wfn.org | [LCMSNews] Storm-affected schools boost ministries

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	Schools turn hurricane challenges into ministry opportunities

	By Kim Krull

	When second-graders at St. Paul's Lutheran School in New Orleans
wrote to Santa this year, their letters sounded different from in the
past.

	Among their requests: Please try to keep our ceiling from
falling in again. Please bring my neighbor things to put in his house
because there's not much there now. Please bring more people to rebuild
our city.

	"They are more concerned about others, not just themselves. And
they are so good about welcoming our new students," said Principal Sue
Schiller, referring to St. Paul's growing enrollment. "In spite of
everything, it's exciting because we're touching kids and families we've
never touched before."

	St. Paul's is just of one 21 LCMS schools in Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Florida affected by the most
devastating hurricane season on record. Those schools include a total
enrollment of more than 2,500 students and 150 teachers.

	The schools' hurricane-related challenges include physical
damage, from lost textbooks to destruction so extreme that two New
Orleans schools remain unable to reopen. Other trials: tighter budgets
caused by lower enrollments and families unable to pay tuition due to
home and job losses; teachers struggling with their own personal
property damage and lost income; and the frustrating uncertainty of
insurance claims.

	But faculty members with the largest Protestant school system in
the United States say LCMS schools also have turned hurricane-related
challenges into ministry opportunities. Many have increased community
outreach and welcomed new students and families.

	At St. Paul's in New Orleans, classes resumed in October, well
before the public schools and one of the first "businesses" to reopen
after Hurricane Katrina, offering care and stability in a ravaged
community. By mid-December, enrollment had climbed to 74 children.
Thirty are new students, including one Muslim.

	In Biloxi, Miss., Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool has added six
new students. More are expected in January. The school is charging
parents only what they can afford to pay in this community, where
Katrina destroyed or damaged more than 5,000 homes.

	"The church elders wanted the school to reopen as soon as
possible so the children would have a safe place to come," said
Preschool Director Rava Coyle. And, she added, to give parents a few
hours to deal with some overwhelming situations.

	One "little" example of a post-hurricane challenge: Coyle's once
10-minute commute to school now takes an hour because of damaged
bridges. "Unless they have been down here, people can't imagine the
devastation, not only here but throughout the whole Gulf Coast," Coyle
said.

	In response to the continuing needs of LCMS schools directly
affected by the hurricanes, LCMS World Relief/Human Care and LCMS School
Ministry have launched a new charitable campaign. The goal is to raise
at least $250,000 through the sale of 250,000 "Reaching Out in Love --
Hurricane Relief" wristbands. That number represents the total 250,000
student-enrollment in LCMS preschools through high schools nationwide.

	"Our Lutheran schools have been a blessing to the many people
whose lives have been turned upside down by the hurricanes," said Dennis
Fangmann, LCMS World Relief/Human Care's school liaison. "Now, more than
ever, our schools need an extra hand of support so they can continue to
help children, families, and communities heal and grow."

	The purple-and-yellow-swirl wristbands are imprinted with the
campaign theme. Each wristband costs $1. Campaign coordinators are
asking LCMS congregations and schools to order in bulk and consider
selling or giving the wristbands to individual members and students.
Proceeds will provide assistance to schools for repairs and rebuilding
and for tuition assistance for students whose families have lost homes
and jobs.

	Here's a sampling of how the hurricanes have impacted other LCMS
schools, with challenges as well as opportunities:

	* St. John and Prince of Peace Lutheran schools, both in New
Orleans, continue to sit empty after extensive flooding and damage. St.
John had no flood insurance. Contaminated floodwaters may complicate
rebuilding at Prince of Peace. Both schools are located in neighborhoods
among the hardest-hit by Katrina. The future of both schools remains
uncertain.

	* Trinity Lutheran School, Delray Beach, Fla., is dealing with
insurance issues and beginning repairs that include replacing a damaged
roof, windows, awnings, fencing, and computers. Another concern: a
50-foot cross that's leaning about five feet eastward.

	* Nearly 200 Lutheran schools and congregations in 34 states
offered to provide enrollment, at no cost, to displaced Southern
District students. Many schools also offered housing for evacuees. In
Texas alone, more than 30 LCMS schools took in a total of 272 new
students.

	* Schools throughout the Synod have contributed to the LCMS
School Ministry effort to raise $1 million for hurricane-affected
schools, donating chapel collections and hosting fund-raisers. One
example: Valley Lutheran High School, Saginaw, Mich., raised $4,000 for
one month's mortgage payment for Metairie Lutheran High School,
Louisiana, which sustained major roof damage.

	LCMS World Relief/Human Care has provided hurricane relief for
LCMS schools, including through grants to the Southern, Texas, and
Florida-Georgia districts and more than $1 million in church-worker
salary support, much of it for teachers. The ministry also has made
available $30,000 matching grants to each district partnering with
hurricane-affected congregations and schools. For more information,
contact LCMS World Relief/Human Care at (800) 248-1930, Ext. 1274, or
send an e-mail to rachel.mumme@lcms.org.

	But more support is needed, Fangmann says, because needs in many
schools and their communities are expected to continue for years to
come.

	"We thank all who have opened their hearts so generously to
hurricane survivors," Fangmann said. "For children and families trying
to put their lives back together, there is no better place than a
Lutheran school."

	For more information about the "Reaching Out in Love" campaign
or for a downloadable form to order wristbands, visit the LCMS World
Relief/Human Care Web site at worldrelief.lcms.org
<http://worldrelief.lcms.org>  or call (800) 248-1930, Ext. 1380 or
1381.

	***************************************

	If you have questions or comments about this LCMSNews release,
contact Joe Isenhower Jr. at joe.isenhower@lcms.org or (314) 996-1231,
or Paula Schlueter Ross at paula.ross@lcms.org or (314) 996-1230.

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