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Dear friends in Christ,
"The response of the church to the events of September 11 is an extension
of incarnational theology," Atlantic District President David Benke stated.
"You can see baptized Christians bearing Christ wherever you go. The
church is not just talking good deeds - it is demonstrating them. It's a
matter of 'do your deeds match your creeds.'"
I am halfway through a six-day visit to New York, where the matching of
deeds to creeds is clear and evident. Three members of The Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod World Relief staff (Rev. Jerry Rux, Barb Hoffman, and
Greg Koenig) accompanied me for the first part of this visit. We
experienced powerful reports of how the church, through Lutheran Disaster
Response is putting flesh on its theology. John Scibilia, LDR-New York
coordinator, mentioned that many people are just now reaching out for
emotional assistance. "Some meetings still begin with one hour of
debriefing," he said.
We met with Marlene Lund, executive of Lutheran Schools Association. So
far $52,000 of LDR tuition financial aid has been distributed to
thirty-five children in sixteen schools. Requests are increasing, "the
majority from those laid off by the travel industry, those whose offices
were in the World Trade Center, and those employed by the airlines.
Scholarships have been given to surviving children of policemen, firemen,
and several moms and dads trapped and killed in the buildings," Marlene
shared. "Parents and other caregivers have been extremely grateful for not
only the monetary help, but the prayer and spiritual support that has been
ongoing. The stories that accompany the applications are heartbreaking."
One recipient was working at the Embassy Suites Hotel across the street
from World Trade Center Tower One. "As a result of the WTC tragedy, the
hotel has been closed indefinitely and all employees including me have been
laid off. I have been trying to get a job in my field, but unfortunately,
the hotel industry has been hard hit and instead of hiring people, it has
been laying off people." Tuition assistance is being provided through
LDR-NY because donors across the country have generously designated funds
for tuition assistance_deeds matching creeds. There is a commitment that
no child will have to leave a Lutheran school because of 9/11 issues. This
is an 8-year commitment.
Steve Lee, director of Koinonia outdoor ministries, described "New Ground
Day Camps that will begin this summer. These one week long camps will be
located in Lutheran congregations and schools in New York and New Jersey.
On 9/11 over 3,000 children lost at least one parent. Tens of thousands of
children lost a family member or a friends' family member. "New Ground Day
Camps" will provide children from pre-school through adolescence the
opportunity to deal with their issues of trauma. A new curriculum will
allow the children to discuss the hope of Christ in dealing with the evil
of our time in a safe and inviting setting. It is anticipated that between
50 and 100 camps will be operational this first year. Last week I sent
$330,000 to LDR-NY to provide organizational and operational funding for
"New Ground Day Camps." Those funds were available because of the
generosity of Lutheran donors who not only talk good deeds but also
demonstrate them.
We had lunch with Project LIFE care managers and Ken Curtain, FEMA
Voluntary Agency Liaison. "Project LIFE is an example of how to do it
right," he said. He pointed to the huge crisis of lost jobs and income
resulting from 9/11. "Good casework helps bring assistance to those in
need." Project LIFE is operated by Lutheran Social Services of
Metropolitan New York and funded by Lutheran Disaster Response. It helps
survivors of 9/11 to access the myriad of help and benefits available to
them, as well as connect them with needed services. Janet Bouman, who
oversees the care managers, reports that in the first three months of
operation, Project LIFE is working with 270 people, and there are now 800
people on the waiting list to see care managers. "New needs are evolving,
different now than in January," she said. "As the church we are working
with human individuals, one at a time, not just with cases. And we work
with individuals to find a long-term solution." Their stories touch your
heart. In February I was able to provide funding for two additional care
managers; in April two more will be added, both bilingual in Spanish.
Those funds are available because of the generosity of Lutheran donors who
not only talk good deeds but also demonstrate them.
Yesterday we met with Rev. Jack DiMatteo, LDR-New Jersey coordinator, and
Rev. David Pearcy, LDR-Washington D.C. coordinator. "In NJ there are 750
direct victim families," Jack reported. Four regional Lutheran counseling
centers have been developed by Lutheran Social Ministries of New Jersey to
address the counseling needs. LSM-NJ is also working with the unmet needs
of the unemployed and undocumented. Several NJ congregations will host
"New Ground Day Camps" this summer. Fifteen Lutheran congregations
throughout New Jersey have stepped forward to provide bereavement support
groups, unemployment support groups, and to address the perceived needs of
local congregations. Trained counselors will be provided by LDR-NJ to work
with each congregation. District and synod pastors are being provided
respite care. "By the grace of God, LDR-NJ has been able to reach
thousands with the hope and comfort of Christ. But it's not a matter of
numbers and statistics_it's a matter of personal love and individual
assistance."
In Washington D.C., Virginia, and Maryland, the 9/11 victims with whom LDR
is ministering are those on the "economic margin," David Pearcy related.
These are entry-level workers, immigrants, new citizens, and so forth. The
economic base is "creeping up" but it has in no way returned to its
previous strength. In this geographic area millions of dollars have been
collected by a variety of agencies but have not been distributed. Lutheran
Social Services-National Capital Area is overseeing the LDR-DC response,
working with Community Family Life Services and Lutheran Housing
Association to help get those funds into the hands of people who need them.
Children in Lutheran schools were also affected. One school is located
near the Pentagon, and the children heard the impact, saw the fire, hear
the sirens. "For a long time children on the playground would move to
their teacher every time a plan flew overhead. They don't do that anymore;
now they stop playing and watch." LDR is working with the teachers, staff,
and students in this area.
Last week I sent an additional $70,000 to LDR-NJ and LDR-DC to continue
their unique ministry to the needs of their brothers and sisters in Christ.
Those funds are available because of the generosity of Lutheran donors who
not only talk good deeds but also demonstrate them.
Yesterday afternoon I went to "Ground Zero" stood with Jack and David. For
both of them it was the first time they visited that scene of death and
destruction. We stood briefly in the crowd gathered at the end of "the
pit" where the excavation of debris and the discovery of bodies continues.
As we walked around the cemetery of St. Paul's Chapel, which stands
adjacent to that site, we noticed the hushed silence and the quiet voices
of the visitors. In a very real sense this is holy ground. "I don't need
to be here in this place to know its pain and sorrow," David said. "I can
feel this all the way back in my home."
This week, once again, I can see baptized Christians bearing Christ
wherever I go. They are able to do significant and long-term ministry
because you, the people of God, also don't need to be here in this desolate
place to know its pain and sorrow. In these first six months of this
response LDR has provided $3.1 million of support. And as the church we
will be able to provide for intentional and faithful ministry for many
years, for the long haul. Because of your prayers and your support, the
church is not just talking good deeds - it is demonstrating them.
This weekend some 200 ELCA pastors and 35 bishops will be coming to New
York for a service of hope and resurrection on Saturday, and to lead
worship in New York area congregations on Sunday. "When we gather in New
York," wrote Bishop Steve Bouman (Metropolitan New York Synod),
"spiritually or physically_we gather not only in the shadow of the
September 11 Ground Zero. We gather in the passion of the Ground Zero of
the death and resurrection of Jesus."
Thank you, dear friends in Christ, for your resurrection faith which is
providing comfort and renewal by word and deed in this place.
Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Fri, Apr 5, 2002, 7:30 pm). Director for
ELCA DOMESTIC DISASTER RESPONSE (Division for Church in Society) and
LUTHERAN DISASTER RESPONSE (a cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LC-MS)
8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631 PHONE: 773-380-2822 FAX: 773-380-2493
Please visit our website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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