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1045 (of 1046) LEON PHILLIPS May 05, 1997 at 20:48 Eastern (2466
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A little after 6:00 this chilly morning Gil and I were standing outside the
Federal Courthouse in Denver. There was a small group of us there, with
Chet Evenson, president, and Jan Perino, volunteer coordinator of Lutheran
Family Services of Colorado. On just this one day we were doing what LFS
and Lutheran Disaster Response - working with Colorado Resource Council-
are helping volunteers do every day: standing in line so that families of
Oklahoma City bombing victims will have a seat at the trial they have come
to Denver to attend. About 7:45 we received our passes for the trial, and
a few minutes later Jan Perino and the U.S. Attorney General's
representative introduced us to the couple who would use our passes to
attend today's session.
We visited with the families as they stood in line, and talked about how
hard it is for them to go through this trial... yet how necessary. Two
years after the event it has brought so many tragic memories to the
surface. Those who are here have come to find a sense of understanding,
and even peace, out of this trial. They include some who were injured in
that blast and others who lost spouse, son, daughter, parent, or child.
In a Catholic church across the street from the courthouse there is a "safe
haven" where these families can gather. Volunteers who have been trained
for this serve them meals, pastors talk with them, and other counselors are
on hand. A volunteer coordinator employed by Lutheran Family
Service/Lutheran Disaster Response has lined up cooks, pastors, chaplains
and others all the way through July, and is busy securing the "line
standers" for daily trial sessions. We joined the Oklahoma City families
there at lunch.
News about all this must be limited in Colorado for the time being, for
there is still another jury to be selected and another trial to come when
this one ends. But we can all say a special prayer for the families who
will endure the hard reality of these daily sessions; and a prayer of
thanks for the volunteers, the agency people, and the people of God who are
reaching out to them. Lutheran Disaster Response is proud to be a part of
that coalition.
LEON PHILLIPS 8:21 pm Mon, May 5, 1997
Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response( Division for Church in Society),
Lutheran Disaster Response ( a cooperative ministry of ELCA and LCMS)
Phone: 610-776-8390 FAX: 610-776-8392
e-mail:[log in to unmask] WEBSITE http://www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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