LITTLETON, COLO. (ELCA) Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) has committed an initial $10,000 to provide trained counselors to listen to the concerns of pastors and members of Lutheran churches here in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings that left 15 people dead, said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director.
In addition, LDR has provided 640 copies of the Rev. Foster McCurley's book "Making Sense Out of Sorrow" to Lutheran congregations, Furst said. Lutheran schools in the area are currently working with a crisis intervention team trained to handle post-traumatic stress and to work with teachers and students, he added.
Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) is a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). LDR is supported by contributions to the ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and LCMS World Relief, Furst said. In this case, LDR is working in partnership through a local Lutheran-affiliated agency, Lutheran Family Services of Colorado, to provide relief and recovery to the community. Pastors from Littleton met with representatives of = Lutheran Family Services of Colorado May 3 to discuss a variety of human needs and ways to help the community heal. The discussion yielded two immediate concerns. Pastors said they could use additional trained people, temporarily, to handle routine congregational concerns so they can focus their ministry with people traumatized by the shootings. They also want to meet with people experienced in the healing work that must occur in the months following a tragic occurrence. The April 20 shootings left 12 Columbine students and one teacher dead. In addition, the two alleged gunmen killed themselves in the school, investigators said. The massacre and its aftermath affected the community and the nation in a variety of ways, the pastors said. They also expressed thanks for the wider church. "How incredible is the pall over the whole city of Denver and in faraway places," said the Rev. Allan C. Bjornberg, bishop of the ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod. He said he was thankful for the "wondrous gifts" of the area's pastors. "I am grateful for my fellow pastors, and I am grateful for our church," said the Rev. Donald G. Marxhausen, St. Philip Lutheran Church, Littleton. Marxhausen is pastor to nearly 40 Columbine students, none of whom were killed or injured. "I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from throughout the country,' said the Rev. David Palma-Ruwe, Abiding Hope Lutheran Church, Littleton, which has several Columbine students. Area congregations have received hundreds of e-mails, faxes and letters expressing support and concern. The pastors themselves said the situation has created stress for them. "For two weeks, I felt overwhelmed to do anything other than this," said the Rev. Rick Barger, Abiding Hope. "I'm better now." Most Littleton-area congregations are offering regular support groups and counseling to the community. Lutheran Family Services of Colorado, in partnership with LDR, is working with congregations to provide trained counselors, said Chet Evenson, agency president. A local certified trauma specialist has been hired by the agency to assist, said Evenson. In addition to the three ELCA congregations represented, pastors from two LCMS congregations attended, as did the Rev. Roger L. Krause, president of the LCMS Rocky Mountain District and members of his staff.
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DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds for aid to
survivors of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto Rico or
the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
Lutheran Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522
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For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or tNEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
