Greetings! This is my first opportunity to write to you as the new Director of Lutheran Disaster Response! I started on June 4 and have been busy getting oriented to the position. I consider it a privilege and an honor to serve in this capacity.

Before I go any further, I want to be sure to thank Ruth Reko for her great job of serving as the Interim Director. Since her first day, which coincided with a tornado in Alabama, she has hit the ground running. Her wealth of knowledge regarding the history of disaster response and the work of the implementing affiliates in Lutheran social ministry organizations have helped give direction to this work and are a gift for which we will be forever grateful. May the Lord bless her as she moves back into active “retirement”!

I can relate a bit to Ruth’s experience since when I was employed at Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) on May 24, 2004, I received a letter from Gil Furst with the news that I was named as the LDR Coordinator for Iowa. Later that afternoon, a tornado struck Bradgate, Iowa and then the next evening a flood struck Elkport and Garber, Iowa. So I was forced to learn what it means to be an LDR Coordinator and how to respond to a disaster fairly quickly. Throughout my time at LSI, I worked with over 20 communities experiencing disasters. In 2008, severe flooding impacted a large portion of Iowa. In our response, LSI provided disaster case management for 13 counties whereI served as the program manager. At the peak of the response, we had 20 people employed in disaster case management. I left the agency in December of 2010. Since that time I have served as an interim pastor in Clinton and Dubuque, Iowa.

Thankfully, my first few days in the office has not brought any new disasters. But I am keenly aware of all of the ongoing response and recovery work that is going on around the county. Thank you to all who have helped implement this work in their local communities and those who have traveled near and far to volunteer time and talents! It continues to hold true that where Lutherans respond to disaster there is Lutheran Disaster Response.          

I believe my perspective as a former state coordinator will help me in this work, but I am also aware that many of you have a great deal of experience working with disasters as well. So as I begin my role here, I invite you to contact me with your thoughts and ideas as to how we can build on what LDR has been doing. And may the Spirit continue to lead as we engage in God’s work with our hands.

Amen.

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

My name is Matthew Ley and I am the Program Interpreter for ELCA Disaster Response. Last week I had my first trip to Minot, ND to check in on the progress made since the flooding from this past summer and to host a respite retreat for the local ELCA pastors. It was a bit of a roller-coaster event emotionally as I learned about and saw first-hand the devastation caused by the flooding. However, because of this event I was able to connect with an amazing set of ordained and lay leaders of this church. I figure the best way to get across what happened is to walk you through the days.

Tuesday, Jan 24, 2012
My first introduction to Minot after the airport was arriving at Sherie & Pat Heine’s house around 11:30pm. With hotels being booked solid with oil workers and people working around the disaster, my search for rooms were met with either no’s or price tags upwards of $160/night. And so Sherie, Western North Dakota Synod Vice-President, and her mother, Pat, graciously agreed to house me during my time. Although it wasn’t official until Toughy, their dog, made sure I passed muster.
(more…)

Last week the Lutheran World Federation’s Department of World Service (LWF-DWS) gained certification from Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) International. To give some context to what this means, here is a an overview of HAP’s purpose from their website:

[HAP] International is a multi-agency initiative working to improve the accountability of humanitarian action to people affected by disasters and other crises….The vision of HAP International is a humanitarian system with a trusted and widely accepted accountability framework, which is transparent and accessible to all relevant parties. Its mission is to make humanitarian action accountable to its intended beneficiaries through self-regulation by its members linked by common respect for the rights and dignity of beneficiaries.

What this means is that LWF-DWS engages in disaster response in a people-centered way. There response makes sure that those with and for whom they work are being treated with respect, that they are given voice in the process, and the response does not ignore but builds on the strengths already existent in the community. They are living out the understanding that all are created in the image of God, instilled with a fundamental dignity as part of God’s good creation and to be treated as such.

So congrats to LWF-DWS on there certification and keep up the good work!

To read more about how the process worked check out the LWF-DWS post: DWS Certification Shows People at Center of Humanitarian Response

————-
Gifts to ELCA International Disaster Response allow the church to respond globally in times of need. Donate now.

ACT 2010 Annual Report. Click to download.

The ACT Alliance has released its 2010 Annual Report, their first Annual Report! The ELCA is a member of ACT and we are grateful for their continued work of coordination that helps resources reach those in need with more efficiency and speed. Through their added value your gifts to ELCA Disaster Response can reach farther.

So read about how ACT coordinate their great work globally through stories, reports and financials and learn more about how the ELCA Disaster Response works with partners to carry out our good work. Learn about how they work with partners in the UN and around the world. Read about how dollars raised become lives enhanced. Read about how God’s work is being done through your support.

Also, read ACT’s General Secratary, John Nduna’s, letter about the report.

“… but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
— Isaiah 40:31

Sisters and brothers in Christ,

Sunday August 29th, 2010 marks the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina making landfall on the Gulf Coast. Across our country, and even around the world, there will be solemn remembrances as we keep alive the memories of the people and the places that were lost to that terrible storm. The passing of time cannot fully heal, but only lessens, the anguish and grief felt in the days that followed the disaster.

I encourage Lutherans everywhere to take time Sunday August 29th to remember in your worship and prayer all of the people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Please especially remember the pastors and people of the ELCA Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod, the ELCA Southeastern Synod, and the LCMS Southern District who have served so faithfully in the five years following Katrina. The ELCA Worship and Liturgical Resources Unit has produced excellent worship resources to assist in these commemorations and has posted examples of prayer vigils created by congregations in the ELCA. To download these resources, click here.

I also want to encourage you to think about the five years that have passed since Hurricane Katrina. Living in an Easter world of faith and hope, we recognize that it is our response to tragedy, that which follows, that truly defines us. Indeed, on Sunday August 29th 2010 we remember the amazing things that have happened along the Gulf Coast since August 29th, 2005, which cannot be summed up or defined merely by a single day.

In these five years, we remember the courage and steadfastness that the people of the Gulf Coast have shown in rebuilding their communities. We give thanks to God for their witness.

In these five years, we remember the countless many who prayed and gave gifts to support the work of the church in these communities. We give thanks to God for their faithfulness.

In these five years, we remember the more than 50,000 Lutheran volunteers who have traveled from near and far to help their neighbors in need. We give thanks to God for their enduring generosity.

In these five years, we remember thousands of Lutheran young people who gathered in New Orleans as a hopeful witness of the Resurrection. We give thanks to God for their energy and their service.

In these five years, since August 29, 2005, God has been showing us signs of help, hope and healing in these and many other ways. So let us remember together all of these five years, as we continue to accompany and comfort those who mourn, and in deep gratitude for the many signs of continued recovery.

In Christ,
Rev Kevin Massey – Director – Lutheran Disaster Response