CHICAGO (ELCA) -- In the wake of four hurricanes that caused many deaths and injuries and billions of dollars in property damage in the Caribbean and Florida, a synod bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) thanked the church and his colleagues for their support and financial gifts.
The Rev. Edward R. Benoway, bishop of the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod, Tampa, said there was "hardly a congregation that escaped damage from at least one of these storms," in remarks to the ELCA Conference of Bishops. Most ELCA congregations in the synod were unable to hold services on at least two Sundays because of the storms, he said.
The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body of the church consisting of the church's 65 synod bishops, presiding bishop and secretary. It met here Sept. 30-Oct. 4.
The storms -- Hurricane Charley, Hurricane Frances, Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Jeanne -- struck the Caribbean and Florida in successive weeks in August and September. U.S. government weather forecasters said Florida has never before been hit by four hurricanes in one season.
Lutheran Services Florida, Tampa, is the local agency coordinating disaster response in partnership with Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR), a ministry of the ELCA (ELCA) and Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Benoway said. LDR funds are being used for "unmet needs," Benoway said.
Through late September, ELCA members, congregations and synods had sent more than $300,000 to the ELCA in response to the hurricanes and storms since mid-summer.
Insurance deductibles of 3 percent, apparently part of many policies, are "shocking" to members and congregations who must repair or rebuild in the wake of the powerful storms, Benoway said. Congregations have been helpful to people who must complete complicated paperwork to make claims or seek disaster assistance, he said.
"A ministry we found right away is that the churches need to help people fill out forms," Benoway said. "It's a must." Synod congregations have been looking for people specifically for that task, he said.
In Haiti, where flooding from the storms killed hundreds and left many more without homes, Benoway said ELCA International Disaster Response has been providing help. "It's an incredibly desperate situation there," Benoway said, adding that the situation in Haiti has helped him keep in "perspective" the relatively minor damage to his own home.
"We have experienced our 'interrelatedness' in response to the hurricanes," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, ELCA presiding bishop, told the Conference of Bishops. "Beneath their weariness, I have heard their profound gratitude for our interrelatedness."
Members of the Conference of Bishops contributed $3,050 in offerings for disaster response at a worship service during their meeting. The offerings were designated for Haiti, through ELCA International Disaster Response, and for the Florida-Bahamas Synod through ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, said the Rev. Kathie Bender Schwich, director of the ELCA Department for Synodical Relations.
Hanson and Benoway will be together at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Tampa, Oct. 26 to meet with pastors and lay leaders in the Florida-Bahamas Synod. The Lutheran leaders will engage in worship and reflection, Benoway said in a Sept. 23 letter to professional church leaders in the synod.
"In the midst of the rebuilding efforts and ministries to rebuild lives, homes and communities, I think it is good for our leaders to be together for mutual support, care and spiritual enrichment," Benoway wrote.
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Information about ELCA and Lutheran Disaster Response is at http://www.elca.org/disaster on the ELCA Web site. Information about the storms' impact on the Florida-Bahamas Synod is at http://www.fbsynod.org on the Web.
DOMESTIC DISASTERS:
Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid 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, Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via Internet: http://www.elca.org/disaster
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
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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
