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Dear friends in Christ,
"How can I help" is the most-asked question I am receiving in response to
the September 11th terrorist attacks. There are several ways in which the
whole church is responding, and several ways in you each individual can
help.
Lutheran Disaster Response (a cooperative ministry of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) is
responding immediately by:
ú Coordinating efforts with affected ELCA synods and LCMS districts to
provide support for pastors and caregivers, and for members affected by
this tragedy
ú Working with Lutheran Social Service agencies to provide local
coordination and management of the church's response
ú Providing resources for parents, Sunday Schools, and Lutheran schools to
help children deal with the trauma of this event
ú Making worship resources, Bible studies, prayers available on-line -
http://www.elca.org/dcs/disaster/sept11-worship.html
ú Marking available on the internet an excellent new AAL-LDR emotional
crisis resource for pastors responding to human-caused disasters --
http://www.aal.org/Corporate/disaster/attack/1000EmotionalCrisisRsp.pdf
ú Asking congregations to be open for shelter and prayer, and pastors and
staff members to be available for prayer and counseling
ú Coordinating the response efforts of our national Lutheran coalition
partners (Aid Association of Lutherans, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response,
Lutheran Brotherhood, LCMS World Relief, Lutheran Services in America,
Orphan Grain Train, Lutheran Hour Ministries, Mission Builders, and
Laborers for Christ)
ú Coordinating offers of resources and services of Lutheran social ministry
organizations
ú Preparing to put online by this weekend a resource developed in response
to the Oklahoma City Bombing for parents, pastors, and church school
teachers to use with children
ú Coordinating our Lutheran efforts with other faith communities through
Church World Service
ú Coordinating our response with FEMA, The American Red Cross, and National
Voluntary Agencies Active in Disaster
Some answers to "How can I help" are:
ú Volunteers for cleanup and repairs cannot be used at this time. Please
do not go the affected areas expecting to help. You will compound the
problems.
ú No material resources or donations are being sought nor be collected at
this time. If specific items might be needed in the future, I will let you
know that.
ú LDR-certified and properly credentialed counselors will be sent to New
York and Washington, D.C. Pastors and counselors who would like to help
are asked to call 1-773-380-2748 and provide their information to Loraine
Deon, Lutheran Services in America. She will maintain a list of persons
who have offered assistance. We know the needs will be long-term, and we
will call upon you if your gifts can be utilized.
ú Ministry response is needed on the local level. When a terrorist attack
occurs, we all are affected and feel vulnerable. I encourage pastors to
provide time in Sunday worship to allow members to discuss their feelings
and emotions. Parents can talk with their children about the issues they
are feeling (one four-year-old asked his mother if he was going to be hurt
by the explosions). We all need to underscore that Muslim or Middle
Eastern families and organizations in our communities are our friends and
neighbors, and are not involved in these terrorist acts.
ú Call your local blood bank or American Red Cross chapter to see if blood
donations are still needed.
ú Continue to pray for those who have lost loved ones, for the survivors,
their families and friends; pray for world-wide peace and reconciliation;
support appropriate community prayer vigils.
ú Provide financial support for the emergency care and counseling, and
long-term response by sending your donations to:
ELCA DOMESTIC Disaster Response - designated "September 11 Attack"
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
Yours in Christ,
Gil Furst
GILBERT B. FURST (written on Thu, Sep 13, 2001, at 4:21 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 website: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster
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