ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 26, 2005

Lutherans in the Gulf Coast Area Demonstrate Resiliency
05-179-MRC

     BATON ROUGE, La. (ELCA) -- On a calm sunny September
afternoon, massive piles of wreckage line the ocean coast of
Biloxi, Miss.  Wood planks and other debris can be seen floating
in the ocean almost one month after Hurricane Katrina struck the
Gulf Coast.  "I was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the
devastation," said the Rev. Mark S. Hanson.  "But my impression
of the devastation of creation" was "surpassed by the resiliency
of faith in people in the midst of such destruction."
     Hanson, presiding bishop of the 4.9-million-member
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and president of
the 66-million-member Lutheran World Federation, traveled Sept.
21-22 to the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he met
with Lutherans and others working on the "front line of service"
to meet the needs of hurricane survivors.
     In an informal meeting Sept. 21 at Grace Lutheran Church,
Long Beach, Miss., Hanson expressed his appreciation to a group
of 30 Lutheran pastors, associates in ministry, disaster response
volunteers and others for "being the presence of Christ" in their
communities.  He also listened to pastors share information and
stories about how Lutheran churches on the Gulf Coast have been
transformed into health clinics, distribution centers, shelters
for survivors and volunteers, and more.
     Some "people of faith almost feel guilty about losing the
capacity to pray. Know that an entire church is praying, praying
on your behalf," Hanson told the group.  Relief and recovery work
following Hurricane Katrina "will be a long process," and "I am
proud to say that we are really here for the long haul."  Hanson
encouraged pastors, associates in ministry and volunteers to take
time to "refresh yourselves and allow someone else to step in, so
you can come back renewed to serve."
     As of Sept. 21 members of the ELCA and Lutherans around the
world have contributed more than $7 million to support hurricane
relief and recovery work, Hanson told the group.  "I am grateful
for (Lutherans) who are pouring out their generosity with gifts
small and large, which becomes the fuel for the capacity to help
people respond over the long haul."
     "This is a church of abundance," said Heather L. Feltman,
director for ELCA Domestic Disaster Response and director for
Lutheran Disaster Response, a ministry of the ELCA and Lutheran
Church-Missouri Synod.  Feltman, who traveled with Hanson, told
pastors that national and local staff of Lutheran Disaster
Response are working to provide immediate assistance to people
displaced from their homes, communities and work as a result of
Hurricane Katrina.
     Lutheran Disaster Response coordinators are setting up tent
camps to house hundreds of volunteers needed for clean-up work
and debris removal, Feltman said.  "The massive destruction will
require a weekly rotation of volunteers in and out of (Gulf
Coast) areas for months to come," she said.  Tents are being set
up in church parking lots and courtyard areas because "churches
have limited capacity to house volunteers."
     In addition to volunteer management, Lutheran Disaster
Response is providing emotional and spiritual care for hurricane
survivors and care for caregivers; hardship grants to Lutherans
and others who need assistance for expenses such as housing,
child care and any health-related needs not covered under
insurance or FEMA grants; support for Lutheran churches serving
as shelter and distribution centers on behalf of the Red Cross;
long-term rebuilding of homes and communities; and care for the
special needs of children through Camp Noah, a week-long day camp
for children who have experienced disaster.
     In an interview, Feltman said Lutherans have been a critical
force in meeting the needs of survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
The hurricane "caused catastrophic devastation in the Gulf
Coast," she said.  "When the Red Cross, Salvation Army and FEMA
came to set up, there were only so many usable structures.  One
thing we've seen with this disaster is the response of the faith
community.  Lutheran churches not heavily damaged by the
hurricane have stepped in, providing support and shelter early in
relief response.  Our churches in Alabama, Louisiana and
Mississippi have really responded and helped in the overall
relief effort."
     Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Ocean Springs, Miss.,
became a 24-hour health clinic, distribution center and shelter.
The church narthex is a Red Cross intake, registration center.
Its fellowship hall serves as a food and material distribution
center, and its Sunday school classrooms and sanctuary are
sleeping areas, "all designed to help meet the needs of hurricane
