First Lady Michelle Obama with Heather Turney of Lutheran Ministries of Alabama at Camp Noah in Pratt City. Credit: LMA/Ron Turney

The participants at Camp Noah in Pratt City, an area of Birmingham, AL, had quite a surprise yesterday when First Lady Michelle Obama came to visit. The camp is a ministry begun by Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota in 1997 to help children affected by disasters process the experience. It was being hosted by Lutheran Ministries of Alabama in Pratt City as part of their response to the devastating tornado in April 2011.

The First Lady was able to greet many of the children presonally and even took home some of the healthy treats they were putting together as part of their program. It was a great experience for those present and a nice affirmation of the good work of Camp Noah. A wonderful example of how in times of disaster our church takes seriously the role of being there for the long haul, even after the news cameras have left. And sometimes when they come back.

To learn more about the good work being done see: Camp Noah | Lutheran Ministries of Alabama

You can also learn more about the even from local news coverage (short ads before most videos):

  • Special visitor in Pratt City: Series of videos. The first one has a statement from Nancy Beers, Director of Camp Noah, and the second one has a good overview of the program.
  • First Lady Obama visits Birmingham: Really like the statement of the First Lady at the end of the video. It’s great our church, through our disaster response work, can be a part of what she’s talking about.

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