ndola.

Your generous support of Episcopal Relief & Development makes this joyful noise possible.

Refugee children would not have access to critical support to overcome their disabilities without your support.

Children impacted by hurricanes and other disasters would not have access to basic necessities without your support.

Participants in our integrated Early Childhood Development program would not benefit from developmental and health interventions without your support.

So, while I will miss the joyful noise from our daughter early on Christmas morning, my heart will be full of gratitude for all of the joyful noise you’ve made possible around the world with your support of Episcopal Relief & Development.

Thank you and God bless you this Advent and Christmas season.

Rob Radtke is the President & CEO of Episcopal Relief & Development.

Image: Eva, Rob Radtke’s daughter
Photo Courtesy: Samantha Christopher