The following email was shared on September 15, 2001 by Rev. McKenzie "Mac" Pier, the President of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York. It provides important details about the American Families Assistance Fund, a partnership project between Concerts of Prayer and World Vision to help the victims of the American tragedy.

	Dear Colleague in Ministry, We have experienced a local, national and global tragedy this week. For those of us who were in Manhattan Tuesday morning, we probably wondered if we would be alive at the end of the day. I know I did. Thousands perished. Tens of thousands have been effected by this tragedy in our city, in our communities, and in our churches. I felt on Friday, the National Day of Mourning and Prayer, that the tears of Jesus were mingled in the rain over our city. In response to this tragedy Concerts of Prayer Greater New York and World Vision are partnering together to provide relief to vicitms of the tragedy through the churches. World Vision has established An American Families Assistance Fund which is receiving donations internationally. The purpose of the fund is to help churches minister to the victims of familes in the following ways: 1. To provide memorial/funeral assistance -- this is a great need as the city is having great difficulty providing burial plots 2. To provide emergency life needs -- many people are without places to stay, need food, clothing, and other basic necessities 3. To help with financial hardship -- thousands of jobs were lost and people will have difficulty paying their bills 4. To provide grief/trauma counseling -- we want to help pay for the training and deployment of grief counseling in the churches The fund is not limited to church members or Christians. A church may be caring for an unchurched person impacted by the tragedy. Some local mosques may be deeply effected and the fund provides a way for churches to reach out in love to Muslims and other faith traditions in the city. We will be creating a simple application process and would ask that you respond as soon as possible, preferably by email. The needs are imminent. We do not know as of yet the total amount of funding available, but we desire to respond as rapidly as possible. Thank-you for your desire to help the church express compassion to the Greater New York region at this time. Christ Is All! Rev. McKenzie "Mac" Pier President, Concerts of Prayer Greater New York