ELCA Presiding Bishop Visits Flood Victims

ANDERSON VISITS FLOOD VICTIMS

"We will be with you. Whether it takes a year or longer, your church
will stay with you," the Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, told flood victims in
Minnesota and North Dakota. Anderson traveled to Minnesota and North
Dakota May 20-22 to meet with flood victims and pastors as cleanup and
recovery efforts continue in the flooded areas of the Red River
Valley. People told stories of coming back to their "smelly and
mud-filled" homes after a six-week evacuation period. Flood waters
destroyed the foundation of houses and buildings, leaving most of them
condemned, they told Anderson. Worship services are being held in wet
and muddy facilities. Pastors told the bishop of their difficulty in
preaching on Sundays and of an increased number of funerals, according
to the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, associate director for the ELCA's
domestic disaster response. Furst accompanied Anderson on his
pastoral visits to Grand Forks, Fargo, Devil's Lake and Mayville,
N.D., Breckenridge and Ada, Minn. "As the stories were told, one
after another of hardship and heartache, there was a balance of hope
and recovery," Furst said. At each stop, Anderson told care-givers to
take care of themselves. "God created the world in six days and then
took a day off. That should be good enough for you too," Anderson
reminded them. "Long after FEMA, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army
are gone, your church will still be here," said Furst. "The body of
Christ is rolling up its sleeves for the long haul," he said.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html