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Dear friends in Christ,

I want to share with you part of the report Gene Thiemann, a member of our
Lutheran Disaster Response team, wrote about the tornadoes in the Atlanta
area.  We sent Gene (who served as our LDR coordinator in Fort Collins,
Colorado, last summer) to serve as a resource for ten days in Atlanta, to
help the agency/synod/district get a jump start on the response.

Gene writes,

 *** Original (but possibly edited) note follows ***

From: Gene Thiemann
Subject: Visible in Disaster
Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 10:05:32 PDT

I've always thought of Norcross as a greeting card.  But now it brought a
new message.  This was one of the areas near Atlanta that got hit by
tornadoes earlier this month.

I had been asked by Lutheran Disaster Response to work with Lutheran
Ministries of Georgia and local Lutheran congregations to help develop a
longer-range plan of action.  Already there was so much being done from the
Norcross-based parish of Christ the King Lutheran Church.  Chain saws were
buzzing, and so was the entire congregation, it seemed.

Dianne Linngren, a member of the congregation with considerable social
ministry experience, played a pivotal role in coordinating immediate relief
efforts from that congregation.  From that parish 200-300 volunteers have
gone out with sandwiches, tarps, tools, and more.   As Pastor Gary
Christensen tells it, this congregation has come forward with money, but
especially with muscle!  And there has been pastoral support and care as
well, with staff and members walking the streets just to check in with the
many affected neighbors of this 17-year old congregation.

Even the congregation's web page on the internet declared its intention
to help the 50 or so member families and others affected, saying, perhaps
in the echoes of Easter, that the members have "risen to the aid of each
other and those around us."

Christ the King's own church tower and cross came crashing down during
the Holy Week storm.  Church members soon saw the cross planted prominently
in the ground in front of the church.  That week the church's message
included that thought that in the love of God, the cross of Christ had come
to earth.

The American Red Cross reports that the April tornadoes brought damage to
5,136 homes in the outskirts of Atlanta, and they are still discovering
more.  The Norcross area, where Christ the King is located, accounted for
more than half of the damaged or destroyed homes.

Many homeowners, perhaps 90%, had insurance, to cover at least some of the
damages.  But deductibles need to be covered, trees need to be removed and
needs not covered by insurance are becoming apparent.

Some concerned area Lutherans recently met with the Rev. Gary Danielsen of
Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, to consider strategies for meeting needs
over the next three months.  Although the first, immediate phase of help is
drawing to a close, they concluded that continuing help would be needed.
They spoke about addressing unmet needs, helping children with fears that
every new storm might portend another tornado, and the need to reach out to
non-Lutherans with a hand of love as "Tornado Servants."

Lutheran Disaster Response has already authorized an initial grant of
$25,000 for relief efforts.  AAL and Lutheran Brother have also made
matching funds available to their local organizations for disaster
assistance.

Earlier in the day Dianne and I happened to drive past a storm-battered
church on the way to a meeting with Red Cross officials.  As we passed, she
slowed down and pointed to dozens of tall Southern Pines that had graced
the front of this beautiful church, but had now been snapped in the fierce
winds.  Before the tornado hit, she explained, there were so many standing
trees that the church could hardly be seen from the road.

At that moment, I thought I was hearing a new message from Norcross:  a
disaster can make the church become more visible!  I felt that was exactly
the case at Christ the King Lutheran!  And Lutheran Disaster Response,
working through Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, will try to make that
visible love in Christ continue.

 ***  End of original note ***

You can help make Christ's love visible by your prayer support and your
financial contributions to:

    ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
    PO Box 71764
    Chicago, IL  60694-1764

Gil Furst

GILBERT B. FURST (written on Fri, Apr 24, 1998, at  1:06 am)
Associate Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response
Internet address: [log in to unmask]
For more information, click on our web site:  www.elca.org/dcs/disaster