To: [log in to unmask] Dear friends in Christ, I want to share with you part of the report Gene Thiemann, a member of our Lutheran Disaster Response team, wrote about the tornadoes in the Atlanta area. We sent Gene (who served as our LDR coordinator in Fort Collins, Colorado, last summer) to serve as a resource for ten days in Atlanta, to help the agency/synod/district get a jump start on the response. Gene writes, *** Original (but possibly edited) note follows *** From: Gene Thiemann Subject: Visible in Disaster Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 10:05:32 PDT I've always thought of Norcross as a greeting card. But now it brought a new message. This was one of the areas near Atlanta that got hit by tornadoes earlier this month. I had been asked by Lutheran Disaster Response to work with Lutheran Ministries of Georgia and local Lutheran congregations to help develop a longer-range plan of action. Already there was so much being done from the Norcross-based parish of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Chain saws were buzzing, and so was the entire congregation, it seemed. Dianne Linngren, a member of the congregation with considerable social ministry experience, played a pivotal role in coordinating immediate relief efforts from that congregation. From that parish 200-300 volunteers have gone out with sandwiches, tarps, tools, and more. As Pastor Gary Christensen tells it, this congregation has come forward with money, but especially with muscle! And there has been pastoral support and care as well, with staff and members walking the streets just to check in with the many affected neighbors of this 17-year old congregation. Even the congregation's web page on the internet declared its intention to help the 50 or so member families and others affected, saying, perhaps in the echoes of Easter, that the members have "risen to the aid of each other and those around us." Christ the King's own church tower and cross came crashing down during the Holy Week storm. Church members soon saw the cross planted prominently in the ground in front of the church. That week the church's message included that thought that in the love of God, the cross of Christ had come to earth. The American Red Cross reports that the April tornadoes brought damage to 5,136 homes in the outskirts of Atlanta, and they are still discovering more. The Norcross area, where Christ the King is located, accounted for more than half of the damaged or destroyed homes. Many homeowners, perhaps 90%, had insurance, to cover at least some of the damages. But deductibles need to be covered, trees need to be removed and needs not covered by insurance are becoming apparent. Some concerned area Lutherans recently met with the Rev. Gary Danielsen of Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, to consider strategies for meeting needs over the next three months. Although the first, immediate phase of help is drawing to a close, they concluded that continuing help would be needed. They spoke about addressing unmet needs, helping children with fears that every new storm might portend another tornado, and the need to reach out to non-Lutherans with a hand of love as "Tornado Servants." Lutheran Disaster Response has already authorized an initial grant of $25,000 for relief efforts. AAL and Lutheran Brother have also made matching funds available to their local organizations for disaster assistance. Earlier in the day Dianne and I happened to drive past a storm-battered church on the way to a meeting with Red Cross officials. As we passed, she slowed down and pointed to dozens of tall Southern Pines that had graced the front of this beautiful church, but had now been snapped in the fierce winds. Before the tornado hit, she explained, there were so many standing trees that the church could hardly be seen from the road. At that moment, I thought I was hearing a new message from Norcross: a disaster can make the church become more visible! I felt that was exactly the case at Christ the King Lutheran! And Lutheran Disaster Response, working through Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, will try to make that visible love in Christ continue. *** End of original note *** You can help make Christ's love visible by your prayer support and your financial contributions to: ELCA Domestic Disaster Response PO Box 71764 Chicago, IL 60694-1764 Gil Furst GILBERT B. FURST (written on Fri, Apr 24, 1998, at 1:06 am) Associate Director, ELCA Domestic Disaster Response Internet address: [log in to unmask] For more information, click on our web site: www.elca.org/dcs/disaster