CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Camp Noah, a week-long day camp for children who have survived floods and other weather disasters, is expanding its program this summer to meet the needs of children in Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, developed Camp Noah.
The idea for Camp Noah "grew out of a need to respond to children who had lost not only their homes but their playgrounds and schools from floods," said Johanna Olson, assistant, Domestic Disaster Response, ELCA Division for Church and Society.
Camp Noah is named after the patriarch Noah of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Noah built an ark in which he, his family, and living creatures of every kind survived a world-wide flood.
Olson said Lutheran Disaster Response created Camp Noah in 1997, when heavy winter storms produced floods in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. That year floods destroyed 19 of 22 child care centers in East Grand Forks, N.D., Olson said. "Children also lost their summers of fun and play." Many city recreational programs in the Red River Valley were canceled as a result of the floods, she said.
"This summer our hope is to serve 400 children in Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Dakota," Olson said.
In South Dakota, Camp Noah will serve children "who live on land that is slowly being absorbed by the waters of Waubay Lake," Olson said. In Kansas and Oklahoma, Camp Noah will serve children who witnessed a series of tornadoes that destroyed hundreds of homes last May. In North Carolina, Camp Noah will serve children who withstood a hurricane and days of flooding and high-standing water last year, she said.
Camp Noah is a "community camp for all children who have been affected by a disaster," said Olson. "It is for children who have completed kindergarten but have not yet entered the seventh grade," she said.
Camp activities include worship, Bible study, a study on disaster, crafts, games, small group activities, field trips and snacks. The program is free.
Olson said Camp Noah is unique in the field of disaster response because it "serves children while underscoring Lutheran Disaster Response's commitment to long-term recovery. It is an example of Lutherans reaching out in creative ways to support people affected by a disaster."
Camp Noah staff include six camp counselors, one day-camp coordinator and a mental-health professional. The coordinator and three camp counselors come from three of the 28 colleges and universities of the ELCA -- Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa; Concordia College, St. Paul, Minn.; and St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
Lutheran social service agencies and social ministry organizations from around the country help to organize Camp Noah, Olson added. Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota put together Camp Noah for Lutheran Disaster Response, she said.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@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
