Newsline: Church of the Brethren News Service -- May 24, 2007 Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, News Director 800-323-8039 ext. 260 -- cobnews@brethren.org
BRETHREN FOCUS WORK NORTH OF GREENSBURG, FOLLOWING TORNADO
(May 24, 2007) Elgin, IL -- In response to the tornado that leveled most of the town of Greensburg, Kan., on May 4, the Church of the Brethren disaster responders have decided to focus efforts in another affected area north of the town.
During that night at least six tornados were in the area, and more the next night, reported Roy Winter, director of Brethren Disaster Ministries (formerly called the Emergency Response program). "While Greensburg is the focus of the national media, the destruction reaches northeast into the heart of Kansas farmland," he said. Winter visited the area last week to help assess the need for a Brethren response. "In Stafford County, the Eden Valley Church of the Brethren sits untouched," he said, "but at least five Brethren families experienced damage to their homes, garages, or barns."
Eden Valley pastor Tim Morris has been helping to provide pastoral support following the disaster, including support to one family whose farm north of Greensburg lost all nine buildings. The loss included the house and some live stock. "Even the floor of the house was ripped away," Winter said.
Pastor Morris is helping coordinate relief efforts in this rural area, with support from the church's Western Plains District. Acting district disaster coordinator Bill Winter has been taking part in the meetings of agencies involved in the relief effort. "Right now Greensburg is very much in the news eye, and they're getting a lot of help," said Bill Winter. "So what we've decided to do is focus on the area north of Greensburg where the tornados went after hitting the town."
Last week Bill Winter and a small group of Brethren volunteers went out to help clean up felled trees and remove debris in the area north of Greensburg. Another "walk the fields" clean up is scheduled for Sunday, May 27. Western Plains has issued a general call for volunteers to help farmers pick up debris from fields on that afternoon. The call went out to the Brethren congregations located in the western part of Kansas. Volunteers will meet at Eden Valley Church of the Brethren at 2 p.m., and the church will provide a light meal. "Anyone from child up to older adult who can bend over and pick up stuff is welcome!" Bill Winter said.
"The process is ongoing," he added. Future rebuilding work by Church of the Brethren volunteers may include rebuilding of homes and garages and other structures damaged by the storms, he said.
Children's Disaster Services (formerly Disaster Child Care) also has responded quickly to the Greensburg tornado by sending seven volunteers to help care for children of affected families. Children's Disaster Services is a ministry of the Church of the Brethren. Child care volunteers worked in the Red Cross services center in Haviland, just west of Greensburg, through May 16. The program is currently working to create a longterm child care presence in Greensburg to help families as they do clean up and rebuilding.
In other disaster response news from the Church of the Brethren, the Brethren Disaster Ministries rebuilding project in Lucedale, Miss., is scheduled to close at the end of June, and the McComb, Miss., project will close Aug. 4. Both projects were in response to Hurricane Katrina. Two other Hurricane Katrina projects in Louisiana, in Pearl River and Chalmette, remain active.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Nigeria, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and India.
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For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave., Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
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