Title: Christmas Hope for Upper Midwest Flood Victims
ELCA NEWS SERVICE
October 6, 1997
CHRISTMAS HOPE FOR UPPER MIDWEST FLOOD VICTIMS
Members of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Grand Forks, N.D., hope to
brighten the homes of victims of the 1997 Red River Valley Flood this
Christmas. The church will collect and distribute hand-crafted or
purchased Christmas ornaments that they call "Symbols of Faith."
St. Mark is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. "The flood was a devastating disaster for our community,"
said Colleen Carlson, a member of St. Mark. "We are still very much
at a rebuilding stage and members are spending their money purchasing
furnaces, washers and dryers ... things that go in the basement," she
said. "Many flood survivors lost all their Christmas decorations. We
cannot replace their Christmas heirlooms, but we would like to give
them a new start. The goal is to provide Christian-theme decorations,
such as angels, bells and stars, to as many members of our
congregation as possible," she said. "We would also like our members
to use this opportunity to do outreach by giving 'symbols of faith' to
friends and neighbors." Extra Christmas ornaments will be shared with
other ELCA congregations. "Cash gifts are also welcome as we wish to
purchase light sets, tree stands, and more," said Carlson.
For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html
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