survivors," said Feltman.  The church parking lot is filled with
tents housing volunteers from across the country, who have come
to assist in the recovery process.
     "And, in the midst of it all, worship takes place.  People
gather to hear the Good News, pray and sing, and kneel at the
table," said Feltman.
     Suzy Harvey, parish administrator and associate in ministry
at Christus Victor, said the church was "one of the first up-and-
running places for people to get help in Ocean Springs.  We were
already well known in the community, so people came to us for
help.  When the time came we were situated and ready."
     Harvey said about 60 to 70 percent of Ocean Springs was
devastated by the hurricane.  "About 70 families at Christus
Victor have homes that can no longer be lived in as of Sept. 21."
     "Hundreds of people are coming to the church for
assistance," Harvey said.  "We are working around the clock to
meet their needs.  Our ministry is to help people and (to) be the
body of Christ."
     At Bethel Lutheran Church, Biloxi, Miss., the library was
turned into a health clinic, and the sanctuary provided sleeping
arrangements for volunteers, church and Red Cross staff.  The
church's fellowship hall served as a distribution center.
     "God left Bethel Lutheran Church standing for a reason,"
said Judy Bultman, a member of Bethel Lutheran Church.
     Lutheran clergy in Baton Rouge, La., joined with other faith
leaders to "create a new federation of people working together to
meet the needs" of hurricane survivors, according to the Rev.
Robin J. McCullough-Bade, Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Baton
Rouge.  She said faith leaders there are working together based
on mutual compassion and the desire "to meet human needs.  This
is a new time for us to be creative about team ministry.  Many of
us get this mission and understand that the only way we can move
on in response to disaster is if we can work together.  In the
midst of such destruction, we came together."
     According to John Gilbert, retired chair of the board,
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the "distinction of who helps
whom, who receives help, is not based on what denomination one is
from.  It's recognizing that when one part of the body hurts,
everyone is there to help.  And, that's clearly what I saw."
     Thrivent is a Minneapolis-based not-for-profit financial
services organization serving members of the ELCA and other
Lutheran church bodies.  It is giving $1 for every $2 given by
Thrivent members to Lutheran disaster response funds, up to $300
per member.  Thrivent is prepared to give as much as $2 million
in additional funds.
     On Sept. 8 Thrivent and Habitat for Humanity announced a
financial, volunteer and advocacy alliance designed to increase
Habitat's capacity to build more affordable housing in the United
States, including the Gulf Coast area.  The alliance, "Thrivent
Builds with Habitat for Humanity," represents a four-year, $105
million commitment by Thrivent.  Thrivent has specifically
earmarked $5 million of the total to rebuild homes in the Gulf
Coast region.
     Gilbert, who traveled with Feltman and Hanson to the Gulf
Coast, said "a real re-awakening" for him was witnessing Lutheran
pastors, some of whom have lost their homes, continue "to serve
as caregivers.  Pastors, too, need to have someone tend to their
needs," he said.  "To watch people get on with it, get things
fixed, put forth the effort unselfishly is a reaffirmation of the
kind of people that Lutherans are.  It is very apparent that we
are all one body in Christ."
     Feltman, Gilbert and Hanson met with Lutheran pastors and
others from Louisiana at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Baton Rouge,
Sept. 22.  The group viewed pictures of churches and homes in
hurricane-affected areas in the state.  Hanson told the group the
church "will be (in the Gulf Coast) until communities are rebuilt
and congregations are revitalized."
     "It's important for people to know that (Hurricane Katrina
response) is going to be a long-term process, and I say that in
the way that the acute phase of this disaster is lasting much
longer than it usually does.  Debris and clean-up will take a
longer period of time, as did the search and rescue.  I ask
people to be patient with us, that we need to do it a piece at a
time and do it well, and that together we can make a difference,"
said Feltman.
- - -

DOMESTIC DISASTERS:

Editors: When listing organizations receiving funds to aid
survivors of major disasters inside the United States, Puerto
Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands, please include:
ELCA Domestic Disaster Response, P.O. Box 71764,
Chicago, Illinois 60694-1764
Credit card gift line: 1-800-638-3522
Credit card gifts via Internet:
http://www.ELCA.org/disaster/katrina

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news