CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS), is participating in recovery efforts in Alabama after tornadoes struck four counties there last month.
Tornadoes killed 11 residents of Tuscaloosa County and one person in Geneva County. About 200 homes "are severely damaged and another 455 need repair in Tuscaloosa," said the Rev. Gilbert B. Furst, director for Lutheran Disaster Response.
About 200 buildings were damaged or destroyed in Etowah County, and many homes were destroyed in Limestone County, Furst said. "Assessment has been difficult due to closed roads and adverse weather," he said.
Lutheran Ministries of Alabama, Montgomery, will manage Lutheran Disaster Response relief efforts, with staff from the ELCA Southeastern Synod, Atlanta, and LCMS Southern District, New Orleans. Lutheran congregations in Alabama are distributing emergency supplies and providing shelter, Furst said.
Lutheran Disaster Response is also working with the Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, "a partner in providing recovery efforts after tornadoes swept through Alabama in 1998," he said.
"I believe in angels. They are reaching out in many ways to people in Alabama who had no homes to celebrate Christmas," Furst said. "The angels are ministering spiritually, financially, physically and emotionally bearing the message that God does not abandon people. We are a people of hope and new life. Lutherans are people who care."
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DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
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:
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
800-638-3522
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
