wfn.org | Lutherans Brace for Hurricane Ike

[<NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

>Title: Lutherans Brace for Hurricane Ike
>ELCA NEWS SERVICE

>September 12, 2008  

>Lutherans Brace for Hurricane Ike
>08-155-MRC

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- More than 1 million people have
evacuated along the U.S. Gulf Coast in anticipation of
Hurricane Ike, which is expected to make landfall Sept.
12-13, according to the Rev. Kevin A. Massey, director,
Lutheran Disaster Response -- a collaborative ministry
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and
the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS).  Although
evacuation is essential, the process is a physical,
emotional and financial hardship for many, he said.

"We don't know now how bad Hurricane Ike will be,
but many of the projections are very serious," said Massey.
"Emergency management officials want people to evacuate
when they're told.  We realize this is difficult to do,
since we're asking people to leave their homes oftentimes
at their own expense."

Some Lutheran congregations in the South are offering
their church buildings as places for respite and safety, and
"we thank those congregations," said Massey, who traveled
along the Gulf Coast Sept. 8-11 to meet with pastors,
congregations and others about local disaster response
efforts during the 2008 hurricane season, as well as the
continuing recovery efforts from previous hurricane seasons.
He said Hurricane Gustav caused significant damage to
coastal areas south of New Orleans and "brought back many
memories and fears about the evacuation experience prior to
Hurricane Katrina."

In anticipation of Hurricane Ike, members and staff of
ELCA synods, LCMS districts, Lutherans Social Services of
the South, Inc., Austin, Texas, and the ELCA churchwide
organization "have had a series of conference calls verifying
the information about the mandatory evacuation in Galveston
and other parts of the Gulf Coast, as well as coordinating
what will be the future response in the wake of the
hurricane," Massey said.

Members of the ELCA Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod and
the LCMS Texas District "have done wonderful jobs of preparing
congregations and leaders for disaster," said Massey.
Volunteers will be needed at a later time.  It may be weeks
before the Gulf Coast can be re-entered following Hurricane
Ike, he said.

"The anniversaries of Hurricane Katrina and of Sept. 11
weigh heavy on our hearts these days.  At the same time,
Hurricane Gustav and impending Hurricane Ike have us feeling
a very heavy burden.  More so than ever, we must lean upon
God's spirit, turn to each other for comfort and support,
and share together in these difficult days," said Massey.

In a Sept. 12 statement to the ELCA the Rev. Mark S.
Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA, called on the 4.7
million members of the church "to respond in the midst of
danger and loss" during the 2008 hurricane season. "While
some are preparing for storms yet to come, others are
fleeing from storms, and still others are rebuilding in the
aftermath of disasters," he said.

Hanson asked Lutherans to respond with prayer, "generous
gifts of time and money," volunteer hours and skills, "the
open doors of your homes and churches, and your commitment
to a sustaining presence for the long haul."  He said these
"expressions of our faith remind us that we are called by name
and are bound together by our baptisms into community with
those who suffer."

New prayers and worship resources for during and after
a hurricane are posted at www.ELCA.org/worship on the ELCA
Web site, said the Rev. Jennifer Phelps Ollikainen, ELCA
associate for worship resources.

Information and updates about ELCA Disaster Response
are posted at http://ELCA.org/disaster on the Web.
- - -

ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark S. Hanson's complete
statement is at http://www.elca.org/bishopstatement on the
ELCA Web site.

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

For information contact:

John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog