Dear friends in Christ,

As we move through the early days of the 2004 hurricane season, severe
and devastating spring storms continue.  Here is a short list of some
ministries you provide by your support of Lutheran Disaster Response (a
cooperative ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod).

1. You continue the response to flooding in northwest Washington State,
in Skagit and Snohomish Counties, where severe storms caused the Skagit
River to flood, destroying many homes.  LDR works with and supports
volunteers from the Christian Reformed, Mennonite, and Church of the
Brethren denominations.  Central United Methodist Church and Bethlehem
Lutheran Church provide office space.  Denominational disaster grants
have been provided by the United Methodists, Presbyterians, Roman
Catholics, and Lutherans.  Recovery work will continue through August.
Norene Goplen (LDR-Washington) coordinates Lutheran efforts with two
interfaith organizations and the Washington State Voluntary
Organizations Active in Disasters.  Lutheran Community Services
Northwest (Roberta Nestaas, CEO) manages the response.

2. In October California wildfires in San Diego County burned about
273,000 acres, smashing a 71 year-old record. About 989,000 acres burned
across the state, 209,000 more than in 1987. The fires destroyed 3,600
homes, and killed 22 people. Kevin Walton serves as LDR-Southern
California Coordinator.  Kevin was LDR coordinator for Durango,
Colorado, fires.  Lutheran Social Services of Southern California (John
Clawson, President), manages the response.  LDR-SCal is reaching out to
elderly, poor, unemployed, child survivors.  A spiritual/emotional
retreat was held in June to support pastors doing intense front-line
ministry.

3. Memorial Day floods and mudslides washed out bridges and covered
roads in southern West Virginia.  Twenty-four counties are declared a
federal disaster.  At least 135 homes were completely destroyed, and 443
sustained major damage.  Some communities have experienced four or five
major disasters in the last two years!  Many low-income rural families
with little resources for recovery are affected.

4.  LDR continues to work with interfaith efforts to farms, homes, and
communities after  damaging hail storms and tornadoes struck eastern
Nebraska May 22-23. Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (Ruth Henrichs,
President), is managing the response on behalf of LDR.  Roger Kruger
(coordinator) and Carol Fredrich (LFS staff) are active in coordination
efforts.  At least 158 homes were destroyed and 150 others damaged.

5. In Iowa LDR coordinator Michael Stadie (Lutheran Services in Iowa,
Jane Hartman, President)) continues to coordinate efforts in response to
seventeen tornadoes that damaged at least 1,400 houses in a
fourteen-county area.  Two persons were killed by the tornadoes.

6. Utica, Illinois, was struck by a category F-3, tornado (wind speeds
of 158 to 206 miles per hours).  Eight people died and dozens of homes
and businesses were destroyed (as well as in nearby towns of Joliet and
Granville).  LDR has two responding agencies in Illinois:  Lutheran
Child and Family Services of Illinois (Gene Svebakken, president), David
Roth, LDR coordinator; and. Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (Fred
Agner, president), Beth Stockbridge, LDR coordinator.

Dave Roth reports, "After the clean-up crews have finished their
dangerous and difficult work, and the Red Cross has done its crucial
emergency response coordination, and the funerals are complete, many
survivors face new trauma, while still wounded and vulnerable. We want
to equip local communities to help with the healing, and we want to
provide opportunities for the caring and capable persons in Lutheran
congregations to participate in that. If the community wishes it, the
Illinois Lutheran Disaster Response Team will be involved in Utica for
many months, and perhaps years."

7. Through your support LDR continues repairing and rebuilding houses
in Matagorda and Calhoun Counties in southern Texas, which endured three
floods, a tornado, and damage from Hurricane Claudette.  Dale and Jean
Peercy are working with CRWRC volunteers to repair homes.  Lutheran
Social Services of the South (Kurt Senske, President), Mark Minick
(LDR-TX Coordinator), and Dan Zieschang (agency disaster staff) is
managing the Texas responses.

There are many other examples I could tell about the difference your
support for the church's disaster response ministries - your ministries
- has made.

How can you continue to be part of the church's response to these and
other disasters?

You can pray.  The prayers of God's people are more powerful than any
floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, or acts of terrorism.

You can volunteer.  Visit the website
http://www.ldr.org/volunteers/index.asp for information.

You can provide financial support.  Your generosity enables you (the
church) to provide immediate response to new disasters and ensures that
you (the church) will continue to bring light to others for the long
haul.

Send your contributions to:

ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
PO Box 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764

        Credit card gift line:  1-800-638-3522
        Credit card gifts via the web: www.elca.org/disaster

LC-MS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810

        Credit card gift line:  1-888-930-4438

ON A PERSONAL NOTE:   I am pleased to share with you that Heather L.
Feltman has been named director of Lutheran Disaster Response, and
director for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, effective July 1. Heather
will bring strong leadership, vision, and compassion to enrich and
enhance the church's disaster response ministries.

Heather is a diaconal minister and serves as LDR coordinator for South
Carolina.  She is director for Lutheran Advocacy and Public Policy of
South Carolina (Columbia), and director of congregational and community
partnerships, Lutheran Family Services of the Carolinas, Columbia. From
1996 to 2000, she was a director of the South Carolina State Council of
Churches.  She served as a board member for the ELCA Division for Church
in Society, an advocacy consultant for the division from 1997 to 1999,
and as preschool director of Hephatha Lutheran School, Anaheim Hills,
Calif., from 1988 to 1990.  Hephatha is a school of the LCMS.

Please offer with me your prayers of support for Heather and her family
as they make this major life and ministry transition.

Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst

Gilbert B. Furst  (Written on 6/16/2004, at 12:00 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 websites:  www.ldr.org and  www.elca.org/dcs/disaster