by Melissa Ramirez Cooper, ELCA News Service
According to the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, Lutherans have shown
courage, strength and perseverance in responding to the needs of
their neighbors in 2008. Massey, director, Lutheran Disaster
Response, commented on the record-breaking year for U.S.
disasters in a Dec. 19 letter he wrote to members of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and the Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).
At least 500 more tornadoes swept across the country in 2008 than
in 2007, Massey said. Widespread flooding affected the Midwest
and, in some places, communities experienced 100-year and
500-year record flood levels. In Iowa more than 40,000
households registered for assistance with the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. "Late summer brought one of the most active
Atlantic hurricane seasons in recorded history. For the first
time ever six consecutive named storms made landfall in the
United States, including the four distinct landfalls of
Tropical Storm Fay," he said. An earthquake and wildfires also
affected Lutherans in 2008.
Lutheran Disaster Response is a collaborative ministry of the
ELCA and LCMS. It coordinates volunteers for cleanup and
rebuilding efforts, provides emotional and spiritual care, and
distributes hardship grants to bring hope, healing and wholeness
to disaster survivors.
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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
