Three months after the Dec. 26 tsunami hit North Sumatra, Nias Island, with nearly 1 million residents, the region was devastated by an earthquake March 28 with a magnitude of 8.7 on the Richter scale. The earthquake epicenter was 18.6 miles deep in the sea.

The governor of North Sumatra said more than 1,000 people perished as of March 29. It further reported that 90 percent of the residents suffered the devastation and 80 percent of homes and buildings were destroyed at Gunung Sitoli, the capital of Nias Island. 

Jannus Hutapea and Stefanus Suwandi, family members of Seventh-day Adventist lay leaders, were buried in the rubble, and their homes were among those wrecked, according to Djoko Suwarso, communication director of the Adventist Church in West Indonesia.

Similar to the humanitarian response to assist tsunami victims in nearby Aceh, the Nias earthquake brought the human face of Christianity to all who find themselves affected by the tragedy. Immediately after the news reached Jakarta, lay leadership of the church in the country’s capital reacted promptly by appealing to 10,000 church members to help.

“We must not only pray, but should assist practically by offering food and material help,” said Tourisman Siahaan, lay leader in Jakarta.

The Adventist Church in Central Sumatra, in the district of Sibolga, has become the center of relief operations to help survivors of the disaster. 

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world. Among Christian denominations, there are nearly 210,000 Seventh-day Adventists worshiping in 1,700 congregations.

In a separate development, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) said it is providing emergency relief to survivors of the earthquake that rocked Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. ADRA International pledged an initial U.S. $10,000 in disaster relief aid to those affected by the earthquake. This will be distributed in the form of nonfood items such as tents and medical supplies.