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Dear Christian friends,

"When we reach out to the needs of others for God's glory, miracles happen
outwardly and inwardly....  We are made to serve our Lord by serving one
another."  So Trish Neal, our Lutheran Disaster Response coordinator in
Birmingham, Alabama, summarized the ministry LDR has provided since a
devastating "category 5" tornado ripped through during Holy Week in April.
In that destructive hour, 800 houses were heavily damaged, 465 totally
destroyed, and lives were lost.

I've just completed a two-day visit here, and was impressed with the
progress that has been made -- and the challenges that remain.

Yesterday, Eldon Zimmerman (disaster coordinator for Lutheran Ministries of
Alabama, Norma Stagner, president), Father Bill King (Episcopal Diocese of
Alabama staff) and three colleagues, and I, piled in a van to visit the
small communities most affected by the tornado.  We went through Oak Ridge,
Edgewater, Sylvan Springs, Concord, to McDonald's Chapel (the worst damaged
neighborhood and highest percentage of uninsured, where we are
concentrating our efforts).  Although most of the debris has been cleared,
in some places the damage remains untouched.  Rubble still is placed for
collection along curbsides.  Empty lots show where dozens of homes and
small churches were destroyed and removed.

We stopped at one site in McDonald's Chapel where LDR volunteers are busy
tearing down a house and clearing the lot.  As we stood in what was once a
yard, I couldn't help thinking of the strong natural forces that have
changed the lives of so many people in this community.

But I also thought of the strong life-changing presence God's people are
bringing.  Trish tells of a man from McDonald's Chapel.  Two weeks ago he
said that when the first group of volunteers came to help, he had been
ready to "throw up his hands and leave his home of almost 30 years."  "The
work he had in front of him was overwhelming," Trish said, "and he could
not see how he could get it done.  But now he can see the end - and he
wanted me to know that when he finishes, he wants to be first on the list
to volunteer to help others."

At today's LDR staff meeting, we reviewed the past three months.  So far
nearly 1,900 volunteer hours have been provided by 47 separate volunteer
groups.  Working with the Southeastern Synod and in partnership with the
Episcopal Diocese of Alabama, present funding will allow this response to
continue for at least the next couple months.  But the problems are
enormous, and casework must continue, because the needs of so many are
still unknown.

"Lutheran Disaster Response  gives an opportunity to fulfill our mission to
'Go in peace and serve...'" Trish concludes.  Your prayer support,
contributions, and volunteering will enable the church to continue to reach
out to these tornado survivors with outstretched hands of love.

TO VOLUNTEER (through September):   Call Trish Neal, 1-205-786-2316

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

Please help to continue God's miracles in Alabama.

In Christ,
Gil Furst

GILBERT B. FURST  (written on Fri, Jul 24, 1998, at  2:58 pm)
Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response (Division for Church in Society),
Lutheran Disaster Response (A cooperative ministry of the ELCA and LCMS)
8765 W. Higgins Rd., Chicago 60631  PHONE: 773-380-2822  FAX: 773-380-2493
Visit our website:  www.elca.org/dcs/disaster