Lutheran Social Ministry Groups Discuss Post-Sept. 11 Responses

WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- Representatives from social ministry organizations in New York, New Jersey and Washington, D.C., met in an open forum to discuss how Lutheran social ministry organizations have been involved in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The session was part of the Lutheran Services in America (LSA) annual conference here April 10-12.
LSA is an alliance of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and affiliated human service organizations offering social services to children and families, older people, and people with disabilities. Together the organizations provide $6.9 billion in services in nearly 3,000 communities each year.
The conference theme was "Joined at the Heart: Lifting Our Voices for Hope and Change." About 400 people attended.
"Stories are told as though today was Sept.11 in the New York area," said John Scibilia, Lutheran Disaster Response/New York coordinator. Social service providers there are facing increased demand on existing services and are pulling together resources and expertise to address needs. For example, Lutheran Social Services of Metro New York has 22 food sites which have been inundated with an increase in demand since Sept.11, he said.
"Pastors in churches are getting calls from people who have been unable to maneuver through the system," said Christine Connell, Project Life. The project is operated by Lutheran Family and Community Services in New York and offers case management services to individuals needing access to resources since Sept. 11.
"Project Life began small, but now we carry 100 cases with a waiting list of 800, "she said. A team of volunteers calls people on the waiting list on a weekly basis to assure individuals that they are not forgotten.
"People say, 'I just want my life to be normal,' but that's not going to happen. We try to help them find some level of comfort, safety and security where they can function and redirect their energies to be proactive," said Connell.
Connell anticipates another chapter in the experience of social ministry providers in metropolitan New York in the near future. "The proposed close of the World Trade Center site is scheduled for June, but many have not done a closure process," Connell said. "I think we'll see a huge upheaval in the community, as the site goes from a recovery operation to a burial ground."
Also in the works are "New Ground" day camps, being planned in several locations in the metropolitan New York and New Jersey areas to help children reestablish a sense of security. Adapting a model currently used by the "Camp Noah" program of Lutheran Disaster Response, the New Ground camps will help children process their feelings and fears following the disaster, and give them an emotional break from the strains of recovery through play and recreation.
"As you go further out of the city, Sept. 11 is more 'past tense.' It is like concentric circles," said Doug Oberreit, vice president of community services, Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey (LSM/NJ). He noted that new tensions are surfacing as the long-term impact of lost jobs and lost homes are realized.
"We're starting to see acting-out behaviors in school," Oberreit said. "This has affected people who are not used to using a social services system. Many have no idea how to reach out. There's a lot of denial and avoidance. But they're not able to handle it alone." LSM/NJ is also attentive to caring for caregivers, offering services to overworked pastors, he said.
The issues in the capital area are different following the terrorist attack against the Pentagon.
"The military takes care of their own. By Sept. 11 this year, they will move into the Pentagon as if that hadn't happened," said the Rev. D. Mark Cooper, executive director, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSS/NCA). "There was a real sense of frustration in this city of wanting but not being able to be involved. The infrastructure was not in place."
The work of LSS/NCA is responding to the economic impact of Sept. 11 in the region. "Tourism has been tremendously impacted. We've gone from a full house to no house," said Cooper. "Those are the folks we work with the working poor, the immigrants." -- -- --
* Karen S. Krueger is communication coordinator for the ELCA Metropolitan Washington, D.C., Synod

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