ACT Alliance photo credit: www.flickr.com/photos/geoftheref

The above title is based on a report by Linda Macqueen of the Lutheran Church of Australia’s Lutheran magazine on the aftermath of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Christchurch, New Zealand. It is in reference to the congregation of St. Paul’s Lutheran in Christchurch, who will be meeting for worship Sunday outside of their building which has been declared unsafe to enter. They are hoped to be joined in prayer by Lutherans and other Christians throughout the world as the Lutheran Church of New Zealand’s president, Rev. Robert Erickson, calls for this Sunday to be a day of prayer for those affected and those working for on their behalf.

Though this title is in reference to a single, and powerful, act of worship at St. Pauls, it can aptly describe the role of the church overall. As reports slowly roll out because of lack of electricity and communication they are filled with pieces about how people are serving the neighbor and being served by the neighbor in their time of need. I have read about Australian doctors, in Christchurch for a convention, who are without shelter or water but are still finding ways to serve, of Church World Services finding ways to stay in communication and continue to serve the population even though they do not have access to their downtown offices, of pastor David Lipsys who was on the Northern island of New Zealand at the time of the quake and is trying to find a way back to be with his wife and congregation in their time of need, and so on.

Part of what is so amazing is that this area is still recovering from the aftermath of an earthquake that struck earlier in September of last year. Through it all they have continued to be strong and even to increase their support of brothers and sisters around the world in places like Haiti, Chile and Pakistan who have also been struck by natural disasters.  So hopefully this Sunday you will be able to say a prayer for the people of Christchurch and the surrounding area as they continue to find ways of living into and through God’s grace amidst tragedy. For though the building crumbles, the church still stands.

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

Map of Mentawai Islands

It’s been almost four months since a devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake producing a tsunami with 9 foot high waves hit the Mentawai Islands of Indonesia causing over 500 casualties and leaving over 11,000 homeless. Since that time reconstruction and aid has been consistent but slow on account of the difficulty actually getting there (only one weekly boat trip from Sumatra to the islands) and the lack of working communications once there (limited phone lines, spotty cell phone reception and rolling brown outs). The ELCA, through the ACT Alliance, has helped to support the ongoing response of its partners on the ground.

What I was really excited to see when reading the ACT Alliance update on the situation was that along side the much needed aid of mobile clinics, home reconstruction and sanitation, one of the partners (Yakkum Emergency Unit (YEU)) had also built a football (soccer) field. The field now gets daily use and YEU has reported that they see happier faces than prior to the the field being built.

Why this excited me was seeing the recognition of life as more than subsistence alone. In the call to serve the neighbor, I believe Christ means not only to their physical needs but also their spiritual well being. What a gift to bring the gift of a smile to a player or fan and the joy of a hard played game as well as the comfort of a warm meal, a solid roof over one’s head and the caring hand of a medical professional in one’s illness. It is amazing to see all the ways that Christ continues to work.

So as you continue to pray for those affected by this natural disaster and those who are dedicating themselves to meeting their needs, add a few prayers that the weather may be fair, the soccer balls ample and the shots true.

No one has been able to say specifically why * on February 4th fighting broke out at the disputed Preah Vihear between Thai and Cambodian military forces, but the outcome has been a handful of deaths and injuries on both sides and 1500+ families fleeing from their homes. In response to this displacement the ELCA, and partner organizations, have given financial support to Life With Dignity (LWD), our local partner on the ground. The funds will be used set up a camp to provide stable conditions for temporary housing, clean water, sanitation and food.

The hope is that the fighting will not escalate further and thankfully there has been a ceasefire in effect since February 8th. At the moment the goal is to help people momentarily displaced while they wait to return home. Please join us in praying for the people of the region that they may find peace in this period of uncertainty and that the two sides may find a peaceful and agreeable solution.

