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Dear friends in Christ,
Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) is
responding to a series of thirteen "category 3" tornadoes that struck in
the Granite Falls, Minnesota, area on Tuesday evening, July 25. Initial
assessments indicate 100 homes were destroyed and more than 230 were
severely damaged in a 40-block area. There was one fatality.
I have sent an initial grant of $10,000 to Lutheran Social Service of
Minnesota (Mark Peterson, president), which is managing LDR's response.
Melanie Josephson, our LDR coordinator, is presently on site, working with
the local Lutheran pastors and providing emergency needs funding. We are
working closely with the Southwestern Minnesota ELCA Synod (Rev. Stanley
Olson, Bishop) and with the Minnesota South LCMS District (Rev. Lane Seitz,
District President), as they bring together members and congregations to
provide support for the response.
As I write this report, immediate needs and damages continue to be
assessed. Local volunteers are being coordinated to help with the initial
cleanup efforts.
Your prayers are sought for the tornado survivors of this community, which
was one of the first areas affected in the 1997 floods.
You can help the whole church respond to this disaster by sending your
contributions to
ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response
P.O. Box # 71764
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764.
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
LC-MS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810
Credit card gift line: 1-888-930-4438
In Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Thu, Jul 27, 2000, 9:41 am). 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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