Story number 4 for 21 Nov 2001

(USA)–It’s becoming a noticeable case of ‘compassion fatigue’ in the days since tragedy hit the United States. Need is up, giving is down and cuts in programs could be next if something doesn’t change soon. The triple whammy of bad news has left many non-profit evangelistic outreach groups concerned. American Leprosy Mission’s Chris Doyle voiced his thoughts. “So far, we’ve not had to cut funding for any ongoing projects, but we had a whole host of new projects that we were going to launch this year, and we’ve cut now, about a half-a-million dollars out of our program budget.” Doyle says that means growth gives way to surviving. Noting that many other evangelistic organizations are suffering hardship, he urges believers to remain involved. “I think we just need to pray generally about the overall missions effort. I hear from my colleagues that cuts are going anywhere from ten to 40-percent. So, that will have a negative effect obviously there, because those programs will not be launched this year.”