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* Though the reason for the recent outbreak of violence is not know the general reason for tensions stem from the Preah Vihear temple sitting on a disputed stretch of border between Cambodia and Thailand. The dispute has gone on since France withdrew from Cambodia in 1953, was heightened in 1962 when the International Court of Justice ruled the temple to be on the Cambodian side of the border and peaked in 2008 when UNESCO accepted Cambodia’s bid to list the temple as a World Historical Site, a move Thailand disagrees with.

Tensions continue to rise in Egypt following the public cry for Egyptian President Mubarak to resign and the subsequent unrest as the pro-Mubarak supporters clash with protestors. In response the US State Department has called for all US personnel to evacuate the country.

Amidst our prayers for a just and peaceful resolution to this troubled time in the life of the Egyptian people, we raise a call of thanksgiving that all ten of the ELCA deployed staff working in Egypt have safely been evacuated. There two-day long journey took them from Egypt to Istanbul and finally to St. Paul, Minnestota, where they are thankful to be safe but eagerly await the opportunity to return to their work and the ministry partners they left behind.

To learn more about the missionaries and their situation, read the ELCA Missionary Blog Hand in Hand.

Our prayers and concerns for the situation in Egypt range from concern for our missionaries, our companions, colleagues, and friends. The ELCA has a long history of engagement in Cairo, sending mission personnel, supporting congregations and partnering in development work. St. Andrew’s Refugee Services has been a program that has received long support from World Hunger funds and deployed mission personnel, interns and volunteers from the ELCA. The center provides a safe haven, educational opportunities, legal assistance and a community to refugees living in Cairo from throughout Eastern Africa and the Middle East.

The location of St. Andrew’s Refugee Services is in the compound of the St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo in the heart of Cairo. I am linking here a video produced by the congregational president of St. Andrew’s United Church of Cairo, Iain, of damage inflicted on the St. Andrew’s compound by looters:

The video dramatically shows how close the compound is to Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the political demonstrations and conflicts in Cairo. The video is publicly available and can be used in a variety of ways to illustrate the insecurity faced by all in Egypt. Above all, this video brings to our minds the insecurity of the refugee population served by St. Andrew’s Refugee Services, as the services on which those communities depend have been disrupted by the violence and chaos that has engulfed Egypt for the past week.

We should be specific to note that this video does not in any way depict anti-Christian activity. The compound was not breached because it contains a church or a Christian ministry. The religious symbols of the church were not desecrated in any way.

Thanks, to all of you, for your continued prayers for those in Egypt.  ~Megan

The Editor of The Lutheran (Australia), Linda Macqueen, sent a positive message this afternoon regarding Cyclone Yasi that was threatening the northeast coast of Australia.  At one point, the storm was listed as a category 5, with some weather reports suggesting the size of the storm system to be roughly twice the size of Hurricane Katrina.  The eastern coastal region of Australia is currently recovering from record setting floods. ~Megan

Cairns and Townville, the major regional centres of North Queensland, have been spared from the anticipated massive destruction of Category 5 Cyclone Yasi, which crossed the coast at around midnight last night. Lutherans from those communities reported this morning that, while they experienced an uneasy night, the cyclone did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary.

“Thanks be to God that the cyclone did not cross the coast at a highly populated area’, LCA Queensland District President Noel Noack, said this morning. ‘While we feel for the people directly in its path, who have lost homes and property, we can thank God that there were no lives lost.’

This was the first cyclone Pastor Lou and Hazel Pfeiffer of Townsville had experienced. During the preparations they had felt anxious, but during the cyclone they were not afraid. ‘We were even relaxed enough to play cards’, said Hazel.

General Church Council member David Spanagel, of Cairns, said that he and wife Pam didn’t feel they needed to go to their bunker at any stage during the cyclone. At around midnight they felt that it posed no danger to them and they went to bed. ‘Here in Cairns, we’ve dodged a bullet’, he said.

There are small Lutheran communities at Mission Beach and Tully, which took the full blunt of Yasi, but at this stage it is not known how they fared.

Written by: Linda Macqueen, Editor of The Lutheran (Australia)